Itar-Tass, Russia
Sept 13 2008

Georgia, Armenia to maintain cooperation, partnership

13.09.2008, 07.21

TBILISI, September 13 (Itar-Tass) — Georgia and Armenia will
maintain active cooperation and relations of partnership, Georgian
Foreign Minister Eka Tkeshelashvili said Friday evening after a
meeting with her Armenian counterpart Edvard Nalbandian.

`Georgia and Armenia intend to develop neighborly relations and
partnership. These relations have a good future,’ she said.

For her part, Nalbandian said that `in the course of the meeting there
was a business-like discussion of a wide range of issues concerning
bilateral cooperation.’

`Armenia wants to have friendly relations with Georgia. It is keenly
interested in stability, security and peace in Georgia, firstly,
because the two countries have centuries-old good relations to share
that should be developed, and, secondly, because 70 percent of
Armenia’s goods are exported through Georgian territory.’

The date for the Armenian foreign minister’s visit to Georgia had been
set several months ago. Earlier on Friday Nalbandian met with
Georgia’s president and prime minister. His motorcade had arrived in
Tbilisi from Yerevan Friday afternoon. The distance between the two
cities is 300 kilometers. The Armenian foreign minister is to return
home on Saturday.

Armenia and Georgia have maintained active economic, energy, transport
and cultural cooperation ever since they went independent in the early
1990s. Armenians account for six percent of Georgia’s population.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress