Iran’s ambassador to Moscow says the meeting of the 3+3 cooperation format in Tehran is aimed at bolstering peace and stability in the Caucasus region without foreign interference.
Kazem Jalali made the remarks in an X post on Monday, before the foreign ministers of the three South Caucasus countries of Armenia, Georgia, and Azerbaijan plus Russia, Turkey, and Iran meet in Tehran.
“Tehran’s hosting of a meeting of the foreign ministers about the Caucasus based on the 3+3 format lies within the framework of the Islamic Republic’s neighborliness policy. The meeting has put the strengthening of regional stability, peace and security on its agenda,” he wrote.
“The surrounding issues can be negotiated and resolved with the cooperation and interaction of regional countries and the non-interference of external actors.”
The 3+3 consultative platform was established in an attempt to resolve regional problems through the inclusion of regional countries and the exclusion of extra-regional and Western countries.
The first 3+3 meeting was held in Moscow in December 2021 at the level of deputy foreign ministers and without the presence of Georgia.
The Tehran meeting is expected to discuss regional issues such as the dispute between Azerbaijan and Armenia over the Nagorno-Karabakh region.
The land-locked region has always been internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan though it is mostly populated by ethnic Armenians.
Azerbaijan won the 2020 war, regaining much of the Nagorno-Karabakh. Another battle in September left the entire territory under the control of the Baku government after months of blockade.
