Azerbaijani Defence Minister meets Georgian leaders in Tbilisi
Tweet 
Share
Georgia and Azerbaijan are exploring opportunities of deepening defence cooperation and sharing military experience.
Azerbaijani Defence Minister Zakir Hasanov is paying an official visit to Tbilisi today.
He met with Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili and Defence Minister Levan Izoria.
Apart from discussing bilateral defence cooperation, the parties also discussed a trilateral format in which Georgia, Azerbaijan and Turkey would collaborate in the field of defence with the aim to ensure security of strategic energy transport infrastructure.
Azerbaijani, Georgian Defence Ministers meet in Tbilisi. Photo: MOD of Georgia.
"Georgia and Azerbaijan are strategic partners and it is important for this partnership to grow in order to ensure security and peace in the region” Izoria said.
Hasanov said Georgia and Azerbaijan have "great potential” for military cooperation.
Territorial integrity was also in focus of the meetings, where Azerbaijan reconfirmed its support for Georgia’s sovereignty and integrity.
Georgia will sign a defence deal with Turkey and Azerbaijan within a ministerial event to be hosted in Batumi later this month, following a meeting of Georgian and Turkish defence ministers at a large-scale industry fair in Istanbul earlier today.
Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili is participating in a meeting of the government heads of the GUAM countries in Kiev, Ukraine today.
Georgian President Giorgi Margvelashvili addressed the participants of the 5th Global Baku Forum in Azerbaijan’s capital of Baku today.
The Foreign Ministry of Azerbaijan has issued a statement condemning the so-called parliamentary elections that took place on Sunday in Georgia’s Russian-occupied region of Abkhazia.
Defence agencies of Georgia, Turkey and Azerbaijan will widen cooperation in bid to ensure regional security and stability, following a three-way meeting between defence ministers in Tbilisi earlier today.