The secretary of the Russian Security Council said that the West provokes the deterioration of the situation in the South Caucasus, RIA Novosti reported.

"We are interested in stabilizing the situation in the South Caucasus region, creating conditions for its development and strengthening of mutual trust and cooperation. For this, Russia is consistently taking steps for the multifaceted normalization of Armenian-Azerbaijani relations in the interest of concluding a peace treaty between these countries, delimiting borders, opening [regional] transport communications," Nikolai Patrushev said during a meeting with other CIS colleagues, in Moscow.

The secretary of the Russian Security Council added that the controversial issues in the South Caucasus can be resolved only without the participation of the West or other extra-regional powers.