BAKU, September 11
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has urged the revival of the “3+3” regional platform, calling it the “right time” to resume talks between Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia, and the three larger neighbors – Russia, Iran, and Turkey. Speaking at MGIMO, Lavrov reminded his audience that the concept was originally tabled by Baku and Ankara after the Second Karabakh War.
“We had a couple of meetings two years ago at the ministerial and deputy-ministerial level. Our Iranian neighbors are supportive, and Turkey and Azerbaijan were among the initiators. So I hope this format will resume in the near future,” Lavrov said.
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What the Russian minister left unsaid is telling. Georgia never participated in the platform, citing its unresolved conflict with Moscow. Azerbaijan and Armenia, meanwhile, are now in direct talks and have already paraphed a bilateral peace treaty. Tehran’s uneasy relationship with Baku adds another complication. Against this backdrop, the “3+3” looks more like a Russian talking point than a regional necessity.
Political analyst Murad Sadaddinov told Media.Az that the original idea made sense. “From a geographic and economic standpoint, it made sense. The region’s infrastructure, energy, and transport projects are interdependent, and engaging all six countries could have laid a foundation for long-term peace. But due to reasons beyond Baku and Ankara’s control, the project stalled after just two meetings – in Moscow and Tehran – and even those were incomplete without Georgia.”
Nearly five years later, Sadaddinov notes, conditions have shifted.
“Armenia and Azerbaijan have paraphed a bilateral peace treaty and are finalizing details directly. That fact alone reduces the urgency of returning to a six-party framework. At the same time, Georgia’s categorical refusal to sit at the same table as Moscow remains unchanged, which blocks any genuine ‘3+3’ revival.”
He adds that, in the long term, geography will force the six countries to cooperate in some form. But today, Azerbaijan’s immediate focus is completing its peace deal with Armenia, developing transport links, and building pragmatic partnerships without the baggage of a faltering Russian-led framework.
For Baku, Lavrov’s call reads less like an opportunity and more like Moscow’s attempt to reassert influence in a region where its leverage has sharply diminished.
