BAKU, Azerbaijan, January 17. Georgia and
Azerbaijan successfully play role of bridge between Europe and
Asia, said President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev
during a joint press conference with Georgian Prime Minister Irakli
Kobakhidze, Trend
reports.
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.