RA PRIME MINISTER TIGRAN SARGSYAN RECEIVED A HIGH-LEVEL GEORGIAN DELEGATION LED BY SPEAKER OF PARLIAMENT DAVID BAKRADZE

Tue sday, 24 February 2009

The parties agreed in that the strengthening of cooperation between
Armenia’s and Georgia’s legislative authorities will help expand
bilateral economic relationship and will provide for more pro-active
interaction between the two governments. The availability of a
solid legal framework between the two countries was said to be
conducive to speedy and effective realization of those high-level
arrangements reached between the two Presidents, as well as for the
implementation of a number of decisions passed by the intergovernmental
commission. "We are interested in having sustained and constantly
developing bilateral political and economic relationships. What
is good for Armenia’s economics, so it is for Georgia and for the
regional cooperation as a whole," Davis Bakradze said and went on to
assure of Georgian Parliament’s readiness to back the development of
economic ties.

The Armenian Prime Minister and the Georgian Speaker of Parliament
underscored the importance of the ADB-supported construction of a
north-south highway through to Batumi, which is supposed to have
an anti-crisis bias with several new jobs and infrastructures to
be created.

The parties also spoke about the establishment of a unified
customs-house based on int ernational expertise. A corresponding
concept is already out and there is a need in expediting this
process. David Bakradze promised to keep the issue under control and
promote the implementation of the agreement reached between the two
Presidents as much as possible.

During the meeting, Tigran Sargsyan raised the sensitive issue of St.

Norashen Armenian church of Tbilisi which was said due to be given a
legislative decision on the part of Georgian authorities. The Prime
Minister asked the Georgian Speaker about the problem’s current status
and Mr. Bakradze’s vision of its possible resolution. David Bakradze
noted that the State of Georgia is prepared to endorse any decision
made on the basis of a church-to-church dialog. He stressed that
Georgian authorities are interested in tackling the issue without
politicizing it and expressed conviction that Armenia is as much
interested in it.

Then the interlocutors referred to the ongoing work on delimitation
and demarcation of the Armenian-Georgian borderline and stressed the
need for involving corresponding experts on either side in order to
step up this process.

The head of the Armenian government and the Georgian speaker of
Parliament highlighted the importance of both sides’ abiding by
an unbiased stance in key foreign policy issues which is crucial
not only in terms of building on the ties of friendship between the
two countries, but also in terms of pr omoting peace, stability and
security in the region.