TBILISI NOT INTERESTED IN POLITICIZING ARMENIAN CHURCHES PROBLEM
PanARMENIAN.Net
25.02.2009 15:20 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Armenian Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan met
Tuesday with the Georgian delegation led by Speaker of Parliament
David Bakradze.
The parties agreed that the strengthening of cooperation between
Armenia 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," Mr. 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 international 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.
Tigran Sargsyan also 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
inquired about the problem’s current status and asked the Georgian
Speaker to present his vision for its possible resolution.
Mr. Bakradze noted that 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
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 promoting peace, stability and security in the
region, the RA government’s press office reports.