Russia welcomes normalization steps between Armenia and Turkey- Lavrov
YEREVAN, June 9. /ARKA/. Russia welcomes the process of normalization of Armenian-Turkish relations, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said at a joint press conference in Yerevan with Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan today.
He said this is expected to also contribute to the overall improvement of the situation in the region. Lavrov said also that Armenia and Russia are unanimous in ensuring ‘the rhythmic work’ of a regional platform "3+3" with the participation of the three South Caucasus countries and their three neighbors (Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia+ Russia, Iran and Turkey).
‘This is an important additional channel for the establishment of dialogue and the development of multifaceted cooperation between the countries of the region and their neighbors," Lavrov said.
Earlier Lavrov stated that the next meeting of the "3+3" format will be held in the near future, however, the Georgian authorities have repeatedly stated their refusal to participate in this format. The Russian authorities responded by saying that "the door is always open for Tbilisi.’
On May 3, Turkey’s and Armenia’s special envoys had the third round of normalization talks in the Austrian capital Vienna and according to the Armenian Foreign Ministry, reaffirmed the declared goal of achieving full normalization of relations.
It said the envoys- Turkey’s Serdar Kilic and Armenia’s Ruben Rubinyan had a "sincere and productive exchange of concrete views and discussed possible steps that can be undertaken for tangible progress in this direction.
The two countries reiterated their agreement to continue the process without preconditions, it added. -0-
