Zakharova commented on Solovyov's statements regarding Armenia

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova answered the question of whether TV presenter Vladimir Solovyov's statement on Armenia corresponds to Moscow's official position during a briefing held on Thursday.

"First, this is the journalist's opinion. Secondly, this opinion was expressed on the private TV channel "Solovyov Live". Third, I read the quotes. I did not rely on expressions taken out of context or indirect speech, but direct speech. So, this opinion is actually formulated as a question. It was not a statement, but a question... Fourth, these phrases were clearly, absolutely obviously presented in a provocative manner by armchair analysts, practically as Russia's official position. Such manipulation is simply unacceptable," Zakharova said.

Moreover, according to him, some commentators took the opportunity to publish a whole series of assumptions "about Russia's supposed, as I have seen in some reports, even aggressive aspirations towards the post-Soviet states."

"Our country and the peoples of the South Caucasus and Central Asia have historically been connected by neighborly relations, strategic partnership, alliance, brotherly friendship and cooperation. "The key to the further development of our relations is good personal contacts between the heads of friendly states, based on mutual respect and trust," he emphasized.

At the same time, Zakharova added that actions should be evaluated by actions.

"How many times have they come to our aid?" How many times have they extended a helping hand, extended a hand of friendship? How many times have they shown the most sincere feelings when they sympathized? How many times have they shown sincere, most sincere feelings, when they shared joy, when they shared common victories and the victories of our partners and friends in the post-Soviet space? How many times have we worked together to find solutions to seemingly impossible situations? How many times have we overcome misunderstandings and misunderstandings? How many times have they responded to the provocateurs and their provocations? This is what we must focus on, and under no circumstances should we stumble, let alone focus on provocations. Unfortunately, there will be many of them," he concluded.