Lavrov says US, EU 'actively seeking' to distance Armenia from Russia

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) - The US and EU are actively seeking to distance Armenia from Russia at an accelerated pace, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Friday.

Speaking in an interview with three Russian radio stations, Lavrov criticized Western actions in relation to the Caucasian nation, denouncing them as "insolent and shameless."

Lavrov cast doubt on assertions suggesting Armenia would benefit more from economic cooperation with the EU and US, pointing out that last year Armenia's trade turnover amounted to $20 billion, with 37% attributed to countries of the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU), 13% to the EU, and 3% to the US.

The diplomat emphasized that despite being a smaller country, Armenia enjoys equal rights within the EEU, although its contributions being proportional to its size.

As for the controversial issues between Armenia and Russia, the minister said he expects them to be addressed through direct dialogue between the leaders of the two countries.

Turning to the situation in the breakaway Transnistria region, Lavrov expressed concern over an escalation there. "(Western countries) want to turn Transnistria into a hotbed of tension. They say that it is necessary to simply 'suppress' this formation by military means and let Russia suffer another strategic defeat," he said.

The official warned that such plans "have no prospects."

Lavrov also criticized Moldovan President Maya Sandu for "dragging" formally neutral Moldova in the NATO military bloc and for subjugating it to Romania.

As for the Georgian contentious bill on foreign agents, Lavrov said it is "significantly milder" than analogous legislation in many other countries, including the US, France and Poland.