Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov expressed hopes that political will to continue developing relations will prevail in Yerevan.

“Now we are going through a rather difficult period in relations with our friendly, brotherly Armenia,” Peskov said.

“[Relations are] more than just brotherly, because more Armenians live here than in Armenia itself. And by the way, the economic activity of these Armenians, citizens of the Russian Federation, still accounts for a very large percentage of the total budget of Armenia. People transfer money there, about several billion dollars a year,” Peskov said Monday, March 25, according to Aif.ru.

At the same time, Peskov noted that the Caucasus region is now attracting the attention of various extra-regional forces, which affects the relations of some countries with Russia.

“We are convinced that the participation of these forces should be greatly limited, because they are not capable of bringing stability and prosperity there,” Peskov added.