During the official visit to Tbilisi, US Defense Minister Lloyd Austin spoke on the possible participation of Georgia in the format of “3 + 3”, and also criticized Russia, reports InterpressNews.
According to the official, the countries of the South Caucasus should strengthen regional cooperation and interact with each other.
“before talking about any new platform, Russia, which occupies 20% of Georgia’s territories, must fulfill the 2008 convection agreement,” Austin said, answering the question of journalists.
Note that the regional 3 + 3 format mechanism implies the cooperation of the three states of the South Caucasus (Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia) and three regional countries (Iran, Turkey, Russia) for the benefit of the region. The format is supported by Vladimir Putin and Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The idea of creating a format was first sounded during the signing of the Shushinsky Declaration between the presidents of Azerbaijan and Turkey in June 2021. Iran, in turn, declared readiness to take part in the format. Georgia did not respond to the proposal due to the lack of diplomatic relations with Russia.