Georgia offers its alternative to the "3+3" negotiation format proposed by Russia, said Georgian Foreign Minister David Zalkaliani.

Earlier, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov at a press conference following talks with Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahiyan said that he had discussed the initiative to create a "3+3" negotiation format with Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia, and Turkey on the issue of unblocking economic and transport ties in the region.

"Our alternative is the initiatives we have put forward. The same troika format - the three countries of the South Caucasus-Georgia, Azerbaijan, and Armenia. Let Tbilisi become a platform for dialogue. We have ambitions to offer our neighbours economic projects that will help reduce tensions in the region. The Caucasus will be decided by these three countries," said David Zalkaliani.

Russia views the mechanism as a very important, promising format where regional security problems can be discussed with the participation of the region’s states.

Lavrov previously noted that Iran has a positive attitude towards this initiative, like Turkey and Azerbaijan, and expressed the hope that Georgia will show interest in creating such a mechanism for consultations and agreeing on decisions on the development of the Caucasus.