Tbilisi interested in “lasting” regional peace, enjoys “excellent” ties with Azerbaijan, Armenia - PM

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili on Friday said his Government was “interested” in ensuring “lasting peace” in the South Caucasus region and was committed to facilitate related talks between neighbourly Azerbaijan and Armenia, before hailing “excellent ties” with both nations in his address at the Paris Peace Forum panel discussion. 

Addressing the discussion Insights on Cooperation in a world of rivalry : Crafting Peace and Building a Safer World – The case of Caucasus - along with his Armenian counterpart Nikol Pashinyan, Garibashvili stressed the long- running conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia over the Nagorno-Karabakh region was a “matter of concern” for Tbilisi, and claimed his communication and exchange with the leaders of both countries were “full of trust”. 

Pointing to the importance of trust and impartiality during mediation, the PM stressed his office had already succeeded in this regard, when in 2021 he and the United States official Philip Reeker brokered a deal involving Azerbaijan’s release of 15 Armenian prisoners of war in exchange for receiving from Armenia a map of landmines in the Agdam district of the disputed region. 

Trust is crucial here, because if someone offers mediation, both parties must trust them. If there is no trust, there will be no successful mediation”, Garibashvili said, and added the Tbilisi Silk Road Forum last month, which brought together Azerbaijani and Armenian top officials, also discussed ways for regional peace and security. 

The official also reiterated his stance voiced at the Davos Forum in January that “parties may not trust each other, but negotiations have no alternative. Without dialogue peace will not be established”.

Speaking about ongoing conflicts across the world, the head of the Georgian Government said nations had to live in the “era of uncertainty, in an unpredictable environment”, and noted the response to all those confrontations should be peace. 

We are witnessing an ongoing war in Ukraine and do not see an end to it, as well as a crisis in the Middle East, which is very dangerous. We see frozen conflicts in Georgia - the [Russian] occupation of our territories. There is no solution in sight - we have seen many conflicts in Africa, in many parts of the world. The answer to all these conflicts should be peace. We must do everything to ensure peace”, Garibashvili said. 

Saying his country had gone through a “number of challenges” after its 2008 conflict with Russia, Garibashvili claimed the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war was also a “serious challenge” for his country as “war affects us all”.