This statement was made to journalists by the Press Secretary of the President of the Russian Federation, Dmitry Peskov, reports TASS.
“The general aspirations of NATO to consolidate its presence in the Caucasus are well known to us and, as they say, are visible to the naked eye. There is also an understanding that, actually, NATO’s attempts to somehow expand its influence and presence are unlikely to add stability to the Caucasus and predictability to the situation,” said the Kremlin representative, commenting on NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg’s tour of the Caucasus.
However, the press secretary of the Russian leader pointed out that the Caucasian states have a “sovereign right” to such contacts. “Of course, we are closely monitoring, but we intend primarily to focus on our bilateral relations and the tools of cooperation that our country has with the countries of the region,” added Peskov.
It should be noted that the NATO Secretary-General is currently on an official visit to Yerevan. Last Sunday, he visited Azerbaijan, and on Monday, Georgia.
