‘Main issue’ between Armenia and Azerbaijan resolved, Russia says at 3+3 summit

By Mark Dovich

The “main issue” preventing Yerevan and Baku from signing a peace deal — control of Nagorno-Karabakh — has been “resolved,” Russia’s top diplomat said at a first-of-its-kind summit in Tehran Tuesday with his counterparts from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Iran, and Turkey.

“The conflict has been largely resolved. Both sides have agreed that Karabakh belongs to Azerbaijan,” Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told reporters. “Of course, practical steps remain for a full normalization of relations, first of all, preparations for a peace treaty.”

Azerbaijan launched a lightning offensive against Nagorno-Karabakh last month that left hundreds dead on both sides and prompted the regional government to dissolve itself, sparking a mass exodus of nearly all the region’s population to Armenia.

However, outstanding differences between Armenia and Azerbaijan were not directly discussed at Tuesday’s summit, according to Lavrov, who also decried ongoing efforts by the European Union and United States to “infiltrate” the negotiations.

Since the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war, Europe has taken on a substantially more active role in the region. At present, Brussels, with Washington’s support, coordinates one track of Armenia-Azerbaijan talks, while Moscow oversees a separate track. So far, neither has made any discernible progress toward a peace deal.

Armenia and Turkey ‘reaffirm’ prior agreements

Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan held one-on-one talks with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on the sidelines of the summit, marking the two diplomats’ first-ever in-person meeting.

In a short readout, Armenia said Mirzoyan and Fidan “reaffirmed their readiness to implement previously reached agreements,” likely a reference to a tentative understanding reached last year to partially open the two countries’ border to citizens of third countries. More than a year on, the border remains closed.

Mirzoyan also met separately with representatives from Iran, but notably not with diplomats from Azerbaijan or Russia.

What is the 3+3 format?

Tuesday’s talks marked the first-ever high-level 3+3 summit, referring to proposed six-way regional talks among the three South Caucasus countries and their three neighbors.

Azerbaijan and Turkey floated the idea of creating the 3+3 format to handle regional issues shortly after the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war, a proposal that was welcomed by all other countries except Georgia, which said it would not join due to its long-running conflict with Russia. Tbilisi did not take part in Tuesday’s summit.

The next 3+3 meeting is due to take place in Turkey in the first half of next year.