BORDER DELIMITATION DOES NOT PROGRESS PROMPTLY: SHAVARSH KOCHARYAN

Information-Analytic Agency NEWS.am
Oct 20 2009
Armenia

Delimitation of Armenian-Georgian frontier does not progress promptly
enough, as the sides hold contrary opinions, RA Deputy Foreign
Minister Shavarsh Kocharyan told NEWS.am. According to him, the
challenge today is to conciliate both viewpoints. "The last meeting
with Georgian colleagues aimed at seeking the ways of convergence,"
he said, adding the tentatively agreed frontier is marked where there
are no disputes. However, Kocharyan underlined that "nothing is agreed
until everything is agreed."

Speaking of the probable terms of Armenian-Georgian commission
regular meeting on delimitation issues, the Deputy Minister stated
that there is a point in meeting whenever a go-ahead is there. He
said that experts still have much work to do before the meeting.

At the October 5 bilateral meeting of RA Deputy FM Shavarsh Kocharyan
and his Georgian counterpart David Jalagania in Tbilisi instructed
Georgian and Armenian experts to make concrete proposals on agreement
with undefined sectors of Armenian-Georgian border. The sides
decided to intensify dialogue on achievement of the ultimate aim and
convergence on harmonization of the border segments. Date and location
of the next meeting will be agreed on through diplomatic channels.

Delimitation of Armenian-Georgian border should tackle the issues that
emerged in the end of August, when Georgian frontiersmen advanced for
several hundred meters to Armenian Bavra village (Shirak region). The
issue on delimitation was also discussed by Georgian Foreign Minister
Grigol Vashadze in course of his visit to Armenia, September 5. Back
then, the ministers signed a memorandum on exchange of land plots
for diplomatic missions.