Russia hopes that the next meeting of the “3+3” format (Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia and their three neighbors: Russia, Turkey, Iran) on the South Caucasus at the level of foreign ministers will be held in Baku or Yerevan, and discussions on this matter are ongoing, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin said.

“We [i.e. Russia] expect the next meeting of [foreign] ministers to be held either in Baku or Yerevan. As we understand, negotiations on this issue are ongoing between our Azerbaijani and Armenian partners,” Galuzin said during the session ‘“3+3’ Platform: Shared Challenges and Strategic Partnership” at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.

Moscow supports the complete transport and economic unblocking of the entire South Caucasus region, which is necessary for the full-fledged work within the framework of the “3+3” format.

“In our [i.e. Russia’s] opinion, it is important to ensure the participation of all countries in the region in the development of the transit potential of the South Caucasus. Without the [re]opening of Armenia’s borders with Azerbaijan and Turkey, as well as Georgia’s borders with Abkhazia and South Ossetia, it is most likely impossible to talk about full transport connectivity. And, in our opinion, the sooner this happens, the more opportunities in the logistics sector will appear for all regional players. And Russia, in turn, supports the complete transport and economic unblocking of the entire region,” Galuzin said.

“I would like to especially welcome the participation of a representative of Georgia’s expert circles in our discussion. For us, as well as, I am sure, for all participants of the platform, Georgia remains an important partner without which the prospects of ‘3+3’ are unlikely to be complete. I hope that over time, official Tbilisi will also join our work," the Russian deputy foreign minister added.