2020-03-03
Giorgi Gakharia, Prime Minister of Georgia
Greetings!
I welcome the Prime the Prime Minister of Armenia!
Mr. Prime Minister, it is a great honor to be hosting you here in Tbilisi, Georgia.
The friendly relations between our countries go back millennia, and we are working daily to bolster the effectiveness of our cooperation.
Thank you for hosting me in Yerevan. We have already discussed the outcomes of that visit, and I am confident that your visit today will be even more effective in further advancing our economic, security, and other types of cooperation for the benefit of the citizens of our countries. Today, we discussed ways to build on the friendly and good neighborly relations between our countries, also touching on a variety of areas like security, economy, culture, and education, and working out plans for advancing the cooperation between our nations to a new qualitative level.
The Georgian side pointed out the crucial importance of democratization in our region for the development of economy, education, and culture alike. We emphasized the Georgian citizens' commitment to Euro-Atlantic integration and the irreversibility of the country's path in this direction. Consequently, we agreed that, notwithstanding the foreign trajectories of our countries, there can be no misunderstanding or ambiguity in our good neighborly relations and continuous cooperation. However, we also emphasized that the quality of democratization in our countries promotes cooperation in every direction, such as economy, transit, culture, education, and others.
We welcomed Armenia's active cooperation under the Eastern Partnership, which is very important to us, and we believe that our countries should cooperate effectively in this very direction.
Mr. Prime Minister, I once again thank you for hosting the Georgian delegation in Yerevan.
Welcome to Tbilisi!
I am confident that we will make effective use of these two days in the best interests of our citizens.
Nikol Pashinyan, Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia
Greetings, Mr. Prime Minister!
Ladies and Gentlemen,
On behalf of the Armenian delegation and myself, I thank Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia for inviting us to Georgia and for his warm welcome. I am truly happy to have this opportunity. I have said repeatedly that developing relations with Georgia is one of the key topics of our country's foreign policy. I am sure that every precondition is in place to that end. Undoubtedly, our centuries-old friendship, grounder in shared values and historical heritage, lays a solid foundation for our cooperation.
I commend the emergence of new factors cementing our unbreakable friendship and furthering our aspirations for cooperation. And that, above all else, is our nations' shared vision of building the future based on democratic values, one possessing the force of faith engraved in our hearts. Indeed, the triumph of democracy and introduction of the rule of law have expanded our horizons for broader relations between our two countries. Today's negotiations between Mr. Gakharia and me build on our talks last October in Yerevan. It is with joy that we emphasized that, last June, the Intergovernmental Commission, after a long pause, resumed its meetings in Yerevan. We discussed prospects in the fields of transport, energy, and others, emphasizing the importance of tapping into the two countries' transit potential. Our conversation revolved around not only land routes but also electrical energy and telecommunication ties. We discussed a wide array of issues pertaining to high technology, education, and science. We emphasized stronger relations between our youth and stronger ties between the two countries' civil society organizations.
We also touched on regional security and peace. Undoubtedly, Armenia-Georgia partnership is one of the key guarantors of stability in our region.
I am more than confident that peaceful negotiations are the only way to solve regional issues, and they have no alternative. Similarly, I am convinced that every conflict has its own peculiar characteristics, and in this regard, I attach special importance to maintaining a balanced stance on this sensitive issue. In the context of strengthening the traditional relations between Armenia and Georgia, allow me to single out Georgia's special contribution to developing ties with Armenia.
We are grateful to the Georgian Government for its consistent steps toward preserving unique national, cultural, and spiritual heritage.
Once again, I thank Mr. Prime Minister for organizing such a high-level reception of the Armenian delegation.
I have been informed that Georgia celebrates Mother's Day today, so I wish every mother in Georgia a happy holiday!
Press Service of the Government Administration