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Ilham Aliyev, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, and Irakli Kobakhidze, Prime Minister of Georgia, delivered press statements on January 17, Azernews reports.

President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev made the statement first.

Statement by President Ilham Aliyev

- Dear Mr. Prime Minister,

Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,

First of all, Mr. Prime Minister, I would like to sincerely welcome you to Azerbaijan once again. Welcome to Azerbaijan.

I am pleased that our meetings have become regular in nature. We met in Baku two months ago. I would like to thank you again for participating in the COP29 conference. Before that, you visited Azerbaijan 10 months ago. So, this is your third visit to Azerbaijan in the past 10 months, and this in itself shows how deep and meaningful Georgian-Azerbaijani relations are.

This visit is of particular importance because it is your first foreign visit after the parliamentary elections in Georgia. Taking this opportunity, I would like to sincerely congratulate you again on the victory of the Georgian Dream party you represent in the elections and wish you and your entire team continued success. Your first visit to Azerbaijan after the parliamentary elections, of course, testifies to the high level of Georgian-Azerbaijani relations. I would like to express my special gratitude to you for this decision.

Our peoples have lived in an atmosphere of friendship, good-neighborliness, and brotherhood for centuries. These traditions continue to thrive today. Today, Georgia-Azerbaijan relations are progressing successfully in all areas. I believe that our political relations can serve as an example for all our neighbors. There are positive outcomes in the economic sector. Azerbaijan has invested $3.6 billion in the Georgian economy. Of course, this demonstrates that the successful economic policy of your government, the attraction of investments, and the positive investment climate in Georgia encourage all investors. Azerbaijani investors, in particular, are investing in Georgia with great enthusiasm.

Of course, cooperation between the two countries in the energy sector is of particular importance both for our countries and for a larger, wider geography. The oil and gas projects we are implementing together today form the basis of the energy security of many countries. Suffice it to say, Azerbaijan currently exports its natural gas to 11 countries through Georgia, and exports are increasing year after year. Last year, the figure reached 25 billion cubic meters, and 10 percent of this - 10 percent of our total exports - falls on Georgia. According to the information I have, more than 80 percent of the natural gas consumed by Georgia is of Azerbaijani origin. In other words, this is truly a large and particularly important project, and the geography of our gas exports will gradually expand. Our new gas fields will come into operation this year. There are also newly discovered fields for next year and the years after that. Therefore, natural gas exports should and will gradually increase.

In parallel, we are also implementing green energy projects together with you. This once again demonstrates the responsibility of our governments. Because this energy also arouses great interest in the market, there is a great demand for it. According to the information I received today, the green energy project is also being successfully implemented. I believe that, like all other projects, this project has a great chance of getting successfully completed.

At the same time, today, during a private conversation, we discussed the connectivity and the Middle Corridor project. Our countries also act as close partners here. I am sure that coordinated activities of our relevant institutions will successfully complete this project. Of course, we need to be in contact with many neighbors here, and we have these contacts. This is a project that covers a large geography, and again, Georgia and Azerbaijan are successfully playing the role of a bridge between Europe and Asia here.

I know that a project to expand transport infrastructure is being implemented in Georgia. These projects are also underway in Azerbaijan, including the project to digitize transport infrastructure. So by carrying out this work in parallel, we are, of course, providing invaluable services to both our countries and peoples, as well as our neighbors.

In all other areas, we can only rejoice at our successes. Given the time constraints, we will discuss other issues in a broader format today. I can also say one thing: the victory of your party is of particular importance for the future stability of the South Caucasus, and we are happy about this victory as your friends and brothers. We wish your government continued successes in its activities. Welcome again.

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Then, Prime Minister of Georgia Irakli Kobakhidze made the statement.

Statement by Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze

- Thank you, Mr. President. I would like to express my gratitude to you for your very sincere hospitality. I would also like to thank you for your congratulations on the victory of our party. It is important for ensuring stability and security in our region and for the relations between our countries. This is of exceptional importance. You are a unique leader in the region and a role model for us. You are leading your country by protecting the interests of your state. It gives me great honor and satisfaction to be here today.

As you may know, the 10th meeting of the joint intergovernmental commission on economic cooperation was held today. The meeting was very productive, and I would like to thank my Azerbaijani colleagues for hosting the meeting at a high level. I can also say that we can take our cooperation further. We have historical traditions of friendship and brotherhood, and this brotherhood is based on this strategic partnership.

I am sure that this partnership will develop in the same spirit in the future. The important point is that we respect each other's strategic and national interests. We firmly support the territorial integrity and sovereignty of our countries. Mr. President, I would like to personally thank you and Azerbaijan for this support.

During our one-on-one meeting, we had an interesting discussion of our bilateral relations. We discussed the processes taking place in the region, as well as global events. Of course, all these processes have an impact on our countries, which also affects our political position. The important point is that we must work together on every challenge. Peace, stability, and security in the South Caucasus are of exceptional importance. I want to assure you again that we are ready to make maximum effort to ensure this stability.

At the same time, the economic aspect of our relations is also very important. You have already wisely mentioned the strategic partnership between our countries. These projects have strategic and economic significance. It is very important that such projects are sustainable and new areas are identified. As I have already mentioned, the Republic of Azerbaijan is not only a valuable friend to us but also a reliable partner and a brotherly country. The deepening of these ties is in our interests, and we attach great importance to these relations.

Mr. President, you have also mentioned connectivity projects. This is an important area, and this topic is also of great importance in terms of the development of our bilateral relations. Our countries can play a significant role in this geographical expansion. We are connecting Asia with Europe, and we must use this potential to the maximum extent possible. Therefore, these projects have become possible as a result of joint efforts. There are other projects we are currently working on, which will also expand this potential for the benefit of our countries. We are ready to make additional efforts to advance this partnership.

The economy and trade are also very important, and we are very pleased that Azerbaijan is among the top five trade partners of Georgia. Our partnership should be deepened further. We discussed this at the meeting of the intergovernmental commission. I would like to emphasize again that we have cooperation, historical relations and brotherhood built on a strong foundation. I would also like to declare to our peoples that we are determined to deepen our political partnership, and the Georgian side will spare no effort in this regard.

I would like to express my sincere gratitude to our Azerbaijani friends and colleagues, and personally to you, Mr. President, for the significant support and partnership. We are looking forward to Mr. Ilham Aliyev's visit to Georgia this year, and I do hope that we will be honored with it this year.

Thank you.