Nikoloz Samkharadze, the Chair of the Foreign Relations Committee in the Georgian Parliament, on Friday said Tbilisi had “great desire” for the “friendly and neighbouring” countries of Armenia and Azerbaijan to sign a peace deal in their long-running conflict over the Nagorno-Karabakh region. 

• Georgia interested in “lasting” regional peace as “impartial mediator” between Azerbaijan, Armenia – PM

In his press comments amid the ongoing Tbilisi Silk Road Forum, which the Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili on Thursday opened along with his Azerbaijani, Armenian and Montenegrin counterparts, the lawmaker said such a deal would benefit the “whole South Caucasus region”. 

• Azerbaijani PM highlights Georgian counterpart’s efforts in regional peace talks

Reiterating the stance of the PM and his office to facilitate peace talks between the two states, Samkharadze claimed “Georgia is probably the only country in the world that has equal trust from both Armenia and Azerbaijan”. 

Thus, Tbilisi is naturally the place where peace talks can be held and see their successful completion. [The Government and the PM] will spare no efforts to make this historical event happen in Tbilisi”, the MP said, and added Garibashvili had been “actively engaged” in the process, and the “first, positive signs” had “already been observed”. 

• Building bridge without peace “very complicated” – Armenian PM to Tbilisi Silk Road Forum

The head of the Georgian Government has previously expressed his “readiness” to mediate the peace talks, including comments at the Forum where he said he was ready to “personally and through my office” facilitate such negotiations.