On a visit to Tbilisi, Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan met with Georgian Deputy Prime Minister, Foreign Minister David Zalkaliani.
The interlocutors discussed issues on the agenda of friendly and good-neighborly Armenian-Georgian relations, expressed readiness to make efforts to further deepen the cooperation, in particular, in the political, economic, communication, cultural, humanitarian and tourism spheres.
The sides expressed confidence that the intensification of dialogue and cooperation between the two countries will contribute to regional security and stability. Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan stressed that Armenia attaches great importance to the deepening of trade and economic cooperation with Georgia, highlighting the role of the Armenia-Georgia Intergovernmental Commission on Economic Cooperation.
The interlocutors discussed issues related to the agreement on the establishment of the Persian Gulf-Black Sea international transport corridor and the new opportunities within that framework.
In the context of sustainable development and strengthening of security in the region, Minister Mirzoyan attached importance to the unblocking of regional communications, which will also provide new opportunities for the expansion of Armenia-Georgia cooperation.
During the meeting, Minister Mirzoyan thanked the Georgian government for the mediation efforts in ensuring the repatriation of 15 Armenian prisoners of war. At the same time, he added that Azerbaijan still holds Armenian prisoners of war hostage, which is a violation of international humanitarian law, as well as its obligations under the trilateral statement.
The Armenian Foreign Minister briefed his Georgian counterpart on the situation created as a result of the penetration of the Azerbaijani armed forces into the sovereign territory of Armenia, which undermines regional stability.
Touching upon the Nagorno Karabakh issue, Ararat Mirzoyan stressed the need to resume the process of peaceful settlement of the Karabakh conflict under the auspices of the OSCE Minsk Group.
