Second Round of Georgia-Azerbaijan Talks on Border Delimitation to Be Held in Tbilisi

The second round of negotiations between Georgia and Azerbaijan about the border delimitation process will take place in late June in Tbilisi.

The statement was made by the Foreign Minister of Georgia Davit Zalkaliani said while commenting about recent developments around Davit Gareji.

“We expect the experts to study the situation on the ground prior to the second round of negotiations,” the minister said, noting that the commission will hopefully arrive at “a decision favorable and acceptable for both sides.”

“For now we agreed to hold joint visits to non-agreed sections, at the level of experts prior to the second round of the negotiations. We expect the experts to study the situation on the ground. The second round is likely to be held in late June. The will expressed by both Azerbaijan and Georgia gives me the reason to think that it is possible to reach an agreement favorable for both sides,” he said.

Negotiations on the border demarcation became active after Azerbaijan restricted access to some parts of the Davit Gareji monastery complex, located at the border of the two countries, in early May.

The site is a Georgian Orthodox cave monastery complex located in the Kakheti region of Eastern Georgia, on the half-desert slopes of Mount Gareji, 60–70 km southeast of Georgia's capital Tbilisi. The complex includes hundreds of cells, churches, chapels, refectories and living quarters hollowed out of the rock face.

Part of the complex is located in the Aghstafa district of Azerbaijan, which has many times been the subject of a dispute.

Georgia-Azerbaijani Border Delimitation Commissions held meetings on May 23-24 in Baku and had a detailed discussion on non-agreed sections of the inter-state border as about 2/3 of the border between the two states have been agreed but 1/3 still remains disputable.

The commissions continue negotiations over the issue.

By Thea Morrison

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