President Zourabichvili: ‘Any negotiations can be held in Tbilisi’
By Nika Gamtsemlidze
Monday, October 5
After the meeting of the National Security Council, the President of Georgia made a statement on the ongoing conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia.
“As the President of Georgia, I would like to express my deepest condolences on behalf of the Georgian society for the sacrifice that followed the conflict between our two neighboring countries. I appeal to the presidents and authorities of our friends, our neighboring countries, to resume dialogue between them as soon as possible. I want to call on them to de-escalate and cease fire, which is the main common interest of the three countries to restore stability, and peace,” said Salome Zourabichvili.
The President of Georgia also addressed the Minsk Group and its co-chairs, who,she said, have a special responsibility in this conflict. “We are ready for Tbilisi to be a place for negotiations. We are ready for everything that will be desirable for the parties,” added president.
The President of Georgia also called on the European Union to pay due attention to all three countries in the region, which are involved in the Eastern Partnership program.
“I want to address the European Union. Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan are all members of the Eastern Partnership. If that means anything, which I’m sure it does, our regional stability and peace is in Europe’s highest interest. Europe must use its force for peace and de-escalation,” wrote the President of Georgia on her official Twitter account.
The Prime Minister of Georgia Giorgi Gakharia also offered a meeting between Armenia and Azerbaijan in Tbilisi for a dialogue a few days ago. Gakharia stated that the further escalation of the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh will have a negative impact on the security of the entire region.
“Our common interest is to establish peace in the region as soon as possible. Georgia is ready to support this process in any way possible, including hosting a meeting of representatives of the parties in the conflict in Tbilisi,” Gakharia said.
The military confrontation in Nagorno-Karabakh resumed on September 27th. Armenia and Azerbaijan again accuse each other of provocation, while self-proclaimed Karabakh blames Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev for the incident.
The international community is calling on the parties to cease fire and resume talks in vain. Turkey has a different position from other countries, blaming only Armenia for the incident and supporting Azerbaijan. In Armenia and Artsakh, they are claiming that the Turkish army is also involved in the fighting, which Azerbaijan and Turkey deny.
