Georgian, Armenian PMs Meet, Pledge to Deepen Ties

Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia made his first official visit to neighboring Armenia on October 15. Today, Gakharia met his Armenian counterpart Nikol Pashinyan in Yerevan, and discussed deepening the two countries’ ties.

In his press remarks following the meeting, PM Gakharia spoke of the friendly relations between Georgia and Armenia, and said that economic partnership is “one of the most important dimensions” in their relations. “Here we have good results; trade between us develops,” he stated.

According to Gakharia, at the meeting the two leaders spoke of cooperation in the fields of transport and energy, and discussed “cultural dimension” of the two countries’ relations as well.

“It is our positive obligation to take care of our cultural heritage on the territory of both countries,” Gakharia said, adding that the two touched upon the regional issues as well and agreed on the importance of maintaining peace.

Georgia’s trade turnover with Armenia, according to the State Statistics Office (Geostat), stood at USD 614 million in 2018, with exports at USD 278.7 million (USD 210.3 million in 2017) and imports at USD 335.3 million (USD 281.3 million in 2017).

On his part, Pashinyan said that one of the most important tasks of Armenia’s foreign policy is to create an atmosphere of regional peace and security. “In this regard, we are convinced that the continued development of the Armenian-Georgian relations should be free from any external factors,” he noted.

The Armenian PM expressed hope that his Georgian counterpart’s visit to Yerevan would contribute to further deepening of the bilateral and multilateral ties between the two countries.

In Yerevan, Georgian PM will also meet the Armenian President Armen Sarkissian. Armenia visit is Giorgi Gakharia’s second official overseas trip after assuming power in September. The Georgian PM traveled to Azerbaijan on October 9. He is expected to visit Turkey by the end of October.

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