Two trends have collided in the South Caucasus. This was stated by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov at a meeting with lecturers and students of the Russian-Armenian (Slavonic) University in Yerevan on Wednesday.

“One trend is the choice of the countries of the region, as well as respecting the interests of their neighbors. The other trend is that the West, first of all the EU, was attempting to spread its influence in the region and prevent the consolidation of the countries of the region (Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia) with their big neighbors (Russia, Iran, and Turkey). All this continues. The West is positing the principle of ‘either with us or against us,’” the Russian FM noted.