Georgian officials welcome ceasefire in Karabakh
Hostilities between the two neighbouring countries of Armenia and Azerbaijan over the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh were resumed in late September. Photo: Umil Bektas/Reuters
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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 has tweeted:
I welcome the ceasefire in #NagornoKarabakh and urge the resumption of peace talks. Lasting peace and stability is the only acceptable future for our region.
— Salome Zourabichvili (@Zourabichvili_S) October 10, 2020
The Georgian Foreign Ministry has also released a statement hoping that further negotiations will ensure the establishment of a lasting peace and security in the region.
????????welcomes ceasefire agreement,launched between????????&????????and expresses hope that the progress regarding the conflict resolution issues and peace establishment will be achieved through negotiations,therefore encouraging enhancement of security and prosperity across the entire region.
— MFA of Georgia (@MFAgovge) October 10, 2020
Hostilities between the two neighbouring countries of Armenia and Azerbaijan resumed in late September.
Since then the Georgian officials have expressed their readiness to contribute, in any form, to the de-escalation of tension, including by facilitating a dialogue and hosting a meeting of Armenian and Azerbaijani officials in Tbilisi.
However, the ceasefire agreement came after 12 hours of talks facilitated by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov between the top diplomats of Azerbaijan and Armenia in Moscow.
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reported that the two neighbouring countries have agreed to a ceasefire and ‘substantive’ peace talks ‘aimed at ending the latest bout of fighting’ over Nagorno-Karabakh.
Although, ‘hours before the ceasefire was set to take effect’ today new fighting was reported ‘with both sides exchanging accusations that civilian areas were being purposely targeted’.
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.
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.
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.
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’.
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.
In the light of the Karabakh conflict in 2021, attempts to radicalise ethnic Armenians and Azerbaijanis living in Georgia through disinformation narratives coming from abroad were most often spread by far-right nationalist groups, the Democracy Research Institute (DRI) says.