Zakharova says NATO’s main task is to open second front against Russia in Transcaucasia

NATO’s main task is to open a second front against Russia in Transcaucasia, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said during a press briefing on Wednesday.

According to Zakharova, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg’s visit to the region is a further attempt to drag the republics of the South Caucasus into the zone of Euro-Atlantic influence.

Zakharova noted that NATO and individual member states have long been systematically making such attempts, and the visit of the organization’s secretary general confirms that activity in this area has significantly increased.

“[NATO] has a main task, namely to open a second front against our country in Transcaucasia and, in general, to set the region on fire anew. The idea is that there are fewer problems in the South Caucasus, and who in the West can be satisfied with that?” Zakharova said, adding that Westerners are bothered by the very fact of interaction between these countries, which are close to peace agreements.

“The agreements that were reached through Russian mediation worked as a ‘red rag’ for the West, as it was truly a road to peace based on mutual respect and consideration of interests,” she said.

Zakharova added that the West’s efforts are aimed at discrediting the relations between Armenia and Russia and at freezing contacts completely.