EU flooding Armenia with grants and empty promises, trying to impose neoliberal attitudes on it, like Georgia, and cultivate Russophobia:  Zakharova

ArmInfo. The West's destructive stance, including the EU's, in the South Caucasus is gaining momentu, as stated by Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova during a weekly briefing on November 20, in response to the remark that "the West's destructive stance in the South Caucasus has become increasingly visible recently, particularly in Georgia and Armenia. The EU holds up Moldova and Ukraine as role models for both countries as candidates for EU membership."

 "I believe that Moldova and Ukraine-I mean the situation that has  been unfolding in these countries for all these years-can only be  held up as an example to those you hate," Zakharova stated. According  to her, "under the hypocritical slogan of defending democracy, the  Westerners want to drag the region into dangerous geopolitical  games." "They are literally twisting the arms of the Georgians; they  want to punish them for trying to defend their own sovereignty. Not  for forming a coalition with someone, not for supporting someone, but  simply for the fact that within their own country, the people of this  state have decided to live by their own laws. Apparently, this is  being done to teach others a lesson. It is clear that the expression  of the will of citizens can only mean something to the EU when its  results help turn the country into a pawn in a bigger game.  Meanwhile, political forces that pursue Western interests are allowed  to do literally anything. And, of course, for the large sums of money  that are handed to them," the official representative of the Russian  Foreign Ministry said. "Overall, what's happening with Georgia allows  us to draw an important conclusion: the more concessions a country  makes to the West, the more Western appetites grow," Zakharova  stated.

As for Armenia, the official representative of the Russian Foreign  Ministry noted, "the EU is also pumping it with grants and empty  promises, trying to impose neoliberal attitudes on it, like Georgia,  manipulating public opinion, and cultivating Russophobia."

"As you know, they have now deployed an observation, and de facto  reconnaissance, mission in Armenia, drawing the republic into their  military-political orbit. In short, they want to destroy the  centuries-old friendship between the Russian and Armenian peoples.  And, of course, the formula proposed by the European Union to the  countries of the South Caucasus is paradoxical. It has been  formulated, almost openly, as follows: align yourself with Moldova  and Ukraine, two anti-advertisements of European integration. In  fact, that's exactly what they are," the Russian Foreign Ministry  representative said.  Zakharova is convinced that the EU wants to see  vassals willing to betray and hand over their national interests to  please their overlord. "Betray, hand over, whatever you like, abandon  them," the Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson emphasized, noting  that it was Ukraine's accelerated movement toward the EU in 2013 that  pushed the country into an abyss.