Armenia-Georgia joint Declaration on Strategic Partnership to further enhance bilateral ties – Interview with Ambassador

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 11, ARMENPRESS. The Armenian-Georgian joint declaration on strategic partnership has brought cooperation between the two countries to the next level and will not only enhance bilateral ties but also greatly contribute to regional cooperation and stability, Georgian Ambassador to Armenia George Sharvashidze told Armenpress. 

In an interview with Armenpress conducted on October 24, the Georgian Ambassador spoke about the Armenia-Georgia bilateral agenda, cooperation in various areas and the regional situation.

Mr. Ambassador, Armenia and Georgia have always had warm and friendly relations. In January 2024, Armenia and Georgia signed a joint declaration on strategic partnership. Mr. Ambassador, how would you assess the present level of political dialogue between the two countries and the signing of that declaration? In your opinion how important is it in terms of deepening relations between the two countries?

The centuries-old tradition of good neighborliness, friendship, and cooperation exists between Georgians and Armenians.  The extent of the cooperation between our countries is at its historical level in various dimensions -politics, economy, culture, energy, tourism, and other spheres. It is my pleasure to remind you that from 1st of July, 2023 Georgian and Armenian citizens have a privilege to cross the border without passports, only with biometric ID cards. 

In January 2024, Armenia and Georgia signed a joint declaration on strategic partnership, which brought cooperation between two countries to the next level. We strongly believe, this new dimension of our partnership will not only further enhance Georgia-Armenia ties, but will greatly contribute to regional cooperation and regional stability. 

As you know in March of this year according to the statement of "Bank of Georgia Group", an unprecedented direct investment was made from Georgia in the Republic of Armenia, within the framework of which the Bank of Georgia purchased the largest Armenian financial institution, "Ameria Bank" for 303.6 million US dollars. It is obvious to me that in near future the significant growth will be tangible between our nations. 

At the invitation of Georgian Defence Minister Irakli Chikovani, the delegation led by the Minister of Defence of the Republic of Armenia, Suren Papikyan, visited Georgia on September 1st on an official visit. How would you assess the relations between the two countries in the field of defence and what effect can these visits give to the military ties of two countries?

Georgian Defense Minister, Irakli Chikovani had a very successful visit to Armenia in July, 2024. During the visit, the bilateral cooperation plan for the year of 2024 was signed between the defense Ministries of Georgia and Armenia on July 13th. Also, Minister Papikyan visited Georgia on September 1st of this year. This very active dynamics of high-level visits between line ministries is a testament of extremely fruitful cooperation between our governments. Bilateral cooperation between defence ministries has been developed though years, enabling both countries to share experience in defence and security field. As you know Georgia has years of experience in the field of international missions in capacity of NATO partnership, as well as EU missions worldwide. It is worth noting that Georgia gained invaluable experience in the field of Military education and established widely renown sergeants exercise center together with military Academy and has all necessary tools to train future officers. Representatives of the Armed Forces of Armenia actively participate in educational programs and multinational exercises organized in Georgia. We also host representatives from Armenia at the Defence Institution Building School in Georgia, which is the first NATO-accredited institution in the region and is providing wide-ranging opportunities in professional development, information exchange and collaboration in the areas of security and defence policy and management, including the promotion of regional and international cooperation.

Regional situation. It has been a long time since Armenia and Azerbaijan have been negotiating on signing a peace treaty. Months ago, an agreement on the demarcation of the state border between the two states was reached and a certain part of the border was demarcated. How would you assess these negotiations and, in general, what is Tbilisi’s view on the ongoing negotiations between Yerevan and Baku․In your opinion what importance do they have for the South Caucasus?

Georgia is genuinely interested in supporting peace and stability in the region. We think peaceful coexistence, dialogue and constructive cooperation is in the interest of all. The Georgian side again expresses its readiness to facilitate and support this process as much as needed and requested by our neighbors. We hope that peace agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan will be signed in near future.

Mr. Ambassador, recently there have been a lot of talks about the demarcation of the Armenian-Georgian border, and the high representatives of both countries have expressed willingness to resume and complete the demarcation works on the state border of Armenia and Georgia. What can you say in this regard, how important is this for the relations between the two countries?

Delimitation/demarcation of the state border remains an important agenda item in the bilateral relations between Georgia and Armenia and as it was mentioned during the last visit of PM Pashinyan to Tbilisi, both countries will continue working toward resumption of this process in accordance with established practices between the Governmental Commissions of Georgia and Armenia for the Delimitation and Demarcation of the State Border.

Last year, the Government of the Republic of Armenia published the “Crossroads of Peace” project. What is Georgia’s opinion on this initiative?

Considering current global developments, South Caucasus is offering a completely new set of opportunities for the entire European continent. The strategic location of the region linking East with the West coupled with the energy resources are crucial for ensuring sustainable connectivity.  Existing, as well as new regional initiatives in energy and infrastructure, will significantly increase the capacity of our region.   

Georgia has made the connectivity a top priority, the Middle Corridor being the essential part of it. Middle Corridor apart from being an economic initiative, is an instrument to achieve greater regional integration and stability. With this in mind, we have launched a number of energy and infrastructural projects, which aim deeper integration of our region.

On October 22 Georgian PM announced the commencement of construction of strategically important Anaklia deep sea port to ensure increased logistical capability between Asia and Europe. Initial investment of the port is $600 million and it will have a capacity to handle 600,000 containers per year. The first phase of the construction will directly employ 500 individuals. The construction works have already begun and we aim to receive the first ship at the port in 2029. The port will aid in the economic development of the country, elevate the regional and international importance of Georgia, and bolster our security. From both economic and political perspectives, the implementation of this project is vital. The project is important for enhancing the infrastructural improvements and competitiveness of the Middle Corridor, a logistics route connecting Central Asia and China to Europe via the South Caucasus through Georgia.

In terms of supporting peace, Georgia is genuinely interested in facilitating regional cooperation among the South Caucasus countries. Georgia has been proposing a format of cooperation, which could contribute to normalization of regional relations through a dialogue, trust building and implementation of concrete projects of common interest - economy and trade, culture, education and innovations, and etc. 

In general, we consider regional initiatives, which aim at securing robust economic development, lasting peace and stability in the region. 

The economic relations and cooperation between Armenia and Georgia: What was the volume of trade between the two countries last year - in 2023?  What trends are seen in the bilateral export and import markets?

In the history of Georgian trade with Armenia, the export of 2023 was a record and amounted to the export of goods worth 787 million 129 thousand dollars, which is 34.7% more than the figure of 2022. The number of tourists between Georgia and Armenia is increasing every year. According to Georgian data, 962.5 thousand visitors from Armenia visited Georgia in 2023. According to the data of the National Tourism Administration of Georgia in the first half of 2024, the number of visitors from Armenia amounted to 387,691, after Turkey and Russia, Armenia ranks third in terms of visitors. As for Georgians who visited Armenia last year, with number 348, 980 Georgia ranks 2nd among other visitors in Armenia.

In your opinion, what are the areas that are of the greatest interest in terms of developing and deepening relations and cooperation between the two countries?

We welcome the close trade and economic ties between Georgia and Armenia and we attach great importance to their further development. Armenia has traditionally been in the top ten trading partners for Georgia over the past years. We think there is a capacity to increase the turnover of Georgia’s export to the Armenian market, as well as Armenian products to Georgian market. Other areas of focus are tourism, innovation, culture and education. On the other hand, we should continue to facilitate business forums, B2B’s and other economic high-level meetings to enhance our economies and to motivate investors to be more active. We are ready to work together with Armenian colleagues to achieve those promising goals.  

As you said Mr. Ambassador, recently, mutual visits of high-ranking officials between the two countries have become more active․ Latest high-ranking visit took place on September 16, when Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan visited Tbilisi. In this regard, how important do you think these visits are for the future of bilateral links between two nations and for strengthening of Armenian-Georgian relations?

The exchange of visits at all levels and especially at the highest level is extremely important. These bilateral discussions gradually lay a solid ground for practical cooperation and interaction, which eventually transform into tangible outcomes for our people and our countries. 

Mr. Sharvashidze, are there any planned high-level visits from Georgia to Armenia in the near future?

As you know, Georgia will have parliamentary elections on 26th of October 2024. Georgia has very strong will to keep the visit dynamics with Armenia at the same level and I am sure many more high-level visits will follow as soon as new government is formed in Georgia. 

Is there anything that you would like to add?

As you know Embassy of Georgia has a new address on 127 Tsarav Aghbyur (0052 Yerevan) in Avan district of Yerevan. In April, 2024 the Prime Ministers of Georgia and Armenia, Irakli Kobakhidze and Nikol Pashinyan, respectively, celebrated the opening of the new Georgian Embassy building in Armenia, marking a significant milestone in the diplomatic relations between the two countries. This is truly a historic acquisition, which represents the first time Georgia owns an embassy building in Armenia. The design of the building incorporates distinct ethnic and cultural motifs, reflecting Georgia's rich heritage. Embassy in its premises already hosted significant cultural, educational and ethnographic events. Embassy in short period of time became a place of interaction between Georgian and Armenian people. In the end, I would like to thank you for your interest and opportunity to give a comprehensive overview to exemplary bilateral relations of Georgia and Armenia. Will gladly host you at the new Embassy in the future. Again, I wish Armenia and Armenian people peace and prosperity.