Russian envoy: "3+3" meeting to be held either in Baku or Yerevan by end of year

A meeting of the “3+3” regional platform is planned to take place by the end of the year, with the host city to be either Yerevan or Baku, according to Russia’s Ambassador to Armenia, Sergey Kopirkin.

Speaking during a meeting with students at the Russian-Armenian University (RAU), Kopirkin explained that Moscow is currently assisting in coordinating the rotation process, as both Armenia and Azerbaijan have expressed readiness to host the summit, Caliber.Az reports via local media.

He described the platform as a useful and highly demanded format, emphasising that the regional countries themselves should play the leading role in addressing the region’s challenges.

The ambassador highlighted that all participants in the platform, who maintain contacts with Türkiye and Iran, view the format as necessary and beneficial. He stressed that resolving regional issues should primarily involve the countries within the region. While acknowledging the potential value of third-party participation, Kopirkin insisted that such involvement must be grounded in an understanding of the realities and interests of the regional players.

Kopirkin also pointed out that many matters discussed in the context of Armenian-Azerbaijani normalisation and Armenian-American dialogue inevitably impact neighbouring countries, which reinforces the significance of the “3+3” platform as an important multilateral dialogue mechanism.

He noted that the format has been functioning effectively, with three meetings already held. Regarding Georgia’s participation, Kopirkin recalled that the country initially showed interest at the expert level and took part in one event, but later distanced itself. Nonetheless, he underscored that all participants agree the door remains open for Georgia’s future involvement.

The last meeting on the "3+3" format took place in Istanbul in October 2024.

By Sabina Mammadli