Maria Zakharova urges Yerevan and Baku to decide on venue of  next  "3+3" format meeting 

ArmInfo. Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova urged Yerevan and Baku to decide on the venue of the next meeting within the framework of the "3+3" multilateral cooperation format in the South Caucasus.

According to her, following the decision made at last year's Istanbul  meeting on October 18, 2024, attended by the heads of foreign affairs  agencies of the countries participating in the 3+3 regional  cooperation platform, the next ministerial meeting should be held in  Baku or Yerevan. "We hope that our Azerbaijani and Armenian partners  will promptly decide the order of the ministerial meeting based on a  package agreement on who will host the event this year and who will  host it next year."

For its part, Zakharova noted, the Russian Foreign Ministry will  support their colleagues' joint decision.  "This year, the parties  have held multiple bilateral meetings in Abu Dhabi, Washington, and  Dushanbe, and we hope that such direct contacts will help resolve  this issue," the Russian Foreign Ministry representative said.  Speaking  about the vision for the 3+3 Format (Armenia, Azerbaijan,  Georgia, Russia, Iran, and Turkey), Zakharova pointed out that the  process of establishing the format is ongoing. "Three meetings have  been held, and the work is structured around the principle of  'regional solutions to regional issues,' with a primary focus on the  consistent, harmonious development of ties between participating  countries in the economy, energy, transport, and culture, and  contacts are also being maintained through the export community. The  confident and proactive work of all members, including Georgia, for  whom the door is open, will contribute to the stability and  prosperity of the entire region," the Russian Foreign Ministry  official emphasized.