MOSCOW. April 5 (Interfax) - The Russian Foreign Ministry regards the April 5 Armenia-U.S.-EU meeting in Brussels as another attempt by the "collective West" to involve the South Caucasus in geopolitical confrontation.
"We regard the high-level meeting in the Armenia-U.S.-EU format in Brussels on April 5, 2024 as another attempt by the 'collective West' to involve the South Caucasus in geopolitical confrontation. The irresponsible and destructive interference by extra-regional forces in South Caucasus affairs, a wish to drive a wedge between the region's countries and their neighbors, may have very negative consequences for stability, security and economic development in the region, cause the appearance of new division lines, as well as an uncontrolled increase of tension," the ministry said in a statement on its website.
"Obviously, the West wants to turn Armenia into an instrument for implementing its extremely dangerous intentions in the South Caucasus. We know that Washington and Brussels, [which are] making ephemeral promises, are seeking Armenia's exit from the CSTO and the EAEU, withdrawal of the Russian military base and border guards," the statement said.
The ministry is calling on the administration in Yerevan "not to let the West deceive it and make the country take a false path, which may lead to the appearance of security vacuum, serious problems in the economy and population outflow." "The volumes of grant support stated in Brussels do not compare in any way to the multi-billion profits that Armenia continues to receive from interaction with Moscow in the EAEU and the CIS. These precise factors dramatically increased trade (fourfold since 2018) and, as a consequence, ensured record economic growth and increased people's wellbeing in the past few years," the statement said.