Georgia, Azerbaijan and Turkey sign Tbilisi statement

By Trend

Following the eighth Trilateral Meeting of Foreign Ministers of Georgia, Azerbaijan and Turkey, Tbilisi Statement has been signed, Trend reports referring to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan.

According to Georgian media, Georgian Foreign Minister David Zalkaliani said that the document sets out concrete actions and plans in the common interests of Georgia, Azerbaijan and Turkey in all areas, as well as mechanisms for trilateral cooperation.

“The trilateral meeting of the Foreign Ministers of Azerbaijan, Turkey and Georgia in Tbilisi is a comprehensive and successful mechanism for regional cooperation,” Zalkaliani said.

The trilateral format of cooperation between Turkey, Azerbaijan and Georgia provides a good opportunity to discuss a wide range of issues, the minister added.

According to the minister, Azerbaijan and Turkey are Georgia’s largest trading partners, Zalkaliani said.

“We are connected by strategic and multifaceted partnership that covers many areas of politics, trade, economics, culture, transport, energy,” added the minister.

The parties also discussed an Action Plan for 2020–2022.

According to the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia, the parties took a joint approach to develop cooperation between business circles and hold tripartite business forums.

The eighth Trilateral Meeting of Foreign Ministers of Turkey, Azerbaijan and Georgia is being held in Tbilisi on December 23.

Meetings in a trilateral format of cooperation were initiated by the foreign ministers of the three countries in 2012. The first trilateral meeting took place in 2012 in the Turkish city of Trabzon.

The seventh meeting of the Foreign Ministers in the Azerbaijan-Georgia-Turkey format took place in Istanbul in October last year.

The three countries have been actively cooperating in the Trans-Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline (TANAP) project carrying gas from Azerbaijan’s Shah Deniz gas fields through Georgia and Turkey to Europe.