Georgian, Azerbaijani Presidents Discuss Energy, Transport Cooperation

President Salome Zurabishvili, who is on a two-day official visit to Baku on February 27-28, met today with her Azerbaijani counterpart, Ilham Aliyev, and discussed issues of bilateral and regional cooperation.

At a press conference following the meeting, President Zurabishvili spoke of the two countries’ cooperation in the fields of energy and transport.

She said, with their joint projects, Georgia and Azerbaijan have demonstrated that the region is a safe corridor between Europe and Asia. “What’s most important [is that it’s] stable, and this is why it is possible to make serious investments in this region,” Zurabishvili stated.

The two presidents referred in particular to Baku-Supsa, Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan, and Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum pipelines, as well as Southern Gas Corridor project and the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway.

According to Zurabishvili, the two presidents also touched upon the border dispute, saying the border should “unite” not “divide.” “It would be logical that considering our friendly relations, the issue were closed after so many years,” the President said.

In Baku, President Zurabishvili also met with First Vice President Mehriban Aliyeva, Prime Minister Novruz Mammadov and Parliament Speaker Oktay Asadov. She will also travel to north-western Azerbaijan to meet with ethnic Georgians living there.

This post is also available in: ქართული (Georgian) Русский (Russian)