Both Yerevan and Baku prepared to host a meeting in "3+3" format, according to Ambassador Kopyrkin

He recalled that three meetings have already taken place within the framework of this platform.

"The platform is functioning. The practical aspects of the upcoming meeting at the level of foreign ministers are being developed. We support holding it before the end of the year. We are currently conducting dialogue between Armenia and Azerbaijan, as this is a priority issue. Both the Armenian and Azerbaijani sides are ready to host such a meeting. It is necessary to agree on the order of priorities, and we will, of course, provide all possible assistance," Kopyrkin said, as quoted by the TASS news agency.

The proposal to create a six-party cooperation format for the South Caucasus was put forward in late 2020 by the leaders of Azerbaijan and Turkey, Ilham Aliyev and Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. This initiative was subsequently dubbed "3+3." Russia and Iran expressed support for the concept, and Armenia also joined the format. Georgia, on the other hand, declared its reluctance to participate.

Kopyrkin noted that Georgia initially expressed interest at the expert level and participated in one of the events, but subsequently distanced itself. Nevertheless, the opportunity remains open for Georgia.

Kopyrkin also noted that all platform participants who maintain contact with the Turkish and Iranian sides consider this format useful and desirable. The diplomat reiterated Russia's principled position, shared by its partners, that the states of the region themselves must play a key role in addressing the challenges facing the region.

According to him, many of the issues discussed, including in the context of the normalization of Armenian-Azerbaijani relations or the Armenian-American dialogue, inevitably affect the interests of other neighboring countries, and this is why the “3+3” platform is becoming an objectively necessary mechanism for multilateral dialogue.-0-