Maria Zakharova to Vestnik Kavkaza: door for Georgia's participation in "3+3" format always open

All participants of the "3+3" platform are interested to continue working together, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said, answering a question from the correspondent of Vestnik Kavkaza.

On December 10, Moscow hosted the first meeting of the "3+3" regional platform with the participation of Azerbaijan, Turkey, Iran, Armenia and Russia. Last week, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu announced that the next meeting of the "3+3" platform will be held in Ankara.

“Yes, we saw the Turkish Foreign Minister's statement. I would like to note that not only Ankara expressed its readiness to host the next meeting of the  "3+3" regional consultative platform. In my opinion, this indicates that all the participants are really interested to continue working together in this format and promote practical interaction. But the coordination of the next meeting's venue and agenda is coordinated by the foreign ministries on consensual basis," the diplomat said.

She stressed that Moscow proceeds from the fact that, first of all, it is important to focus on issues of common interest. "Including the development of trade, economic, transport, cultural and humanitarian ties, the fight against common challenges and threats in order to increase confidence and strengthen stability in the region," Zakharova said.

In addition, the official representative of the Foreign Ministry drew attention to the fact that Russia is ready to contact Georgia in the "3+3" format, if the Georgian representative arrives in Ankara. "As for the issue of Georgia's participation, at the platform's first meeting on December 10, all countries, including Russia, unanimously expressed their interest in Tbilisi's participation in this format. All agreed that the door for Georgia always remains open," Maria Zakharova concluded.