SAAKASHVILI CALLS FOR EASING OF VISA RULES WITH ARMENIA
The FINANCIAL
01/10/2008 10:36
Georgia
The FINANCIAL — According to Civil Georgia,President Saakashvili
called for the simplification of visa rules between Georgia and
Armenia, saying it would improve relations between the two countries.
"The Georgian-Armenian border should be and it already is the border
of friendship," Saakashvili said at a joint press conference with his
Armenian counterpart, Serzh Sarkisyan, in Tbilisi on September 30. "We
have agreed to work more closely. I have instructed the ministers of
finance and economy to visit Yerevan in order to ensure that border
crossing procedures are as simple as possible."
He said that the two countries would work jointly to boost bi-lateral
economic ties, in particular through the construction of new roads
linking the two countries.
Saakashvili also said that he and Sarkisyan had agreed to set
up a consortium to attract funds for the construction of a new
transit highway through the Goderdzi Pass in the Adjaran Autonomous
Republic. He added that the road, the construction of which will take
several years, will half the traveling time from Armenia to the Black
Sea region.
He also thanked the Armenian president for expressing support for
Georgia’s territorial integrity.
"I think that recent developments in Georgia have clearly demonstrated
how important regional cooperation is, how everybody suffers from
problems and conflicts and how important it is to solve all the issues
quickly," Saakashvili said.
He also said both countries were close to finalizing work on border
delimitation and "practically there are no unsettled issues there."
"I am sure that the future of the Caucasus is in the creation of a
uniform market, the creation of uniform human, cultural and economic
spheres, close cooperation with other countries of the region. Of
course, before coming to that, we should settle the existing problems,
but I am sure that all these problems can be settled," Saakashvili
added.
The Armenian president said at the press conference that the two
countries have more room to improve bilateral cooperation. He stressed
that Georgia’s stability was very important for Armenia.
The Armenian president also emphasized that existing problems could
not be settled through military intervention. "We all understand that
the Caucasus is a small region, but it is a very sensitive area, as
interests are intercrossed here and we should do our best to ensure
that these interests are used in favor of our peoples," President
Sarkisyan said at the press conference.