MOSCOW

Russia welcomes the normalization of relations between Turkiye and Armenia, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Friday.

Reconciliation between Ankara and Yerevan 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 (Iran, Russia, and Turkiye plus Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia), saying it opens up new opportunities for dialogue and cooperation in the region.

Lavrov then criticized the US and France for refusing to participate in the OSCE Minsk talks on Nagorno Karabakh due to the Russia-Ukraine war, accusing the two countries of "sacrificing the Nagorno Karabakh settlement" and other settlements, including those in the Middle East, to geopolitical ambitions.

About the Russia-Ukraine peace talks, the minister said they are going on with difficulties, but Moscow is determined to achieve the set goals.

He also proposed Belarus as one of guarantor countries for Ukraine.

"I don't want to go into the details of the negotiation process and the content. I just want to say that at the request of the Ukrainian side, a neutral, non-bloc, nuclear-free status should be accompanied by guarantees of Ukraine's security. Among the guarantors of security, the Ukrainian neighbors would like to see all the countries adjacent to Ukraine and a number of other states, including permanent members of the UN Security Council.

"We have proposed that the Republic of Belarus should be among such guarantor countries. And now all these issues, including the full range of guarantor countries, are being coordinated. We stand for Belarus to be among them," he said.

The Russia-Ukraine war, which started Feb. 24, has drawn international outrage, with the EU, US, and UK, among others, implementing tough financial sanctions on Moscow.

At least 1,611 civilians have been killed in Ukraine and 2,227 injured, according to UN estimates, with the true figure feared to be far higher.

More than 4.3 million Ukrainians have fled to other countries, with millions more internally displaced, according to the UN refugee agency.