Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan hosted Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze, who has arrived in Armenia on an official visit.
First, the official welcoming ceremony was held, after which the private conversation of the Prime Ministers of the two countries took place. Next, the discussions continued with an expanded format.
In his welcoming speech, Prime Minister Pashinyan said: “Prime Minister Kobakhidze, I welcome you and your delegation to our republic, our capital. Let me once again in person congratulate you on the occasion of your appointment as the Prime Minister of fraternal Georgia, with the hope and confidence that our governments will cooperate to increase and develop cooperation in various fields. I am glad that we have just discussed our declaration on the strategic dialogue between Armenia and Georgia and reaffirmed that we will continue to address the agenda of that declaration. Your visit is very important, this is your first visit to Armenia. I am sure that we will have very active cooperation and dialogue, including active bilateral visits. So, I welcome to our country.”
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In turn, Irakli Kobakhidze noted. “Mr. Prime Minister, thank you for hosting me and my delegation. It is important for us to further advance the relations between our two countries. Recently, we have had important developments, we were able to move the cooperation to a strategic partnership. It is important to take advantage of this new situation and develop cooperation in all areas. We share the same values and would like to thank you for your strong support to our sovereignty and territorial integrity. Of course, we have a firm position regarding Armenia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. Political cooperation is at a very good level, but there is always an opportunity to deepen it, the same applies to economic relations.”
Nikol Pashinyan and Irakli Kobakhidze discussed a number of issues related to Armenia-Georgia multi-sectoral cooperation. The parties reaffirmed their positions on strengthening cooperation within the framework of the declaration of strategic partnership. The interlocutors emphasized the development of cooperation in all directions, both in political, economic and humanitarian spheres. The Prime Ministers of the two countries emphasized the need to take consistent steps to boost trade. Reference was made to the border delimitation process between Armenia and Georgia.
Nikol Pashinyan and Irakli Kobkhaidze also discussed issues of regional importance. The Prime Minister of Armenia presented the latest developments in the direction of the Armenia-Azerbaijan peace treaty. Both sides emphasized the importance of protecting the territorial integrity of the states.
Nikol Pashinyan and Irakli Kobakhidze make statements for media representatives
Prime Ministers of Armenia and Georgia Nikol Pashinyan and Irakli Kobakhidze made statements to media representatives after the meeting.
Prime Minister Pashinyan noted in his speech.
“Dear Prime Minister Kobakhidze,
Ladies and gentlemen,
Dear attendees,
I am glad to host the newly appointed Prime Minister of Georgia Irakli Kobakhidze and his delegation in Armenia for the first time. I would like to congratulate my colleague once again, already in person, on the occasion of assuming the responsible position of the Prime Minister of Georgia. I am sure that Mr. Kobakhidze will make a serious contribution to the deepening of relations between Armenia and Georgia with his careful consistency.
You know that this year on January 26, the 13th session of the intergovernmental commission for economic cooperation between the Republic of Armenia and Georgia was held in Tbilisi, during which the joint declaration on strategic partnership was signed between Armenia and Georgia, which outlines an ambitious perspective for further development of our bilateral relations covering all fields. Today, my colleague and I had the opportunity to discuss possible and necessary steps towards the practical implementation of this joint declaration. I want to emphasize that unconditional recognition of each other’s territorial integrity and sovereignty is a core element in that declaration. Today we also discussed the possibilities of activation of the demarcation process between Armenia and Georgia.
The continuous deepening and expansion of cooperation with Georgia is of strategic importance not only from the point of view of bilateral relations between our countries, but also from the point of view of ensuring stability and mutually beneficial cooperation in the region.
As you know, at the end of last year, Georgia acquired the status of a candidate country for EU membership. I would like to emphasize that Armenia reacted enthusiastically to the news, considering what happened as an important event that will have a direct impact not only on our region, but also on Armenia-Georgia bilateral relations.
The Republic of Armenia supported and continues to support Georgia’s aspirations to join the European Union.
During today’s meeting, I also presented to my colleague our perceptions regarding regional processes and the developments and current state of the process of normalization of relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan. I reaffirmed that Armenia assumes its share of responsibility for establishing peace and stability in the region. We expect that other actors will show a similar approach.
I have emphasized that Armenia is ready to move forward in the process of normalization of relations with Azerbaijan based on the 3 principles already known and agreed at the highest level between Armenia and Azerbaijan, namely: mutual recognition of territorial integrity and sovereignty based on the Alma-Ata Declaration, implementation of the Armenia-Azerbaijan border delimitation process based on the same Alma-Ata Declaration, as well as unblocking the economic infrastructure of the region based on the principles of respect for the sovereignty and jurisdiction of countries, ensuring equality and reciprocity. Regarding the latter, we believe that the “Crossroads of Peace” project put forward by the Armenian government will become one of the future topics of the strategic partnership between our countries. We know and see that Georgia is not only interested in the normalization of relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan, but is also actively trying to contribute to that process, for which I would like to thank our Georgian partners.
Dear Prime Minister Kobakhidze,
Summarizing, I would like to report with satisfaction that the relations between Armenia and Georgia are developing dynamically. I assure you that the Armenian government will continue to make efforts, not being satisfied with what has been achieved, to open new horizons in the relations between the two countries.
Once again, I welcome you to Yerevan and thank you for today’s productive discussions.”
In turn, Irakli Kobakhidze noted.
“Dear Mr. Prime Minister,
I welcome the representatives of the governments of the Republic of Armenia and the Republic of Georgia, as well as the mass media.
Following my appointment as Prime Minister, I was quick to visit the Republic of Armenia. Thank you for the warm welcome and friendship. I must also note that we have cooperated and had brotherly relations for centuries, signed the Declaration of Cooperation and raised our relations to an even higher level. The goal is to deepen cooperation, support peace and stability, and this declaration is based on our shared principles and values, and expresses our support for those values. Of course, I have expressed my gratitude to my colleague, Mr. Prime Minister Pashinyan, who supports the territorial integrity of Georgia. I also unreservedly support the territorial integrity of Armenia and share the opinion of my colleague that our relations are developing dynamically.
Of course, we talked about cooperation in different fields in different formats. At the policy level: transport, economy, tourism, our partnership in all these directions will be further deepened and developed, it is very important.
We also talked about regional developments, I emphasized the importance of our joint efforts to be able to fight the current challenges of the region. Georgia supports the efforts of stability, peace and coexistence in the South Caucasus, and we really hope that the peace agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan will be signed and be a tangible agreement. Georgia is ready to support this process and contribute to the establishment of peace and stability in the region.
Mr. Prime Minister, let me once again thank you for your warm hospitality and I am glad for the opportunity to invite you to Georgia. We already talked about this during our meeting.
We have high-level bilateral visits, this is very important, and we must maintain this approach, trend, in order to strengthen our partnership at a high level. Our goal is to develop and strengthen our countries, the cooperation between our countries, and this cooperation is very important. Thank you.”
INFORMATION AND PUBLIC RELATIONS DEPARTMENT OF THE OFFICE OF THE PRIME MINISTER OF THE REPUBLIC OF ARMENIA