On 24 September, Azerbaijan’s Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov conducted an official visit to Georgia, where he met with his counterpart David Zalkaliani in order to discuss a variety of issues.
Zalkaliani stated that a new map material found by Georgia may bring changes to the Georgian-Azerbaijani 2006-2007 agreement on border issues. “The materials have already been sent to Azerbaijan. We are actively working on the demarcation of the border with Azerbaijan. Last year we faced incidents regarding David Gareja (Caucasus Watch reported). We have launched active work on the border issue within a joint commission,” he said. He added that due to the pandemic the Georgian-Azerbaijani commission’s meetings were suspended. However, the commission has continued its activities without the meetings.
The Georgian Foreign Minister also praised the state of relations between the two countries. “The level of relations between Azerbaijan and Georgia has not decreased. Our cooperation relations in economic and other fields continue. We are pleased with our Azerbaijani partners,” he stressed. “Cooperation between countries is expanding from year to year. We support sovereignty and territorial integrity of each other. It is also supported in international format. At the same time, Azerbaijan's support to Georgia at the last meeting of the UN General Assembly (Caucasus Watch reported) is […] essential for us and we highly appreciate it,” he added. Zalkaliani also mentioned the repair of Georgian school in the Gakh district of Azerbaijan as a milestone for the enhancement of cooperation between the two countries.
As for Bayramov, he also noted that the border issue between the two countries could finally be resolved. “Two-thirds of the delimitation of the state border with Georgia has been completed, and discussions are underway,” he stated. He also highlighted the importance of Azerbaijani-Georgia relations. “The support continues in bilateral and multilateral platforms today too. Azerbaijani-Georgian relations are strategic cooperation by nature. Azerbaijan is one of the main trade partners and investors of Georgia. Our countries play a great role in diversification of energy resources and energy sources with international level,” Bayramov said.
The Azerbaijani Foreign Minister also spoke on the current tensions with Armenia, saying that the Armenian leadership is making statements that serve to inflame the situation in the region. “Our approach is based on international norms, requires implementation of decisions and approaches of the UN and other organizations. I think the states should put an end to [the] occupational policy [to ensure] peace in the region, the internally displaced people should return to their homes. Our goal is to serve for the progress and development of the region. The projects implemented by us serve just for this area,” he emphasised.
Three days earlier, Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev also spoke about Georgia on local television, saying how much he appreciated the recent moves of the Georgian government. “As you know, Georgia did not allow the transportation of weapons to Armenia through its territory [...] Georgia acted like a very reliable partner. I would like to express my gratitude to the Georgian government for this. I can say that we see the Georgian government as a reliable partner and friend,” he stated.
It is also worth mentioning that a day prior to Bayramov’s visit, Azerbaijan appointed Faig Guliyev as the new Azerbaijani ambassador to the country.
