MOSCOW, April 4. /TASS/. Moscow sees moves by the US and NATO towards the ‘military absorption’ of Transcaucasia as a major military and political challenge, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in an interview with the Azerbaijani ONA news agency timed to mark the 27th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Russia and Azerbaijan.

This region is "a sphere of Russia’s major interests," the diplomat stressed. "First of all because of its geographic proximity. The importance of the South Caucasus in a broader geopolitical context is obvious," Zakharova said.

"An unceremonious bid by well-known non-regional forces to redraw the CIS map to their own design can be perfectly seen" in the region, she stressed. "We consider the activity of the US and NATO towards the ‘military absorption’ of Transcaucasia as a most serious military and political challenge for Russia," the diplomat stressed.

"And of course, we can’t help but mention the unsettled conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh, where two of our closest friends and partners are engaged in unfortunately - Azerbaijan and Armenia," the spokeswoman said.

"Maintaining stability in the South Caucasus, ensuring the development of the region with a friendly attitude of its countries towards Russia will remain one of the main goals of Russia’s foreign policy," the diplomat said.

The interview was uploaded to the Foreign Ministry’s website.