IREVAN, JANUARY 14, ARMENPRESS. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is confident that in accordance with the agreements reached between the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan through the mediation of the Russian President, the cessation of hostilities in the South Caucasus and the opening of all transport communications will open opportunities for all countries in the region. – Armenia, Russia, Iran, Turkey, Georgia and Azerbaijan are interested.

Commenting on the “3 + 3” format on the South Caucasus at a press conference today, Lavrov said that Georgia’s accession to this format will not force Tbilisi to change its political position.

“We can agree that in this format we only discuss issues of interest to all participants,” he said, adding that Moscow has little opportunity to explain to the Georgian side because it has no diplomatic relations with Tbilisi. advantages of this cooperation format. Therefore, Russia appealed to its Armenian, Turkish and Azerbaijani partners to explain this to the Georgian side.

According to Lavrov, it is in Georgia’s interest to join this format without preconditions.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev have launched a “3 + 3” initiative on cooperation in the South Caucasus. The first meeting was held on December 10, 2021 in Moscow, Russia. Georgia has stated it will not attend the meetings.