Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov expressed hope that cooperation among South Caucasus countries and their three neighbors—including Russia—would soon resume under the “3+3” format. He made the remarks during a speech to students and faculty at MGIMO University, according to Sputnik Armenia.
“We sincerely hope that work will resume under the initiative originally proposed by Turkey and Azerbaijan, namely the idea of establishing the ‘3+3’ platform. That is, the three South Caucasus states—Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia—and their three major neighbors—Iran, Turkey, and Russia. We now believe the time has come to relaunch this format,” Lavrov stated.
He noted that Iran supports the initiative, while Turkey and Azerbaijan were its initial proponents. In this context, Lavrov expressed optimism that a new meeting could be held soon.
Earlier, Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Vahan Kostanyan told IRNA that the next “3+3” meeting could take place in either Yerevan or Baku.
Russia has actively supported the creation of the “3+3” platform (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia on one side; Russia, Iran, and Turkey on the other). Georgia has not yet participated in meetings, but other members have repeatedly said the door remains open for Tbilisi.
