Five members of the Turkey-led Caucasus platform are expected to meet by the end of this year for fully-fledged discussions, Russia's ambassador to Turkey said.

"The proposals submitted by the Turkish side concerning the platform are appropriate for us and we will continue to work together," Ambassador Vladimir Ivanovsky told reporters on the sidelines of a reception at the Russian Embassy.

"We expect positive signals from other countries as well and I hope the representatives of five countries will begin collective discussions by the end of this year," he added.

Turkey came up with the idea to set to up a Caucasus Solidarity and Cooperation Platform in the wake of the Georgia-Russia war last summer. The regional mechanism is planned to be made up of Turkey, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Russia and Georgia. Tbilisi has so far opposed sitting at the same table as Moscow before the withdrawal of Russian troops from its soil, but diplomatic sources earlier said the Georgians are now looking warm on the idea.

Ivanovsky welcomed the process of rapprochement between Turkey and Armenia as "very constructive" and "positive." He voiced hope for positive outcomes of the Babacan-Nalbandian meeting in Istanbul, Hurriyet daily reports.