Georgian, Armenian PMs emphasize friendly relations between the countries

By Natalia Kochiashvili

Wednesday, March 4

After the face-to-face conversation, an enlarged format meeting was held, with members of the two countries' governments participating.

“We emphasize that the degree of democratization in our countries promotes cooperation in all areas - economy, transit, culture, education.” – PM Gakharia.

“I would like to express my deep conviction that the only way to resolve regional issues is through peaceful negotiations and that there is no alternative.” – said Armenian PM.

The official visit of the Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan to Georgia started yesterday. He was received by foreign Minister Davit Zalkaliani at the Tbilisi International Airport.

Zalkaliani said close relations between neighboring countries are extremely important. According to him, such intense bilateral visits between neighbors once again emphasize the importance of Georgia for Armenia and the importance of Armenia for Georgia.

After the official ceremony, the PMs of Georgia and Armenia held a meeting.

Pashinyan considers Armenia-Georgia partnership as an important guarantee for stability in the region. This statement was made by the Armenian PM at a joint press conference held in Tbilisi on March 3 after a meeting with Giorgi Gakharia.

According to the Armenian PM, conflicts in the region should be resolved only in peaceful ways and a balanced position on sensitive issues still needs to be resolved. Pashinyan said there is no doubt that the Armenia-Georgia partnership is “an important guarantee for the stability of our region.”

In the context of strengthening Armenian-Georgian traditional relations, he emphasized the significant contribution Georgia-Armenia has made to its development. He thanked Georgian authorities for the consistent steps to preserve national identity, cultural and spiritual heritage.

In addition to regional security and peace, the Armenian PM said that his Georgian counterpart had a wide-ranging conversation and discussed economy, education, science and people-to-people relations.

Yesterday’s meeting was the continuation of the negotiations that started in Yerevan last October: “We talked about the perspectives of transport, energy and various fields.” – Pashinyan said at a joint news conference.

Gakharia stressed that Georgia aspires to Euro-Atlantic integration in accordance with the decision of Georgian citizens. However, despite the different foreign orientation, friendly and neighborly relations between Georgia and Armenia continue.

Gakharia noted that the democratic development of the region is a critical factor for moving forward in different directions.

“We emphasize that the degree of democratization in our countries promotes cooperation in all areas - in economy, transit, culture, education, etc," said Gakharia.

The Georgian Prime Minister also noted that Armenia's active cooperation within the framework of the EU's Eastern Partnership program is welcomed. There are 6 countries involved in the Eastern Partnership Program. In addition to Armenia and Georgia, it unites Azerbaijan, Ukraine, Moldova and Belarus.

According to the Armenian Prime Minister, relations with Georgia are one of the most important issues in the foreign policy of the country and it is based on common democratic values, along with centuries-old friendship.

Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili also held a meeting with Pashinyan at the Orbeliani Palace. She said that Armenia and Georgia should work together for peace and stability in the region.

According to the President's Administration, during the face-to-face meeting, issues of importance for the development of political and economic cooperation between Georgia and Armenia were discussed.

During his visit to Georgia, the Armenian PM will also hold a meeting with the Speaker of Parliament Archil Talakvadze. The Armenian PM will pay tribute to the memory of the heroes who died for Georgia's unity.