Zakharova sees  American trace in Russophobic action in Yerevan  against backdrop of Lavrov`s visit to Armenia

ArmInfo. Russia's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova believes there is an American influence behind the Russophobic action organized this morning in the  center of Yerevan on the eve of the visit of  Russian Foreign  Ministry head, Sergey Lavrov, to Armenia.

During a weekly briefing on May 20, Zakharova responded  to a request  to assess the Russophobic action in Yerevan by asking a counter  question whether the journalist knows how many employees  the US  Embassy in Armenia has. "Do you know how many people work at the US  Embassy in Armenia? There are 2,000 people working there. Apparently,  some of them have not yet  realized  that it is necessary to  stimulate, for example, Russian-American relations, and not to  undermine Russian-Armenian relations.  Apparently, someone lives in  the American Embassy according to the previous patterns. Perhaps,  someone in Armenia has not run out of money transferred through USAID  (US Agency for International Development), which was engaged in such  projects." 

Additionally, the Russian diplomat emphasized that Russia has an  extensive agenda with Armenia on all tracks, not just for discussion,  but also for specific and practical work. "And we are aware that many  of the minorities are not in favor of this. That's why we are  focusing on a constructive, positive agenda. The underlying motive is  clear - funded and encouraged in many parts of the world and various  countries. They tried to do something good with USAID money," the  Russian diplomat added, noting that such actions "don't require great  intelligence."