Following the high-level talks held between the governments of the two countries, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Georgian Premier Mamuka Bakhtadze met with mass media representatives and made statements on the outcome of their talks.

Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan:

“Dear Mr. Prime Minister,
Dear mass media representatives,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

I am glad for our today’s meeting. Today, we had a very important conversation, and during the talks we formulated very ambitious tasks for the further development of our relations. Of course, the relations between Armenia and Georgia are excellent, very good, and our task as a whole is to harmonize the economic component with the content of our relations and the emotional level that exists between our two peoples. We will henceforth hold mutual visits on a regular basis.

We discussed many issues concerning our relations - transport, economy and political cooperation. I think that the most important fact is that as a result of this visit we will give new impetus to our political, humanitarian and economic relations.

The Prime Minister of Georgia has proposed a very ambitious program, and we fully support this program. A concrete task is formulated, namely to increase the bilateral trade turnover up to 1 billion dollars in the near future, over the next few years. This is a specific target around which we can structure our programs, develop a clear-cut roadmap, and take clear steps to that effect.

We agreed that the next meeting of the Armenian-Georgian intergovernmental commission will be held in the near future. The aforementioned task will be set before the two governments and the Commission, which will have to draw up a clear-cut roadmap for the development of our trade and economic exchanges, our political relations , as well as humanitarian, cultural and educational ties.

In any case, we can say that each visit winds up the relations between our countries; the atmosphere becomes more friendly and warmer, with strong ties of friendship being established between individual members of our governments, which are as much important as the interstate relations. This trend should be maintained so that we could confidently move ahead.”

Prime Minister of Georgia Mamuka Bakhtadze:

“Mr. Prime Minister,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is a great honor for me to pay my first official visit to a friendly country as the Prime Minister of Georgia. First of all, I wish to thank you for the warm welcome. Our countries are known for their hospitality, and this day is a vivid proof of this. This year, both Georgia and Armenia are celebrating the 100th anniversary of proclamation of independence. 100 years ago, despite numerous difficulties and challenges, the Georgians and the Armenians demonstrated a strong will and expressed their position with regard to democratic development.

Armenia will be marking the Independence Day on September 21, and I convey my congratulations on this occasion. Through joint efforts, we managed to develop mutually beneficial relations between our countries after the restoration of independence.

It is emblematic that your country has the opportunity to summarize the work done by the new government. I believe that our relations will go deepening in different directions, since our frequent contacts provide a prerequisite for this.

At today’s meeting, my counterpart and I explored the key vectors of bilateral cooperation and stressed our desire to intensify the ongoing political dialogue. We discussed issues related to transport, energy, tourism, culture, education and innovations, and we were convinced that we have untapped potential in many areas.

We will hold a meeting of the intergovernmental commission in late autumn to review projects and important ideas on how to further expand our trade and economic exchanges. At the same time, we talked about the process of Georgia’s Euro-Atlantic integration, and the tangible progress recorded on this direction. At the same time, we welcome the intensification of relations between Armenia and the European Union. We agreed to uphold the dynamics of high-level and expanded panel meetings.

In conclusion, I would like to thank my counterpart once again and express readiness for continued effective cooperation.”