Zakharova confirms Russia’s participation in 3+3 meeting in Istanbul 

The Russian side confirms that Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is planning to attend the meeting of the 3+3 platform on the South Caucasus in Istanbul on October 18, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova told TASS.

The initiative of a six-party format of cooperation on the South Caucasus (Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia, Russia, Turkey, Iran) was launched in late 2020 by the leaders of Azerbaijan and Turkey Ilham Aliyev and Recep Tayyip Erdogan, later it was named ‘3+3’. Russia and Iran welcomed the idea, with Armenia also joining the format. Georgia said it was not going to participate in the initiative. On December 10, 2021, the first meeting of the consultative regional platform at the level of deputy foreign ministers of the five countries was held in Moscow. The latest meeting at the level of foreign ministers was held in Tehran in October 2023.