Georgian PM on Azerbaijan-Armenia hostilities: regional peace is in common interests, Georgia ready to facilitate this process in any way
PM Gakharia said that ‘our ethnic Azerbaijani and Armenian citizens living in Georgia have always played a great role in the development and strengthening of our country.’ Photo: government’s press office.
Tweet 
Share
Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia has made a statement regarding ongoing hostilities between Azerbaijan and Armenia, stating that ‘it is in our common interest for peace to be restored in the region as quickly as possible. Georgia is ready to facilitate this process in any way, including by hosting a meeting of representatives of the sides of the conflict in Tbilisi for the purpose of holding a dialogue’.
Gakharia said earlier today that another military confrontation between Azerbaijan and Armenia has created a ‘grave situation’.
We all understand that further escalation of the situation will have an extremely negative impact on the security of the entire region. We once again call on the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs and international actors to make the most of the available opportunities to end the escalation and resume dialogue,” Gakharia stated.
He said that Georgia has good neighborly relations with both countries, Azerbaijan and Armenia.
Historically, our ethnic Azerbaijani and Armenian citizens living in Georgia have always played a great role in the development and strengthening of our country, as well as the entire region. At the same time, their peaceful coexistence is a good example demonstrating that Georgians, Armenians, and Azerbaijanis have the potential to turn the entire South Caucasus into an area of peace and development,” Gakharia said.
Hostilities over Nagorno-Karabakh resumed between Azerbaijan and Armenia earlier this month.
Regional peace and stability was the principal subject of a meeting between President of Georgia Salome Zurabishvili and Armenia's visiting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan in Tbilisi on Tuesday.
Georgian officials are concerned with the recent reports of resumed hostilities between the two neighbouring countries of Armenia and Azerbaijan over the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh. The Georgian Foreign Ministry has stated earlier today that the country is ready 'to contribute to de-escalation [of the process] and help establish the peace in the region'.
Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili has expressed concern over the 12-13 July armed confrontation on the border of neighbouring states Azerbaijan and Armenia, with both sides using artillery, mortar, and tanks in the northern area of their borders.
The new prime minister of Georgia Giorgi Gakharia will visit neighboring countries this month, starting the tour by visiting Azerbaijan tomorrow.
Amid ongoing fighting between Azerbaijan and Armenia, Georgia has suspended the transit of military cargo through its territory to either country either by land or air. No restrictions apply to transit of civilian goods and other cargo.
German Ambassador to Georgia Hubert Knirsch told journalists yesterday that he welcomes Georgian officials’ readiness to host a meeting between Azerbaijani and Armenian leaders over the Karabakh conflict.
Georgian Deputy Foreign Minister Lasha Darsalia announced earlier today that allegations of weapons transportation to Azerbaijan via Georgia are disinformation. Darsalia noted that amid ongoing fighting between Azerbaijan and Armenia, Georgia has suspended the transit of military cargo through its territory to either country either by land or air.
Ambassador of Azerbaijan to Georgia Faig Guliyev has responded to Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia’s offer for Georgia is ready to mediate between Azerbaijani and Armenian leaders over the Karabakh conflict, noting Azerbaijan is ready to participate in negotiations if Armenia agrees to voluntarily withdraw its armed forces from Karabakh.
French politician Laurent Wauquiez, a former leader of France's center-right Les Republicains party, has published a map supporting Karabakh as part of Armenia.
Georgian officials have welcomed the ceasefire agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan and urge the parties to resume peace talks over the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh. President Salome Zurabishvili said 'lasting peace and stability is the only acceptable future for our region'.
A new multilateral platform will be set up in the South Caucasus to boost political relationships between Turkey, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Armenia, Iran, and Russia, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev stated during a meeting in Baku on December 10.
Georgian Foreign Minister David Zalkaliani hosted his Armenian counterpart Ara Aivazian in the eastern Georgian region of Kakheti yesterday. Zalkaliani and Aivazian discussed ‘a wide range of issues of bilateral interest’.