U.S. praises Armenia for 'distancing from Russia'

U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs James O'Brien praised Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's "bold steps to distance himself from relations with Russia".

Speaking before the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations today, he noted that the United States is considering the possibility of creating a new land route from the Central Asia countries to the world markets through the territories of Armenia and Azerbaijan, bypassing Russia and China.

"Central Asian countries are incredibly rich, and now their only option to access global markets is through Russia or China. If we can ensure the opening of the route through Azerbaijan and Armenia, then they will have access to world markets and will become less dependent on Russia and China," O'Brien said.