The regional platform “3+3” is already “taking shape” and becoming more and more promising, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said at a meeting with his Azerbaijani counterpart Jeyhun Bayramov, TASS reports.

“The “3+3” initiative of [Azerbaijani President] Ilham Heydarovich Aliyev on the formation of the so-called “3+3” regional platform - three South Caucasian countries and their three neighbors [Turkey, Iran and Russia] - is already taking shape. This is also a promising format. I will be glad to hear your assessments on further steps in this direction,” Lavrov told Bayramov.

The initiative of a six-party format of cooperation in the South Caucasus was put forward at the end of 2020 by the leaders of Azerbaijan and Turkey, Ilham Aliyev and Recep Tayyip Erdogan. It was later dubbed “3+3”. Russia and Iran welcomed the idea, with Armenia also joining the format. Georgia has stated that it does not plan to participate in the initiative. Two meetings at the level of deputy foreign ministers of five countries was held in Moscow.