The Messenger
Friday, March 18, 2005, #049 (0823)
Business news in brief:
Noghaideli seeks closer economic ties with Armenia
The development of economic relations between Armenia and Georgia topped the
agenda during Prime Minister Zurab Noghaideli’s two-day visit to Yerevan on
March 10-12.
Noghaideli and Armenian President Robert Kocharyan met on March 11 to talk
about cooperation in the energy sector and the expansion of trade links.
News agency Ria Novosti reports that Kocharyan expressed his satisfaction at
the meeting that the Armenian-Georgian intergovernmental commission on
economic relations will continue its activities headed by the prime
ministers of the two countries.
“Armenian-Georgian relations have always included a wide spectrum of issues
of mutual interests,” he said.
The sides positively assessed the increase in trade turnover between the
countries last year, which according to Armenian Prime Minister Andranik
Margaryan rose by 51.1 percent.
The National Department of Statistics of Armenia reports that trade turnover
between Armenia and Georgia equaled USD 78 million in 2004 compared to USD
51 million in 2003.
The two countries hope that better communications will further increase
trade, and Noghaideli reported to his Armenian colleagues about the
completion of the construction of the road between Sadakhlo on the
Georgia-Armenia border and Marneuli. The sides also discussed the
construction of a new border checkpoint in Sadakhlo.