'Destabilizing To The Region': State Dept Reacts To Russian Rhetoric Against Armenia, Moldova

The United States on Monday reacted to Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov's latest rhetoric against Armenia and Moldova, TURAN's Washington correspondent reports.

In his recent media engagements in Antalya, where he attended an international forum, Lavrov declared that the West was "seeking to take control of the leadership of Moldova as it did with Ukraine".

He was also quoted as saying that Russia would "seriously reconsider” its relationship with Armenia if Yerevan continues drifting away from Moscow and aligning with the West.

"I’m not going to respond directly to that question, although it's the kind of rhetoric that we have seen the Russian Government make that is destabilizing to the region," State Department's spokesperson Matthew Miller told a daily briefing in response to TURAN's inquiry for reaction to Lavrov's comments on Armenia.

Miller went on to add, "... It’s why you’ve seen so many of Russia’s neighbors be concerned about threatening rhetoric and threatening actions that the Russian Government has shown over and over it is willing to take against its neighbors."

As for Russia's accusing the West of "trying to take over" the leadership of Moldova, Miller told TURAN's correspondent: "That’s obviously not true."