Established in December 2021, the 3+3 consultative regional platform (Azerbaijan, Georgia and Armenia plus Russia, Iran, Turkiye) is a sought-after and promising mechanism. At this stage, preparations are underway for the second meeting of the format, Deputy Foreign Minister of Russia Andrey Rudenko said in an interview with TASS, Report informs.
“Our plans are to actively use it to develop interaction among the countries of the South Caucasus and their neighbors. The logic of such cooperation involves the collective consideration of issues that are of common interest, which don’t exacerbate political contradictions and contribute to increasing mutual trust.
The involvement of all the countries of the region in this process creates favorable conditions for establishing a dialogue, for example, between Yerevan and Baku, Yerevan and Ankara through the implementation of mutually beneficial projects in the areas of trade, energy, industry, innovative technologies, infrastructure modernization. Additional opportunities for cooperation among the countries of the South Caucasus and their neighbors are connected with the disclosure of the transit potential of the region, interaction in the fight against new challenges and threats,” Rudenko said.
He noted that at this stage, preparations are underway for the second meeting of the format: “We expect to hold it before the end of the first half of the year. As for the unblocking of transport and economic ties, this is being done by a specialized trilateral working group co-chaired by the deputy prime ministers of Russia, Azerbaijan and Armenia. A lot of work has been done in this direction. We are moving towards the soonest adoption of a concrete decision that will allow us to start implementing specific projects in the region.”