Turkey wants to expand the number of countries involved in the Karabakh conflict settlement process and has proposed a “3+3 formula” that includes Armenia, Russia, Azerbaijan, Iran, Georgia and Turkey.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu stated as such during a news conference today in Istanbul following a meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif.

"We need to help facilitate the ceasefire. So, we plan to cooperate on a 3+3 platform," said Çavuşoğlu.   

Çavuşoğlu emphasized that having a desire to normalize relations in the South Caucasus is not enough, adding it is necessary to take active steps, which, through the expansion of cooperation, will allow achieving a permanent ceasefire.

"Peace and stability in that region are in everyone's interests. Armenia and its people will benefit the most. That is why we expect constructive steps from Armenia in this direction," Çavuşoğlu said.

Zarif, on a tour of the Caucasus, has already visited Azerbaijan, Russia, Armenia and Georgia, where the Artsakh issue was discussed.

Earlier, the leaders of Azerbaijan, Turkey (Ilham Aliyev and Recep Tayyip Erdogan) spoke about the scope of the six-party cooperation on Artsakh. Iran welcomed the idea, declaring that it was ready to support the strengthening of peace in the region.

Photo by Hurriyet