The 11th Meeting of the Georgia-Azerbaijan Intergovernmental Commission on Economic Cooperation was held under the co-chairmanship of the Prime Ministers of Georgia and Azerbaijan.

During the meeting, government officials from both countries reviewed the progress achieved in trade and economic cooperation over recent years and discussed plans for the future.

Particular attention was paid to the importance of increasing the capacity, efficiency and competitiveness of the Middle Corridor, major infrastructure projects underway in Georgia, the successful partnership in the energy sector and opportunities for implementing new joint initiatives.

The Prime Minister of Georgia highlighted the centuries-old friendship and good-neighborly relations between Georgia and Azerbaijan.

“For centuries, our peoples have lived side by side, respecting each other’s traditions and national interests. It is precisely this mutual respect that has been and continues to be, the solid foundation of our partnership. Our strategic partnership is underpinned by regular political dialogue at the highest level. In this context, I would like to highlight the recent visit to Georgia by Ilham Aliyev, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan which once again reaffirmed our mutual interest in further developing and deepening bilateral relations.

Today, against the backdrop of ongoing geopolitical developments in the region, strengthening peace and stability among the countries of the South Caucasus is of particular importance.

Georgia has always been a strong advocate of peaceful coexistence and dialogue in the region. Accordingly, we welcome the peace process initiated between our neighboring countries and express our hope that it will pave the way for lasting peace and economic development in the region.

Economic cooperation is one of the key pillars of the strategic partnership between Georgia and Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan is among Georgia's largest trading partners, while the steady growth in bilateral trade turnover reflects the continuous deepening of our economic ties. Our objective is to build on the progress achieved, including by better utilizing the export potential of Georgian products, further diversifying trade relations and providing additional incentives for investment.

Alongside strengthening trade and economic ties, we attach particular importance to the development of the Middle Corridor, which connects Asia with Europe via the Caspian and Black Seas. Our shared objective is to further increase the capacity, efficiency and competitiveness of this route.

To achieve this goal, Georgia is implementing large-scale infrastructure projects. Construction of the East-West Highway is underway, the modernization of Georgian Railway has been completed and efforts continue to further expand our railway capacity. The Baku-Tbilisi-Kars (BTK) railway has become an integral part of the regional transport network and we are pleased to have successfully completed the implementation of this project. The Anaklia Deep Sea Port and the new Tbilisi International Airport projects will further enhance Georgia’s transit and logistics potential in the future, which is also important for the development of bilateral relations.

Energy is yet another important dimension of the strategic partnership between Georgia and Azerbaijan. Jointly implemented projects, including the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) oil pipeline, the Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum gas pipeline, the Baku-Supsa oil pipeline and the Southern Gas Corridor, have for many years facilitated the reliable transit of energy resources while contributing to regional and European energy security.

Together with Azerbaijan, Romania and Hungary, Georgia is participating in the development of the Green Energy Corridor, an initiative aimed at facilitating the transmission of renewable energy and strengthening the integration of the South Caucasus with the European energy market. The agenda of our bilateral relations also encompasses defense, culture, education, agriculture, healthcare, and tourism and customs cooperation. We stand ready to strengthen existing ties and facilitate the implementation of new joint initiatives.

I am confident that the Commission’s work will contribute to the implementation of concrete initiatives and create new opportunities for our countries”, - stated Irakli Kobakhidze.

Ali Asadov, Prime Minister of the Republic of Azerbaijan thanked his Georgian counterpart for the warm welcome and high-level hospitality extended to the Azerbaijani delegation and highlighted the productive cooperation between the two countries across various sectors.

“Developing relations with Georgia is one of the priorities of Azerbaijan’s foreign policy. The Azerbaijani and Georgian peoples have lived side by side in friendship and brotherhood for centuries.

Over the past years, our strategic partnership has entered a qualitatively new phase. The momentum of high-level political dialogue plays a particularly important role in deepening our cooperation. In this regard, the visit of Ilham Aliyev, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan to Georgia in April, as well as your visit to the Republic of Azerbaijan in May, are especially noteworthy. These visits and the agreements concluded once again reaffirm the strategic nature of our relations and contribute to strengthening cooperation across various sectors.

Within the framework of international organizations, we have consistently supported one another, particularly on matters concerning territorial integrity and sovereignty.

Our trade and economic relations continue to develop with very positive momentum and are expanding steadily.

Georgia is one of Azerbaijan’s key trading partners. During the first nine months of this year, bilateral trade volumes increased by over 40%, reaching 1 billion USD compared with the corresponding period of the previous year. Our cooperation in the field of investment is also demonstrating very positive momentum. Azerbaijan has invested approximately 4 billion USD in Georgia. The large-scale projects we have implemented jointly, including the Southern Gas Corridor, play a particularly important role in ensuring energy security in the region and Europe.

Cooperation in the electricity sector is developing successfully. We are working on the Green Energy Corridor project to Europe, which is of great importance for European energy security.

Transport and transit constitute one of the most important areas of our cooperation. Our countries are working together to develop the Middle Corridor. One of the key achievements in this regard is the commissioning of the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars (BTK) railway and the increase in its capacity to 5 million tonnes. This is the result of our successful joint efforts.

Cultural and humanitarian cooperation, as always, remains one of our priority areas.

I hope that construction of the new building of the Heydar Aliyev Tbilisi State Professional Azerbaijani Drama Theatre will begin in the near future.

The Azerbaijani and Georgian communities residing in our respective countries play a particularly important role in strengthening bilateral relations.

Providing education in their native languages and the achievements of the relevant schools contribute to deepening the ties between our peoples.

Dear Prime Minister, expanding cooperation between Georgia and Azerbaijan is in the interests of both countries and I am confident that the decisions made today will contribute to further strengthening our strategic partnership”, - said Ali Asadov.

Following the conclusion of the Intergovernmental Commission meeting, the Prime Ministers of the two countries signed the Protocol of the 11th Meeting of the Joint Intergovernmental Commission on Economic Cooperation between Georgia and the Republic of Azerbaijan.

The relevant authorities of the two countries also signed an agreement on the practical operation of the joint Georgia-Azerbaijan international road border crossing point, Silk Road-Ipek Yolu, as well as memoranda of understanding on cooperation in the fields of veterinary services and plant protection.