U.S. Dismisses Moscow's Concerns About Brussels Meeting, Says Turbulence In South Caucasus 'Fueled By Russian Actions'

The United States on Thursday dismissed the Russian Foreign Ministry’s criticism over the forthcoming Armenia-U.S.-EU trilateral meeting after spokeswoman Maria Zakharova claimed that it was “a part of Western efforts to break up Armenia’s alliance with Russia.”

“I would say if anything, some of the turbulence we have seen in the region has been fueled by Russia’s actions over the past few months,” State Department’s spokesperson Matthew Miller told TURAN’s Washington correspondent during daily briefing.

Miller went on to add, “With respect to this meeting in Brussels, as I said yesterday, it is to focus on economic resilience for Armenia as it works to diversify its trade partnerships and address humanitarian needs, and nothing else.”

Secretary Antony Blinken and USAID Administrator Samantha Power are slated to attend next week’s U.S.-EU trilateral meeting with Armenia in Brussels, together with European Commission President von der Leyen and Armenian Prime Minister Pashinyan.

Earlier on Thursday, Zakharova was quoted by Russian media as claiming that “such meetings cause concern in most countries of the region” because they are aimed at “enabling the West with its extremely destructive approaches gain a firmer foothold in the South Caucasus, creating new dividing lines there, forcing the countries of the region to follow the anti-Russian line.”