ARMENIAN, GEORGIAN LEADERS DISCUSS REGIONAL SECURITY

Armenian Second TV Channel
June 24 2009

[Presenter] Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili and his spouse
arrived in our country today at the invitation of [Armenian] President
Serzh Sargsyan. After the official welcoming ceremony for the Georgian
president at the presidential residence [in Yerevan], Sargsyan and
Saakashvili held a one-to-one conversation. A meeting of the official
delegations in an expanded format and a joint news conference of the
Armenian and Georgian leaders were held afterwards.

[Passage omitted: correspondent gives details of the welcome ceremony
over video of the ceremony]

[Correspondent reports over video of Sargsyan-Saakashvili meeting]
Afterwards the presidents discussed a whole complex of bilateral ties
and regional issues, paying special attention to regional security
issues.

[Sargsyan, speaking in Armenian at a news conference] I informed
Mr President about developments in the settlement of the Karabakh
issue. I also informed him about prospects for the normalization
of Armenian-Turkish relations and about our approach to those. Our
approach is clear – [Armenian-Turkish] relations should be built
without preconditions. The countries in the region should find edges
of cooperation irrespective of the existing discords. Armenia is
interested in having a peaceful, stable and prosperous neighbour –
Georgia – with which we have not only a common past, but also a
common future.

[Passage omitted: Saakashvili said at the news conference that
efforts are needed to develop both European integration and regional
cooperation; spoke about friendship between Armenian and Georgian
peoples]

[Correspondent reports over video of the meeting between the
delegations] Armenia and Georgia have had friendly relations for
centuries. Sargsyan said we are obliged to multiply what we inherited
from our ancestors. Issues of cargo transportation via Georgia,
bilateral communication, development of tourism, and issues related
to educational and cultural cooperation were discussed at the meeting
in the expanded format.

[Sargsyan, speaking in Russian at the meeting of the delegations] Dear
Mr President, ladies and gentlemen! I would like to heartily welcome
you in Armenia. There are not so many peoples in the world that can
be proud of such long good-neighbourly relations. We are obliged
to multiply what we inherited from our ancestors. That’s why we are
obliged to meet more frequently, as there are no issues between our
states that would not find quick answers taking into account mutual
interests. That is why I am very happy, I welcome you.

[Correspondent reports over video of the meeting between the
delegations] Communication routes that pass through Georgia are
essential for Armenia’s economy, and the Armenian side expressed
interest in the re-commissioning of a terrestrial automobile checkpoint
between Georgia and Russia as soon as possible. Also, general security
issues were discussed.

[Sargsyan, speaking in Armenian at the news conference] Of course,
we also discussed security issues, as the presidents of two friendly
states cannot but discuss security issues at their meeting. Our
conclusion is clear: the first factor of security is friendship
between our peoples. I said once and I repeat now that the influence
of friendship between peoples upon the security atmosphere is that
peoples, their leaders do not create extra problems for each other, and
by means of their problems do not create complex relations with other
countries either – exactly as they do not condition their friendship,
their good-neighbourly relations on their relations with a third party.

[Passage omitted: Saakashvili says that the Verkhniy Lars border
checkpoint between Russia and Georgia should be opened; Georgia will
try to decrease airfare prices and open a Yerevan-Batumi flight;
the Caucasus has a joint future and no foreign factor can harm mutual
interests]

[Correspondent reports over video of the news conference] Sargsyan
said normalization of Georgian-Armenian relations is in Armenia’s
interest. Normalized ties between neighbouring Georgia and [Armenia’s]
strategic partner Russia are only to be welcomed.

[Sargsyan in Armenian at the news conference] We have strategic
relations with the Russian Federation, and we are linked to Georgia
with centuries-old relations, and we are linked with thousand of
ties. We are developing our ties with both Russia and Georgia. We are
doing this openly, without doubt, without a veil of secrecy, in an
open way. I believe all of you witness relations which we at present
have with both Russia and Georgia. If good relations of the Armenian
side with both Russia and Georgia may to some extent assist the
normalization of Russian-Georgian relations, we would only be happy.