Pentagon Chief Expresses Negative Stance on Lavrov's Proposed '3+3' Initiative

The head of the Pentagon, Lloyd Austin, has commented on Russia's proposal to create a '3 + 3' format in the South Caucasus, as reported by 'RIA Novosti.'

Regarding the '3 + 3' format, I would say that Russia needs to respect the terms of the 2008 ceasefire agreement before talking about new platforms, Austin stated at a press conference in Tbilisi.

Earlier, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov mentioned during a joint press conference with Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian that the parties had discussed the possibility of establishing a '3 + 3' format. Lavrov noted that Iran views this initiative positively, as do Turkey and Azerbaijan, and expressed hope that Georgia would be interested in establishing a mechanism for consultations and decision-making concerning the development of the Caucasus.

In October, the Georgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs denied reports that the head of the ministry, David Zalkaliani, had confirmed the Georgian side's readiness to participate in negotiations within the '3 + 3' format involving Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Iran, Russia, and Turkey.