Iran and the 3+3 Regional Cooperation Format in the South Caucasus: Strengths and Weaknesses Publication: Eurasia Daily Monitor Volume: 18 Issue: 96 June 16, 2021 05:58 PM Age: 1 day Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif (left) meets with Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev in Baku, May 25 (Source: Tehran Times) Over the past three decades, various initiatives for regional cooperation in the South Caucasus have been proposed, including the “Peaceful Caucasus Initiative” (Eduard Shevardnadze), “Stability Pact for the Caucasus” (Suleyman Demirel, on January 16, 2000), “Caucasus Stability and Cooperation Platform” (Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, August 13, 2008), and “United Caucasus” (Mikheil Saakashvili). But none proved successful or long-lasting, because each failed to include all of the wider region’s key members.