Georgian PM discusses “neighbourly relations”, security challenges with Armenian parliament chair

Georgian prime minister Irakli Garibashvili on Thursday discussed “neighbourly relations”, prospects of further strengthening ties and regional security challenges with Alen Simonyan, the visiting chair of the Armenian parliament. 

The government administration said the sides had praised the existing cooperation between the legislative bodies of the two countries, which they said “further strengthened” the ties.

Highlighting the importance of peaceful resolution of regional conflicts, the head of the Georgian government reiterated his readiness to mediate talks between Azerbaijan and Armenia over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region as part of his Peaceful Neighbourhood initiative. 

Talks as part of the initiative ensured release of 15 Armenian prisoners of war last year in return for a map of landmines in the region, while in July Armenian and Azerbaijani foreign ministers, Ararat Mirzoyan and Jeyhun Bayramov, held their inaugural meeting in Tbilisi to discuss issues related to the conflict.