The first meeting of the 3+3 platform to ensure permanent peace and stability in the South Caucasus region suggested by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev will take place in Moscow on Friday, Turkey’s Foreign Ministry said Thursday.
Delegations from Turkey, Azerbaijan, Russia, Iran and Armenia will attend the meeting of the platform, established to enhance regional cooperation in the South Caucasus.
Deputy Foreign Minister Sedat Önal will lead the Turkish delegation at the meeting, the ministry said.
The ministry statement did not elaborate on the details of Georgian delegation at the meeting.
Last year, Erdoğan talked about the idea of the six-country regional cooperation platform including Russia, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Iran, Georgia and Armenia during his visit to Azerbaijan where he attended the ceremony of the Victory Parade in the capital Baku upon invitation of Aliyev.
Turkey believes that permanent peace is possible through mutual security-based cooperation among the states and people of the South Caucasus region.
Relations between the former Soviet republics of Azerbaijan and Armenia have been tense since 1991 when the Armenian military occupied Nagorno-Karabakh, a territory internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, and seven adjacent regions.
When new clashes erupted on Sept. 27 last year, the Armenian Army launched attacks on civilians and Azerbaijani forces, violating several humanitarian cease-fire agreements during the subsequent clashes.
During the 44-day conflict, Azerbaijan liberated several cities and nearly 300 settlements and villages.
On Nov. 10, 2020, the two countries signed a Russia-brokered agreement to end the fighting and work toward a comprehensive resolution.
The cease-fire is seen as a victory for Azerbaijan and a defeat for Armenia, whose armed forces withdrew in line with the agreement.
