Tbilisi hosts fifth Georgia-Turkey-Azerbaijan Foreign Ministerial
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Today Georgia’s capital Tbilisi hosted the fifth ministerial between Foreign Ministers of Georgia, Turkey and Azerbaijan, where the three officials agreed to intensify trilateral cooperation and develop the region’s energy, transport and Silk Road potential.
Earlier today the three leaders signed the Tbilisi Statement – a document which highlighted the importance of the trilateral meeting, condemned the recent terrorist act in Turkey and expressed readiness to forge closer ties for better economic, transit and transport cooperation.
Georgia's Foreign Minister twitted about the Foreign Ministerial.
5th trilateral mtg btw FMs #Georgia#Azerbaijan#Turkey is a clear demonstration of our strong regional cooperation pic.twitter.com/S0x1kpEddp
— Mikheil Janelidze (@JanelidzeMkh) February 19, 2016
Georgia’s Foreign Minister Mikheil Janelidze, Turkey’s Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and Azerbaijan’s Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov all said they were eager for greater cooperation in the new Silk Road project that connected Europe with Asia, which would bring benefits to all three countries.
The historic route will further enhance cooperation in the areas of transport, energy, trade and people-to people contacts across the Silk Road route,” said the leaders, and they appraised the successful Tbilisi Silk Road Forum held on October 15 and 16 last year.
Signing of Tbilisi Statement. Photo by Georgia's Foreign Ministry.
In recent months Georgia, Turkey and Azerbaijan have enjoyed stronger relations. The three Foreign Ministers welcomed the December 2015 success of the first transit container train travelling from China along on the new Silk Road route to Europe via Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey. They agreed this was a promising joint project but more could be done to upgrade other trans-regional infrastructure.
Another joint project discussed was the importance of the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars (BTK) railway, which allowed goods to be transported between Asia and Europe quicker than before.
The next Foreign Ministerial will be held in Azerbaijan. Photo by Georgia's Foreign Ministry.
All three nations agreed more could be done to promote the important strategic role of Georgia, Turkey and Azerbaijan as transit countries that connected two parts of the world.
The ministers also spoke about the opportunities Georgia’s Association Agreement (AA) with the European Union (EU), which included the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (DCFTA) offered for not only Georgia but Turkey and Azerbaijan too.
The three Foreign Ministers stressed the necessity to solve conflicts peacefully, and agreed the next trilateral Foreign Ministerial would be held in Azerbaijan later this year.
Georgia’s Parliament Speaker David Usupashvili believes Georgia, Turkey and Azerbaijan have huge economic potential which needs to be promoted all over the world.
Turkey is interested in importing more Georgian goods and further enhancing economic ties, Turkey's Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told Georgia’s Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili today.
The Foreign Minister of Turkey Mevlut Cavusoglu says his country will raise the issue of Georgia’s membership into the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) at the Alliance’s upcoming Warsaw Summit in Poland on July 8-9.
Georgia-Turkey relations were high on the agenda today during the meeting between Georgia’s Foreign Minister Mikheil Janelidze and Turkish Ambassador to Georgia Zeki Levent Gümrükçü.
Georgia and Turkey are simplifying bilateral customs rules to make it easier for goods to pass between the two nations.
German lawmakers are happy with the progress Georgia has made towards Euro-Atlantic integration and say Germany will continue supporting the country as it continues to carry out democratic reforms.
Georgia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Mikheil Janelidze says Germany "completely supports” Georgia to obtain visa-free travel with European Union (EU) countries. Janelidze met his German counterpart Frank-Walter Steamier in Berlin earlier today.
Germany eager to support Georgia’s EU integration in all ways
Georgia’s Minister of Defence Mikheil Janelidze has summarised his two-day official trip to Germany by saying the country is willing to support Georgia’s quick integration into the Euro-Atlantic space.
Georgia’s top expert of foreign affairs believes the European Union (EU) will benefit from bringing Georgia closer to Europe.
United States (US) Ambassador to the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Daniel Baer released a long letter this afternoon in response to the speech by Georgian Foreign Minister at the OSCE Permanent Council in Vienna, Austria.