Georgian President to Armenian PM: ‘We can Do much More Together than Alone”
By Gvantsa Gabekhadze
Friday, March 15
Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili told Armenian PM Nikol Pashunyan in Yerevan that the two countries are stronger when they act together.
“It is important to realize the full potential of Georgia and Armenia to further develop relations. We can do much more together than alone; we have a lot to do,” she said.
Zurabishvili spoke about Georgia’s European integration progress and Georgia-EU future plans.
Pashinyan stated that after taking office, he paid his first visit to Georgia.
“This underlines Georgia’s importance for the Armenian Government,” he said.
"Our relations should be based on common strategic interest and I am glad to receive the same response from the Georgian government. Now the time has come to bring this mutual understanding into action,” Pashinyan said.
Both stated that Georgia and Armenia have a great potential for enhancing bilateral relations- Georgia’s economic potential is better promoted after the country signed free trade agreements with the EU and China.
Zurabishvili also met with her Armenian counterpart and Armen Sarkissian, where she underlined the importance of stability and peace for the region.
She invited Sarkissian to Georgia to attend the Batumi Conference marking the 10th anniversary of the Eastern Partnership.
“I am very glad not only of this visit but also of the conversation that I had with President Sarkissian. We discussed many topics. We are not only neighbors but also friends. We live in one region for which stability and peace are decisive. Stability and peace are necessary preconditions for further developing our economies and our economic cooperation.
“We face many challenges in the region; we should realize that the only way to overcome these challenges and solve these conflicts that impede our development is a peaceful way that will be based on international legal norms. This is a subject to negotiations and dialogue - this is our strong faith,” Zurabishvili said.
Sarkissian accepted Zurabishvili’s invitation to Georgia, highlighting that developing exceptional relations with Georgia is one of the top priorities of Armenia’s political agenda.
