Rubio says Russia views growing US presence in South Caucasus negatively

Russia views the strengthening of the US presence in the South Caucasus negatively, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said at hearings on Capitol Hill, Report informs.

Rubio said it is fairly well known from open sources that Russia was not pleased with Washington's intensified engagement with countries in the region.

According to him, Moscow would prefer the current Armenian government to lose elections amid growing cooperation between Washington and Yerevan.

He stressed that the United States does not intend to undermine Armenia's sovereignty or interfere in its foreign policy decisions.

Rubio said the US does not intend to encroach on Armenia's sovereignty and is not asking it not to maintain friendly relations with other countries. He added that Washington simply wants to have relations with Yerevan that are based on more than peace alone, noting that peace is important but only the beginning.