On January 29, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated in an interview with Turkish media that preparations are underway for the third meeting of the "3+3" format on the South Caucasus. Lavrov noted that Hakan Fidan, the Turkish Foreign Minister, had been actively supporting the organization of the meeting, emphasizing that Russia and Turkey were common neighbors in the South Caucasus and shared an interest in regional dialogue.

He emphasized that Turkey, together with Azerbaijan, had been among the main initiators of the "3+3" format, which included Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Georgia, along with their three larger neighbors—Russia, Turkey, and Iran—stating that two ministerial-level meetings had already taken place and that the third was now being prepared. Lavrov stated that Georgia had so far refrained from participating but emphasized that "the door is open to them".