MFA: Tbilisi Won’t Attend “3+3 Platform” Meeting in Tehran
Georgia will not participate in the regional cooperation meeting bringing together three regional and three South Caucasus states, the Georgian Public Broadcaster (GPB) cited the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The so-called “3+3 platform” was initiated by Moscow and Tehran and is supposed to bring three regional powers – Iran, Russia, and Turkey – together with three states of the South Caucasus – Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia. “Georgia is not participating in this meeting, and it has never participated [in this format],” – the MFA Press Office told the GPB.
According to the Iranian state agency IRNA, Tehran will host the second 3+3 platform meeting on Monday, October 23, where the participants “will address the issues of the South Caucasus region, peace talks between Azerbaijan and Armenia, and the need to expand regional cooperation in political, economic, security, transit, and energy fields.”
The first meeting of the 3+3 platform was held in Moscow in 2021. Georgian delegation did not go, saying it could not attend the meeting hosted by the Russian Federation – the country that does not recognize Georgia’s territorial integrity. Still, Georgian flags appeared at the meeting venue in Moscow, triggering Tbilisi’s official condemnation as“unacceptable.” In January 2022, Russia’s foreign policy chief, Sergey Lavrov said that Russian authorities had asked Turkey, Armenia, and Azerbaijan to “explain” to Georgia the “benefits of joining the format.”
Also Read:
- 14/01/2022 – Lavrov Hopes Baku, Ankara, Yerevan Can Convince Tbilisi on Joining 3+3
- 11/12/2021 – Tbilisi Skips 3+3 Platform Meeting in Moscow
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