Sergei Lavrov said that Ukraine will never be able to create nuclear weapons
Photo: REUTERS.
German media are confident that Ukraine could have its own nuclear weapons within a few weeks. And in Iran, as if by chance, they mentioned that they already have some kind of weapon that is even more powerful than nuclear weapons.
Immediately after the emergence of such alarming information, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov flew to Istanbul to discuss security issues. The Iranian minister was already waiting for him there, as well as three other colleagues from neighboring countries.
Nuclear nonsense
The German publication Bild, citing anonymous Ukrainian sources, informed its readers that kyiv will be able to create its own nuclear weapons in a couple of weeks. Zelensky’s office was quick to refute this leak of classified information. They called the Bild article “nonsense.”
But what nonsense is this, considering that the Ukrainians have the opportunity to rivet the so-called. a “dirty” atomic bomb and use it to create a major provocation. In Istanbul Lavrov was asked to comment on this information.
– Mad Men! Nothing will come of this,” said our minister.
Format highlights
The idea of creating a largely single “3+3” format (Russia, Turkey, Iran + Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia) was first expressed by Ankara about 20 years ago. For a long time we reflected on the tempting Turkish initiative. Only in 2020, the president of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, proposed moving from words to deeds.
The foreign ministers of the “3+3” format met for the first time in October 2023 in Tehran. And so, on Friday the second ministerial meeting was held at the Mandarin Hotel in Istanbul overlooking the Bosphorus.
The most notable thing about this format, explained one of the members of the Russian delegation in Istanbul to a KP correspondent, is that the initiative was born in the region itself and was not brought from outside. That is, initially it is not something foreign. Both Moscow, Ankara and Tehran are confident that there is demand for such a consultation platform.
There is a serious lack of trust in the Caucasus. Thus, Türkiye proposed creating in the region not only a security system without the participation of extra-regional actors, but also initiating more intensive and diversified cooperation between the countries of the region. After all, as you know, it is easier to find a common language on any topic when common projects are already being implemented.
As soon as negotiations began in Istanbul, a rainbow appeared in the sky. “It’s a good sign,” one of the Russian diplomats told me.
Washington puts a brake on the wheels
On the other hand, the interests and ambitions of the participants in this format are so different from each other that it is time to remember Krylov’s fable “The Swan, the Pike and the Crab.”
Perhaps the fable will cease to be relevant in the region in the foreseeable future, but the United States skillfully takes advantage of existing contradictions. Americans do not like it when something is decided in the Caucasus without their knowledge. “Extra-regional actors are trying to drive wedges between our countries,” Lavrov said. According to him, the West is trying to light a fire and destabilize the situation between Abkhazia, South Ossetia and Georgia to open a second front against Russia.
Iran is also in the crosshairs of the United States. It is no coincidence that just before the Istanbul negotiations in Tehran, talk began about the presence of secret weapons more powerful than nuclear weapons. This message was clearly not sent to Baku or Ankara, but primarily to Washington.
The host of the meeting in Istanbul, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, for his part, stated that he considers the probability of a large-scale war between Iran and Israel to be high: “Turkey issues very serious warnings in this regard, conveys messages and share classified information.”
The day before it became known that Ankara had decided to allocate a record figure of $47 billion for the 2025 military budget.
The plans coincided
And yet, the upcoming meeting in the “3+3” format suggests that the parties are ready to seek compromises. Moreover, despite all the American sticks in the Caucasian wheels.
As reported by Komsomolskaya Pravda in our Ministry of Foreign Affairs, after the meeting in Tehran the countries appointed their special representatives, who were entrusted with the task of formulating concrete proposals for discussion. Today in Istanbul, five ministers reviewed the prepared list.
“The wishes of all our partners coincide,” Lavrov emphasized.
Georgia is biding its time, but the doors are open for it
3+3=6, but five ministers came to Istanbul. Tbilisi has so far refused to participate in this format. However, on October 16, Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze optimistically declared at a pre-election rally that all barriers between his country and Abkhazia would soon be removed and the two peoples would live together in a single state.
But it is clear that without negotiations with Russia the Georgians will definitely not be able to solve this problem in any way. And here in Istanbul the “3+3” meets precisely to discuss measures to increase confidence. The declaration adopted today as a result of the negotiations emphasizes the importance of the countries of the region resolving existing problems through dialogue.
Many people were waiting for the Georgian delegation in Türkiye. But apparently Tbilisi will need more time to think.
– We have confirmed once again that the doors of this platform always remain open for Georgia. And we hope that over time Georgian neighbors will be able to join their work,” Lavrov commented on the situation.
