GEORGIAN AMBASSADOR IN ARMENIA ASTONISHED AT INTERPRETATION OF HIS WORDS

news.az
June 2 2011
Azerbaijan

Georgian ambassador in Armenia dismissed reports that Yerevan was
implied Azerbaijan by saying ‘a third country’.

Georgia’s ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary in Armenia
Tengiz Sharmanashvili dismissed reports in mass media that at a
briefing in Yerevan was implied Azerbaijan by saying ‘a third country’.

According to several mass media, during the news conference in
Yerevan on 31 May, the Georgian ambassador made several statements
addressed to Azerbaijan. Some mass media believed that the words
‘Armenia and Georgia have never conditioned their bilateral relations
with relations with the third country’ were addressed to Azerbaijan.

“The question was: you, Georgia, is seeking NATO membership, while
Armenia and Russia are strategic partners and how we, Georgia and
Armenia, can be closer in this situation”, Tengiz Sharmanashvili said.

“I said that the Russian factors cannot influence the relations between
our two countries (Armenia and Georgia) and Russia cannot interfere
with our ties… I said that our friendship covers the centuries
when this country (Russia) did not exist at all and that no one can
interfere with our relations… The issue referred to Russia and had
nothing to do with Azerbaijan?”, he said.

He said he was ‘astonished at the interpretation of his words in
mass media”.

Source: News-Georgia