Today.Az » Politics » Foreign Ministry: Azerbaijan sees no obstacles to continuation of negotiations on demarcation of state border with Georgia
22 April 2019 [09:50] - Today.Az


By Trend


The delimitation process of the Azerbaijani-Georgian state border continues in accordance with the good intentions of the parties, aimed at achieving the results that will satisfy both countries, spokesperson for the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry Leyla Abdullayeva said in an interview with Trend on April 21.

Abdullayeva noted that a regular round of political consultations between the delegations headed by Deputy Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan Ramiz Hasanov and Deputy Foreign Minister of Georgia Lasha Darsalia took place on April 17 in Baku. A useful exchange of views took place on several aspects of mutually beneficial relations between Azerbaijan and Georgia, which are neighbors and strategic partners.

During the meeting, as Leyla Abdullayeva notes, Deputy Minister Ramiz Hasanov, together with his Georgian counterpart, also discussed the process of delimiting the state border. This issue is discussed at the level of the relevant state commission, as well as experts. In general, she added, Azerbaijan sees no obstacles to the continuation of negotiations and is ready for discussions.

According to Abdullayeva, the parties discussed energy, transport and other regional projects implemented with the participation of Azerbaijan and Georgia, which provide the basis for economic development in the region, as well as serve to ensuring security and stability. Thus, the sides exchanged views on the Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum gas pipeline, the Southern Gas Corridor, a game-changer project, which envisages the transportation of Azerbaijani gas to Europe. The meeting participants also discussed gas supplies through the Trans-Anatolian and Trans-Adriatic pipelines, which are integral parts of this project, as well as the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway, East-West and South-West transport corridors.

"The sides discussed protracted conflicts on the territory of countries that are the main threat to security and sustainable development in the region and the current stage of their resolution. Representatives of Azerbaijan and Georgia also discussed such
issues as the further development of cooperation in the fields of economy, tourism, culture and humanitarian sphere, continued cooperation on tripartite and multilateral platforms. Inter-MFA political consultations are a very useful platform for discussing issues on the agenda of the two countries, consider the ways of further developing ties, as well as to exchange views on issues that have not yet been resolved, and to discuss possible ways to solve them. It's an effective tool to ensure the continued development of relations,"- she added.

Abdullayeva stressed that relations between Azerbaijan and Georgia have reached the level of strategic partnership. “In this regard, of course, the political dialogue that continues on an ongoing basis between the two countries at the level of heads of state and government has a crucial role. For information, I’ll say that 109 documents have been signed between the two countries and the texts of a number of agreements are currently under review, which shows a steady development of cooperation."

Speaking about the results of the meeting, Abdullayeva noted that the parties stressed the role of the joint intergovernmental commission on economic cooperation and the organization of business forums in giving additional impetus for the effective use of the rich potential of bilateral cooperation. In this regard, suggestions were made.

"The successful completion of practical work on specific projects, in particular, in the field of tourism promotion, which holds an important place in the development of the two countries, was also emphasized. In addition, an exchange of views was held on the Days of Azerbaijani Culture, which will be organized in Batumi in June of this year that will give new impetus to cooperation in the humanitarian sphere," Abdullayeva said.

At the same time, the official representative of the Foreign Ministry stressed that both countries on all international platforms come out from a position of supporting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of states within internationally recognized borders and demonstrate the same position in the fight against aggressive separatism.

"Our countries cooperate in the framework of international organizations and trilateral formats. In particular, trilateral cooperation in the Azerbaijan-Georgia-Turkey format continues, which, complementing our bilateral relations, creates a condition for its development at a qualitatively new level. The last meeting in this format, the seventh meeting was held last October in Turkey. Azerbaijan and Georgia also cooperate in the framework of the United Nations and other international organizations. At the last consultations we also discussed the prospects for the provision of mutual support in the framework of international organizations and an agreement was reached to continue joint efforts in this direction," she said.



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