Baku, Azerbaijan, July 4
By Emin Aliyev - Trend:
A bilateral commission on border cooperation between Azerbaijan and Georgia will be created by the end of year, Georgian Deputy Minister of Regional Development and Infrastructure Tengiz Shergelashvili told Trend.
"The commission will deal with the issues of cooperation development between border regions of the two countries. Now the process of its formation is underway. We have already created such a commission with Armenia, and I think by the end of the year the same structure will be formed with Azerbaijan. From the Georgian side its composition will comprise of the representatives of our ministries, the Ministry of European Integration, Ministry for Reconciliation and Civic Equality, as well as representatives of NGOs and other structures," he said.
Furthermore, the commission will also work with organizations that have applied to participate in the territorial cooperation program of the "Eastern Partnership" countries, Shergelashvili noted.
"There is sufficient potential for cooperation in many areas, including in such areas as tourism, education, and of course, agriculture," the deputy minister said.
The implementation of the Territorial Cooperation program of "Eastern Partnership" countries between Azerbaijan and Georgia will last until the end of 2016.
Within the framework, the partnership projects in the border regions will receive grants ranging from 20,000 to 250,000 euros. Sheki-Zagatala and Ganja-Gazakh economic regions are participating in the program from the Azerbaijani side and Kvemo Kartli and Kakheti - from the Georgian side.
Total budget of the program is 1.35 million euros.
Azerbaijan remains the second largest trading partner of Georgia. The trade turnover between the two countries amounted to about $489 million in January-May, according to the National Statistical Service of Georgia.
Recall that Tbilisi hosts conference on the opening of territorial cooperation programs of the "Eastern Partnership" countries.
Edited by S.I.