Nikol Pashinyan pays his third official visit to Georgia. The Prime Minister of Armenia already met with his Georgian counterpart. The Head of the Governments held the joint press-conference.

“The war in Karabakh has been a challenge for our region, but now that I am acquainted with Mister Prime Minister’s new vision, I am confident that this challenge will transform into a new opportunity, one poised to bring prosperity to Armenia and the Armenian people.

We attach enormous importance to Armenia’s political and economic stability, as it is tied directly to the stability of our country and the region in general. Consequently, I would encapsulate this common regional goal in three words: peace, stability, and prosperity, something that binds us, all three countries of the region, together.

As you know, Georgia has always been a staunch advocate of peaceful cooperation and coexistence in the South Caucasus. And we proved it in deed not long ago. A few months ago, we had an opportunity-namely through my mediation and direct involvement and commitment from Mister Prime Minister, and through the efforts of the President of Azerbaijan-and we, our three countries and their leaders, succeeded in achieving an agreement on releasing Armenian POWs for them to return to their homes, and providing Azerbaijan with important documentation, namely maps. This successful precedent bolsters our optimism concerning our ability to do more. Thus, I reassured the Prime Minister of Georgia’s full commitment to continuing active mediation toward confidence-building, something very important to us as the cornerstone of our further cooperation. We are open to new ideas for cooperation, new projects. Of course, we discussed these issues related to economy, trade, transport, and connectivity, including large-scale projects suggested by Mister Prime Minister, also tourism, energy, culture, education-these are the issues we just discussed and have a perfect agreement on. Our country has very exciting transit potential, something we also discussed, so that our countries" potential may be used to the fullest.

Given the numerous conflicts raging in the course of the past three decades in the region, with some of them still unresolved, our common vision and effort must be dedicated to the region"s gradual transformation into a place of new opportunities, development, and peace. This must be our main vision, and we will continue working in this direction. Once again, I thank Mister Prime Minister for his visit. It is an honor and joy to be hosting you”, - said the Prime Minister of Georgia.

“The biggest portion of our discussions, talks today was dedicated to our region’s peaceful development, the agenda of openness among nations, something my political force and I discussed at length with our citizens during the recent snap elections. We emphasize that, unfortunately, there are numerous conflicts and threats in our region. We are trying to engage in dialogue and help each other, focusing on available opportunities. I believe that mutual support in tapping into opportunities is the formula that will make risk management more feasible and accessible for us.

Once again, I would like to thank Mister Garibashvili for his support in the return of 15 Armenian POWs in June. It is a joke of course, but I have had more contact with the Prime Minister of Georgia in the past two days than I did with my own voters in the run-up to the elections. It has been crucial to advance our personal relations to a new level, and the atmosphere of these days is a very good foundation for bettering the productivity of relations between our countries and Governments.

We have agreed to step up the work of the Intergovernmental Commission shortly after the formation of Armenia"s new Government. I have said it before, and I emphasize that, when it comes to our relations, it is crucial for our countries to speak up and declare commitment to democratic values. I have introduced Mister Garibashvili to the regional topics and solutions found in our Government Program, also our declared views. These are new opportunities that must be used. We are discussing what we can do to enhance each other"s potential in the region, meaning transit routes, energy and transport projects in the making; we are considering various projects, and we will choose the most productive solutions. In addition, our specialists have cooperated and continue cooperating throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. And here too, we have expressed our commitment to joining forces in the fight against this evil and to enhancing each other"s capacities. The existence of the large Armenian diaspora in Georgia is vital for our relations, and we believe that Georgian Armenians, as full citizens of Georgia, will continue supporting Georgia"s unity and playing an important role in Georgia"s development. I am grateful to the Government of Georgia for the opportunities put in place for preserving the uniqueness of Armenians in Georgia. This topic unites us to make our relations more effective and strategic. The agenda of our cooperation is very broad. Importantly, we confirm that we must focus on ensuring that our high-level political dialogue reflects in various economic fields”, - added Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan..