On September 8, Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan of Armenia, who is in Tbilisi as part of the delegation of the Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan of Armenia, held a meeting with the Deputy Prime Minister, Foreign Minister of Georgia David Zalkaliani.

The interlocutors discussed issues on the broad agenda of friendly-neighborly relations of Armenia and Georgia, expressed readiness to make efforts for further deepening cooperation, particularly, in the political, economic, communication, cultural, humanitarian and tourism spheres.

Both sides expressed confidence that the promotion of dialogue and cooperation between the two countries will contribute to regional security and stability. Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan underlined that Armenia attaches great importance to the deepening of trade and economic cooperation with Georgia, highlighting the role of the Armenia-Georgia Intergovernmental Commission on Economic Cooperation.

The interlocutors discussed issues of the agreement on the establishment of the “Persian Gulf-Black Sea” international transport corridor and new opportunities within it.

In the context of sustainable development and strengthening of security in the region, Minister Mirzoyan emphasized the unblocking of regional communications, which will also provide new opportunities for the expansion of Armenia-Georgia cooperation.

During the meeting, Minister Mirzoyan thanked the Georgian Government for its mediation efforts in the repatriation of 15 Armenian prisoners of war. At the same time, he added that Azerbaijan continues to hold Armenian prisoners of war and civilians in captivity, which is a violation of international humanitarian law, as well as its obligations under the Trilateral Statement.

The Foreign Minister of Armenia briefed his Georgian counterpart on the situation resulting from the infiltration of the Azerbaijani armed forces into the sovereign territory of Armenia, which undermines regional stability.

Touching upon the Nagorno-Karabakh issue, Ararat Mirzoyan stressed the need to resume the process of peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict under the auspices of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairmanship.