Tbilisi to host Georgia-Turkey-Azerbaijan Foreign Ministerial

Georgia is gearing up to host the 5^th meeting between Georgian, Turkish and Azerbaijani Foreign Ministers later this year.

This news was announced by Georgia’s Foreign Minister Tamar Beruchashvili at a joint press conference with her Azerbaijani counterpart Elmar Mamediarov in Tbilisi today.

Beruchashvili did not reveal the date of the Ministerial but said the trilateral format of the Georgia-Azerbaijan-Turkey meeting was "very important” as a successful tool for regional cooperation.

She stressed the "exceptional” relationship between Azerbaijan and Georgia and noted the visit of Mamediarov was a clear expression of this close cooperation.

As for the topics discussed at the meeting, Beruchashvili said that the sides talked about joint projects and expressed satisfaction with the successful development cooperation between the two countries across a range of areas, including political, economic, energy, transport, tourism and humanitarian cooperation.

"We highlighted the economic benefits that Georgia offers Azerbaijani investors within the Georgia-EU Association Agreement, including the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (DCFTA),” Beruchashvili said.

"One of the most important spheres of Georgia’s cooperation with Azerbaijan is energy. Georgia is not only a consumer of energy but also a transit country and [Georgia] plays an important role together with Azerbaijan in providing energy security to Europe,” said Beruchashvili.

The Georgian official noted the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway project had been successfully implemented and construction would be completed in the near future.

Both sides reaffirmed mutual support to territorial integrity, sovereignty and inviolability of internationally recognised borders.