Georgia’s Kvirikashvili on Official Visit to Azerbaijan
BAKU - Georgia’s Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili led a delegation that included Energy Minister Kakha Kaladze and Deputy Foreign Minister Gigi Gigiadze to the Azeri capital Baku on August 31 to hold meetings with Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev and Prime Minister Artur Rasizade.
The officials discussed the strategic partnership between Georgia and Azerbaijan and recent developments in the region.
The sides also took the time to discuss several of the large-scale transportation and energy projects that are currently being implemented, including the Southern Gas Corridor and Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway projects.
Bilateral and multilateral cooperation within the frames of the East-West transit corridor and the geopolitical importance of the Silk Road project, which connects Europe and Asia, were also covered during the meeting.
"We have developed regional economic projects of great importance, including the South Caucasus Gas Corridor. We also discussed implementation process of Baku-Tbilisi-Kars project and the possibility of introducing a unified tariff system within our logistics corridor and adding new cargo from China and India," Kvirikashvili stated while summing up his visit.
According to the Georgian PM’s Press Office, the politicians noted the positive dynamics in tourism by the growing number of Azerbaijani tourists visiting Georgia.
Kvirikashvili was later personally hosted by Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev, who said the Georgian delegation’s visit would help promote closer bilateral relations.
“We are bound by ties of history, geography, common interests and by our transnational energy and transport projects. The well-being of our countries and people, as well as stability in our region, depends on the success of these projects,” Aliev stated.
According to Kvirikashvili, Georgia fully supports the further development of bilateral relations
“As you already noted, we are linked by our friendly, strategic and regional projects – all of which are key points for improving the well-being of our nations and strengthening the friendship between our peoples,” said Kvirikashvili.
Kvirikashvili also commented on a possible threat posed by Trans-Anatolian Gas Pipeline project by ongoing Russia-Turkey negotiations regarding new pipeline projects, saying none of the pipeline projects is under threat since relevant contracts covering the construction of infrastructure, and the volumes of delivered gas have already been signed.
By Thea Morrison
Edited by Nicholas Waller