At the opening of the summit, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian welcomed the participants and said, “We are pleased that the second meeting of the regional mechanism known as 3+3 Format is being held in Tehran with the presence of the member states foreign ministers. We hope to see Georgia, a friendly country, participate effectively and constructively in future meetings”.
The 3+3 Format includes three South Caucasus countries (Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Georgia) and three neighboring countries in this region, including Russia, Turkey, and Iran. The first round of the 3+3 meeting was held last year in Moscow at the level of deputy foreign ministers, without the participation of Georgia.
According to what has been announced, the Foreign Minister of Georgia did not participate in today’s meeting due to territorial disputes it has with Russia.
War in South Caucasus has ended; it’s time for peace, cooperation, and progress
Pointing to the title of the meeting, Amir-Abdollahian said, “The summit was held under the title ‘Peace, Cooperation and Progress in the South Caucasus’. It aims to utilize the region’s potential to resolve regional issues and work collectively to establish peace and cooperation for economic development and improving the welfare of the people in the region”.
“During the meeting, the participants have an opportunity to discuss bilateral relations in addition to regional issues,” he added.
“We believe that today, all countries enjoy a historic opportunity. The war in South Caucasus has ended, and the time for peace, cooperation, and progress in the South Caucasus region has come,” the Iranian foreign minister went on to say.
What is happening in Gaza is a war crime against humanity
Elsewhere in his remarks, Amir-Abdollahian pointed to the ongoing developments in Gaza and said, “What is happening in Gaza is a war crime committed by the Zionist regime against humanity, and every human being is heart broken by seeing the horrific scenes of the killing of Palestinian women, children, and civilians”.
“At such a critical moment, it is necessary for the international community to send a united and strong message to the fake Zionist regime to immediately stop war crimes against civilians, especially women and children, lift the siege, and deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza, and also express its strongly opposition to the forced displacement of Palestinian residents of Gaza,” he added.