Lavrov: Russia Welcomes Turkey-Armenia Normalisation Efforts

Russian Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov said late Friday that Russia welcomes the normalisation of relations between Turkey and Armenia.

Reconciliation between the two countries will contribute to the region's prosperity, Lavrov said at a news conference in Moscow following a meeting with his Armenian counterpart Ararat Mirzoyan.

He also lauded the 3+3 format, which is the Iran, Russia and Turkey, plus Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia – saying it opens up new opportunities for dialogue and cooperation in the region.

Turkey President, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Armenian Prime Minister, Nikol Pashinian exchanged public statements expressing readiness to launch talks between the two countries.

And later appointing special representatives for dialogue in December.

The envoys from Turkey and Armenia, Serdar Kılıç and Ruben Rubinyan, also held their first meeting on January 14 in Moscow, and the second meeting in Vienna on February 24, agreeing to continue negotiations without preconditions aimed at full normalization of the relations.

Armenia and Turkey signed a landmark peace accord in 2009 to restore ties and open their shared border after decades, but the deal was never ratified and ties remained tense.

The borders between the two countries have been closed for decades, and diplomatic relations have been on hold.