Noyan Tapan News Agency, Armenia
Sept 30 2005

ROBERT KOCHARIAN: ARMENIAN-GEORGIAN PARTNERSHIP’S EXPANSION IN ENERGY
SECTOR MAY BECOME A REAL PROGRAM OF REGIONAL COOPERATION

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 30, NOYAN TAPAN. At the fourth session of the
Armenian-Georgian Intergovernmental Commission on Economic
Cooperation Issues, the sides discussed the urgent problmes in the
bilateral relations and found mutually acceptable and beneficial
solutions to almost all of the issues. The Georgian Prime Minister
Zurab Nogaidely said this at the September 30 meeting with the RA
President Robert Kocharian in Yerevan.

Special attention was paid to the issues of cooperation in the
energy, transport and customs sectors. R. Kocharian and Z. Nogaideli
considered new opportunities for exporting electricity from Armenia
to Georgia. The Armenian President attached special importance to the
expansion of cooperation in the energy sector, which, in his opinion,
may become a real program of regional cooperation.

The sides underlined the necessity for new transport opportunities.
They considered it important to organize direct Yerevan-Tbilisi and
Yerevan-Batumi flights, as well as Yerevan-Batumi railway
communication. They also stressed the need to promote cooperation
between the customs departments of the two countries with the aim of
preventing the illigal turnover of goods subject to excise taxation.
The interlocutors noted that smuggling has been considerably reduced,
but the problem still remains.

According to the RA Presidental press service, R. Kocharian and Z.
Nogaideli also addressed the problem of the socioeconomic situation
in Javakhk. The Georgian Prime Minister said the government intends
to implement a 5-year program on repairing motorways in Javakhk with
funds provided by the Millennnium Challenges Fund and the state
budget allocations. The government of Georgia also intends to carry
out educational programs for the Armenian-speaking citizens and take
an active part in school construction in Javakhk.