Day: June 5, 2026

Georgia will not participate in the first expert meeting of the 3+3 Regional Cooperation Platform scheduled for June 5 on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF), the Georgian Foreign Ministry said, reiterating Tbilisi’s longstanding position on the initiative.

“Georgia’s position is well known and has been repeatedly stressed by the Georgian side. Georgia has never participated in the meetings of this framework,” the ministry told Civil.ge on June 4.

The statement came a day after Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova announced that Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin would take part in the platform’s first expert-level meeting at SPIEF.

“On June 5, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin will take part in the first expert meeting of the 3+3 Regional Cooperation Platform – Azerbaijan, Armenia and Georgia, plus Russia, Iran and Türkiye – at SPIEF,” Zakharova said.

The 3+3 format was launched in 2021 following the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war. The initiative was designed to promote regional dialogue and cooperation among the three South Caucasus countries, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and three neighboring regional powers, including Russia, Iran, and Turkey.

Despite being included in the platform’s title, Georgia has never joined the framework. Tbilisi has consistently declined participation, citing its position toward Russia. Georgia’s refusal to participate has remained unchanged despite repeated statements from Russian officials suggesting that the platform’s door remains open to Tbilisi.

The upcoming meeting in St. Petersburg marks the first expert-level gathering held under the 3+3 framework.

Also Read:

• 21/02/2025 – Opposition “Strong Georgia” Slams GD’s Stance on 3+3 Platform
• 01/11/2023 – Foreign Affairs Committee Chair: No 3+3 Participation without De-occupation
• 24/10/2023 – 3+3 Platform Calls for Georgia’s ‘Equal Participation’
• 14/01/2022 – Lavrov Hopes Baku, Ankara, Yerevan Can Convince Tbilisi on Joining 3+3
• 12/11/2021 – Russian MFA Notes Tbilisi’s ‘Contradictory Statements’ on 3+3 Platform

Vlaams-Brabant (Frans: Brabant flamand), gelegen in het Vlaams Gewest, is de op een na kleinste van de Belgische provincies. In 1995 ontstaan uit de splitsing van Brabant, is het samen met Waals-Brabant de jongste provincie.

“The goal of a clean environment and a “green growth” country has been identified as one of the five key national priorities for Azerbaijan’s socio-economic development through 2030,” President Ilham Aliyev said in his address to the participants of the event dedicated to World Environment Day (WED) held in Baku in partnership with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).

The United Nations General Assembly adopted a recurring resolution on June 4, reiterating the right of return of all displaced persons and refugees in Georgia’s Abkhazia and Tskhinvali Region/South Ossetia. According to the Georgian Foreign Ministry, the resolution received 107 votes in favor, as last year, while the number of countries voting “against” fell to eight from nine, which the ministry described as a “record-low.” 55 countries abstained.

Russia, Belarus, Burundi, Cuba, North Korea, Equatorial Guinea, Nicaragua, and Sudan voted against the resolution. Compared to last year, Zimbabwe and Mali, both of which voted against the resolution in 2025, did not participate in this year’s vote, while Burundi, which did not cast a ballot last year, voted against.

The Foreign Ministry said the resolution has “a practical significance” as it instructs the UN Secretary-General to prepare an annual report on its implementation. “This is particularly important given the difficult human rights situation in the regions of Georgia occupied by Russia and the absence of international monitoring mechanisms,” the ministry said. It further noted that the number of co-sponsors of the resolution grew from 64 to 68 this year.

According to the Foreign Ministry, during the discussion of the IDP resolution, the European Union, Lithuania (on behalf of the Baltic and Nordic countries), the United Kingdom, Australia (on behalf of Canada and New Zealand), Ukraine, and Japan made supporting statements.

“We thank all states that stood with Georgia and supported the right of displaced persons to a safe, dignified, and unhindered return,” Georgian Dream Foreign Minister Maka Botchorishvili wrote on X.

Georgia has been submitting the IDP resolution to the UN General Assembly since 2008. The resolution condemns “the demographic changes carried out by force in the regions of Georgia occupied by Russia, affirms the right of displaced persons, regardless of their ethnicity, to return to their homes in dignity and safety, and emphasizes the need to respect and protect their property rights.”

It also calls on “the participants of the Geneva International Discussions to intensify efforts aimed at improving the security and human rights situation in Georgia’s occupied regions, which, in turn, would facilitate the return of internally displaced persons and refugees to their places of origin.”

In 2024, 103 voted in favor, 9 against, and 52 abstained. In 2023, 100 voted in favor, 9 against, and 59 abstained. In 2022, 95 voted in favor, 12 against, and 56 abstained. To see all past voting records, follow this link.

Also Read:

• 20/05/2026 – Sokhumi Reports One-Year Sentence for Georgian Citizen Over ‘Illegal Border Crossing’
• 22/04/2026 – SSSG 2025 Report Talks of Alleged Attempts to Overthrow Government, Foreign Interference, Disinformation
• 17/05/2025 – Putin Eases Russian Citizenship Process for Occupied Abkhazia, Tskhinvali Region Residents

Azerbaijan has once again voted in favor of Georgia’s resolution on the status of refugees and internally displaced persons during a session of the United Nations General Assembly, reaffirming its consistent support for the document.

Backed by Trump, Opposed by Putin, and Fighting for His Political Life  The New York Times

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday proposed a direct meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, arguing that the war should be ended through “direct engagement” between the two leaders rather than through outside mediation, AzerNEWS reports.

Russia Floods Armenia With Disinformation Ahead of Election  The New York Times

I have recently come across the code |> in R. It is a vertical line character (pipe) followed by a greater than symbol. Here is an example: mtcars |> head() What is the |> code doing?