Deputy foreign ministers from Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan are holding a trilateral meeting in Tbilisi, amid ongoing efforts to foster regional cooperation and stability in the South Caucasus, the Georgian foreign office announced on Thursday.
The talks, hosted by Georgia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, are being conducted behind closed doors and were not announced publicly in advance. According to the Georgian authorities, the meeting brings together Deputy Foreign Minister of Georgia Lasha Darsalia, his Azerbaijani counterpart Elnur Mammadov, and Armenia’s Vahan Kostanyan, along with other members of the respective delegations.
In a statement, the Georgian Foreign Ministry described the gathering as an “additional effort” by the three neighbouring countries to explore opportunities for “mutually beneficial, practical, trilateral cooperation” aimed at ensuring prosperity, stability, and sustainable development across the region.
“This format does not contradict or replace any other existing frameworks for cooperation,” the ministry added, suggesting it was intended to complement broader diplomatic initiatives, including those related to peace efforts between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
The session was opened by Georgian Foreign Minister Maka Botchorishvili, who highlighted the strategic importance of the South Caucasus and Georgia’s “sincere desire” to promote shared regional interests.
“What unites us and what has brought us together around this table today is Georgia’s sincere desire to contribute to the development of regional cooperation,” Botchorishvili said. “The South Caucasus is a region of strategic importance – with enormous potential, which we can realize together.”
The trilateral meeting follows preliminary consultations at the level of foreign ministers, according to the ministry.
Georgia has consistently positioned itself as a neutral platform for dialogue in the region. In July 2022, Tbilisi hosted a landmark meeting between Armenian and Azerbaijani Foreign Ministers Ararat Mirzoyan and Jeyhun Bayramov – one of several efforts to reduce tensions and facilitate dialogue following the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war.
