DUBAI/MOSCOW (Reuters) – Foreign ministers from Iran, Turkey, and Russia are set to convene a meeting in Tehran on Monday with their counterparts from Azerbaijan and Armenia. The purpose of the meeting, as reported by Iranian and Russian state media, is to discuss the progress made towards a peace agreement between the two neighboring South Caucasus countries.
This meeting will be the first of its kind for the foreign ministers of Russia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan since the lightning offensive launched by Azeri forces in Nagorno-Karabakh in September. The timing of the meeting coincides with rising tensions in the Middle East.
According to IRNA news agency, the countries involved wish to discuss regional issues “without the interference of non-regional and Western countries,” implicitly referring to the United States and the European Union. The involvement of these parties in the search for a peace agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan has been particularly disconcerting for Moscow.
Russia’s Interfax news agency reported that Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov would be traveling to Tehran to participate in the meeting. Over the past months, Moscow has been seeking to strengthen military and diplomatic ties with countries beyond the traditional West, following its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. As part of these efforts, Lavrov has held multiple meetings with his Iranian counterpart.
Although Russia views itself as the security guarantor between Azerbaijan and Armenia, its engagement in the war in Ukraine has distracted and weakened its influence in the region. In a swift offensive last month, Azerbaijan regained control over the Nagorno-Karabakh region, which had enjoyed de facto independence since its separation from Armenia in the 1990s. More than 100,000 ethnic Armenians were displaced as a result, and Armenia has accused Azerbaijan of ethnic cleansing, a claim that Azerbaijan denies by asserting the freedom of individuals to stay and integrate into Azerbaijan.
Despite having fought two wars in the past three decades, Armenia and Azerbaijan have not yet been able to reach a peace agreement, despite ongoing efforts by the United States, European Union, and Russia. The “3+3 South Caucasus Platform,” which initiated talks back in 2021, was meant to include Georgia as well. However, Georgia has previously stated its lack of intention to participate and confirmed on Sunday that it will not be attending the meeting in Tehran.
Reporting by Maxim Rodionov and Ronald Popeski; Writing by Maxim Rodionov and Lidia Kelly; Editing by Hugh Lawson and Nick Zieminski
