TBILISI, June 4 – Georgia says it will not take part in a planned 3+3 regional meeting in St. Petersburg.
Russia announced that the first expert-level meeting of the format will be held there on Friday, June 5.
The 3+3 format brings together the three South Caucasus countries, Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan, with three regional powers, Russia, Turkey and Iran. Moscow says the expert meeting will take place on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin will take part in the meeting.
“On June 5, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin will participate in the first expert meeting of the 3+3 regional cooperation platform, Azerbaijan, Armenia and Georgia, plus Russia, Iran and Turkey, at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum,” Zakharova said.
Georgia’s Foreign Ministry later told Interpressnews that Tbilisi will not attend.
“Georgia’s position is known, the Georgian side has stated it many times. Georgia has never participated in meetings of this format,” the ministry said.
The statement came after opposition politician Ana Buchukuri, one of the leaders of the Gakharia For Georgia party, questioned whether the Georgian Foreign Ministry would explain its position to the public.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia will hide again, or will it tell Georgian citizens something?!” Buchukuri wrote on social media, responding to the Russian Foreign Ministry’s announcement.
Georgia has no diplomatic relations with Moscow, which recognized Abkhazia and South Ossetia as independent states after the 2008 war, territory that most of the international community regard as part of Georgia.
