Moscow: Stoltenberg`s visit to South Caucasus is another attempt to  bring South Caucasian republics into Euro-Atlantic influence zone 

ArmInfo.The visit of NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg to the South Caucasus is a manifestation of another attempt to bring the South Caucasian republics into the zone of Euro-Atlantic influence. This was stated on March 20 during a weekly briefing by official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, in response to a request to comment on the tour of the NATO Secretary General to the  countries of the South Caucasus.

According to her, these attempts are being made by both NATO and its  member countries individually and systematically.

"The visit of a NATO official of this level confirms that NATO's  activity in this direction has increased, and manifold. What is the  problem, what is the point? And the point is that there seem to be  fewer problems in the South Caucasus. And who in the West can satisfy  or will they like it? Westerners are haunted by the very fact of  interaction between these states, which was beginning to line up in  line with peace agreements.  Westerners are not satisfied with the  very fact of communication between these states and Russia - equal,  mutually respectful and aimed at global peace in the region. Hence  the ongoing attempts by NATO and the EU that has joined it to  stimulate a severance of relations between the countries of the  region both with each other and with Moscow, as well as to aggravate  the situation along the perimeter of our southern borders," Zakharova  noted.

At the same time, she assures that there is a maximum task - namely,  to open a second front against Russia in Transcaucasia and, in  general, to set the region on fire again.  Zakharova is confident  that the agreements that were reached through the mediation of Russia  literally worked as a "red rag" for the West, since it was truly a  road to peace, based on mutual respect and consideration of  interests.

According to her, coalition standards are being actively imposed on  Tbilisi in order to gain control over the defense and security  sectors.

"Recently, NATO emissaries have become more active in the Armenian  direction. In particular, they are pushing the Individual Partnership  Action Plan." Efforts are aimed at discrediting Yerevan's ties with  Moscow, and ideally, a complete curtailment of our contacts.  Westerners do not hide this at all. Now they are trying drive a wedge  into our partnership with Baku. That is, they have a wide range of  goals and objectives," the representative of the Russian Foreign  Ministry added.

She also considers it obvious that the NATO bloc is not interested in  peace and stability in the South Caucasus. "What Washington and its  satellites have become adept at is planting an anti-Russian narrative  in the region, bringing chaos and tension - something they really  know how to do and love to do. The bloc's intervention in the affairs  of the region will only lead to destabilization of an already  difficult situation.  Efforts so-called helpers are unlikely to meet  the interests of the peoples living in the South Caucasus," she  believes.

Earlier, Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan, during a  conversation with residents of border villages, said that if Yerevan  does not comply with Baku's demands to transfer a number of border  villages to Azerbaijan, then a war will begin. And in case of war,  Turkiye will support Azerbaijan.