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.