Zakharova on preparation of FMs meeting in 3+3 format in Turkey

 
The meeting of the foreign ministers in the 3+3 format in Turkey is under discussion, the date will be known later, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said in a press briefing on Friday.

The 3+3 meeting involves the participation of Russia, Iran, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Turkey, and Georgia. The first such meeting was held in December 2021 in Moscow at the level of deputy foreign ministers of Russia, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Turkey, and the Director General of the Iranian Foreign Ministry.

“Preparation for a meeting is underway in Ankara,” Zakharova said when asked about a possible meeting of the foreign ministers in Ankara in the 3+3 format. According to her, the date of the meeting will be announced later by agreement with other countries.

The diplomat noted that Moscow supports dialogue with Yerevan both in a bilateral and multilateral format, including on the CSTO platform.

“We consistently advocate full-scale bilateral dialogue, cooperation, and a return from manipulative rhetoric to real, full-fledged interaction, including in the work of the CSTO,” she said.

Zakharova noted that certain political forces in Armenia are spreading “deliberate misinformation” that the CSTO allegedly did not protect Armenia.

“It seems to me that we have repeatedly talked in detail about both the efforts of Russia and the efforts of the CSTO and shared our assessments of the decisions taken by the Armenian authorities, and we believe that the claims periodically voiced from Yerevan are absurd because they do not correspond to the facts. Nevertheless, the Armenian leadership began to limit political dialogue and interdepartmental cooperation with Russia,” she added, noting that Yerevan began to move closer to the West at an accelerated pace.

“There is some kind of manipulativeness in this. The economy shows the interest of people, companies, and businesses in rapprochement and strengthening ties, but for some reason the political structure does the opposite. It might not end well. We are convinced that this does not meet the interests of the Armenian people,” she concluded.