Publish Date: 18 October 2024 - 15:59

TEHRAN, Oct. 18 (MNA) –Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met and held talks with his Armenian counterpart Ararat Mirzoyan in Istanbul on Friday on the sidelines of meeting of foreign ministers of Regional Cooperation Mechanism for the Caucasus.

Bilateral meetings with participating ministers and high-level officials of the host country are on the agenda of Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi while in Istanbul.

A foreign ministerial meeting of the Regional Cooperation Mechanism for the Caucasus region, known as the 3+3, began on Friday in Istanbul, Turkey. 

The third meeting of the group includes representatives from the Republic of Azerbaijan, Armenia, Iran, Turkey, Georgia, and Russia.

The second 3+3 meeting was held last year in Tehran, with the participation of the foreign ministers of Russia, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia.

The meeting focused on discussing issues in the South Caucasus region and efforts to enhance regional cooperation in political, economic, security, transit, and energy sectors.

One of the primary goals of forming the regional group is to address regional issues with the participation of regional countries, without the interference of extra-regional and Western countries.

Before arriving in Istanbul, Araghchi traveled to Jordan and Egypt for consultations with senior officials regarding the latest regional developments, particularly the Israeli war on Gaza and Lebanon.

Araghchi’s regional tour, aimed at stopping the Israeli regime’s crimes in Lebanon and Gaza, also took him to Lebanon, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Iraq, and Oman prior to that. 

Istanbul marks the ninth stop in his recent regional diplomatic tour amid the escalating tensions.

MA/6260763