A new platform for permanent contacts between high-ranking officials of Armenia and Azerbaijan created by Tbilisi was proposed by the Georgian authorities, Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili said on September 27 at a press briefing.

Garibashvili noted that a humanitarian operation was carried out in June to return 15 Armenian prisoners in exchange for maps of minefields, in which Tbilisi acted as an intermediary.

"It was an unprecedented case. Since gaining independence, it has not yet happened that Georgia has become an intermediary between two neighbouring countries. We have completed this task successfully," the Prime Minister of Georgia said.

The head of the Georgian government noted that his initiative is precisely to continue the dialogue between Yerevan and Baku at a high level. According to the prime minister, Georgia offers its Azerbaijani and Armenian partners an intermediary format – a platform that Tbilisi plans to develop.

During the 44-day war in Karabakh, Georgia offered its intermediary conditions for the settlement of the conflict. In addition, according to Turkish President Recep Erdogan, the request of the Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan for a meeting was conveyed to him by the Prime Minister of Georgia Irakli Garibashvili.

Earlier, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili conveyed to him Prime Minister Pashinyan’s offer for a meeting. Later, the press secretary of the Armenian Prime Minister Mane Gevorgyan stated that there were no official contacts between Yerevan and Ankara, but that the Armenian side was ready for them.