Georgian President Mikhael Saakashvili promises not to forget the assistance rendered the friendly people of Azerbaijan and their leader Ilham Aliyev, Trendspecial correspondent in Tbilisi reports.
In his interview with Rustavi-2 television channel Saakashvili said that during the winter crisis when Russia ceased gas delivery to Georgia our brother Ilham Aliyev enabled to resolve our problems in the temperature -13-15 degrees. Such merits are never forgotten, even if to acknowledge that Azerbaijan could suffer from such resolution.
Taking into consideration such crisis situations the government set up active work in the direction of search of alternative energy sources. Without alternative natural gas sources, Georgia does not have perspectives, he stated.
The President also noted that from 1 October 2006 the independent Georgia will for the first time have an interrupted Azerbaijani gas source. According to Saakashvili, the relevant agreement was reached in a meeting with the Presidents of Azerbaijan and Turkey a week ago under the official opening ceremony of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan main export oil pipeline.
We told our brothers from Azerbaijan and Turkey that in current conditions Georgia cannot agree upon old contract on the gas transportation from the Shah-Deniz, Saakashvili stated. We considered all items which could be changed, as Georgia received nothing from the gas transportation.