Russia and Iran Support Negotiations in the '3+3' Format

The foreign ministers of Russia and Iran are in favor of resuming joint work within the framework of the '3+3' regional consultation platform for the South Caucasus. This was stated during a phone conversation initiated by the Iranian side, according to the Russian Foreign Ministry.

Yesterday, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan announced his readiness to negotiate with Azerbaijan in the '3+3' format. Earlier, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev had also indicated plans for upcoming meetings in the '3+3' format, stating that Azerbaijan is the initiator.

Sergey Lavrov and Hossein Amir-Abdollahian exchanged views on the current Middle Eastern agenda, emphasizing the recent escalation of the Palestine-Israel conflict. 'The importance of an urgent cessation of armed confrontation and the resolution of the situation based on established international legal frameworks has been highlighted,' the statement noted.

It was also mentioned that a number of issues of mutual interest regarding bilateral cooperation were addressed. It is worth noting that the first and so far only meeting in the '3+2' format took place in December 2021 in Moscow, with Georgia still refusing to participate in the platform's activities.