Monday, 15 October 2007
With reference to the current status and the development prospects for the legal framework applicable between the two countries, it was noted that an agreement had been signed between the governments of Armenia and Georgia on mutual administrative help in customs management affairs. A protocol was signed between the RA State Customs Committee by the Government and Georgia
's Finance Ministry on the procedure to follow while rendering of mutual assistance in the matter of customs statistics sharing. It was reported that efforts were underway towards the preparation of the agreement on air communications between Armenia and Georgia. In this context, the RA Ministry for Foreign Affairs, the General Department for Civil Aviation by RA Government and the Georgian Ministry for Economic Development were instructed to speed up the preparative work on these documents. Concerning the amendments to the protocol of the free trade arrangement signed between the two governments on August 14, 1995, the two foreign ministries, as well as the Armenian Ministry for Trade and Economic Development and the Georgian Ministry of Economic Development were told to accelerate finalization work and prepare the documents for signing before the end of 2007. The commission highlighted the need of harmonizing approaches on either side concerning the reciprocal acknowledgement and protection of certified notes about the country of origin of products in line with the standards and principles prescribed by the WTO. To this end, the two foreign ministries, as well as the Armenian Ministry for Trade and Economic Development and the Georgian Ministry of Economic Development were told to proceed to the preparation of a corresponding arrangement. The Georgian side was told to forward to the Armenian side the draft of the agreement by December 31, 2007.Based on the need of finding more complex solutions to the problems available in the energy sector, as well as proceeding from the expediency of ensuring parallel operations of energy systems in Armenia and Georgia, account taken of the fact that the energy systems of Georgia and Russia, as well as those of Armenia and Iran should function in parallel, too, the Armenian side was told to finalize and forward to the Georgian side the drafts of relevant agreements.
The two sides have also agreed over the expediency of concluding a new government-to-government arrangement on cooperation and interaction in tax law enforcement matters, supposed to substitute the documents still applicable and signed in 1997. The RA State Tax Service by the Government and the Georgian RA Ministry of Finance were told to prepare and harmonize the draft agreement to that effect.
The session took note that the Armenian side shall forward to the Georgian side the drafts of the agreements prepared by the RA Ministry of Agriculture concerning veterinary and plant quarantine cooperation between the governments of Armenia and Georgia. The two foreign ministries, the ministries of agriculture and other stakeholders were told to activate work on the finalization of said documents.
Emphasizing the need of developing a regulatory and legal base on bilateral youth policies, the commission thought it expedient to sign an agreement on youth policy-related cooperation between the RA Ministry of Culture and Youth Affairs and the Georgian Ministry for Culture, Protection of Historical Monuments and Sports and instructed the two stakeholders to speed up work on finalization thereof.
The commission informed that as a result of the efforts made by State commissions on either side for the delineation of State borders between Armenia and Georgia, about 150 km-long borderline had already been agreed upon, with work on the balance of 5 border sections to a total length of 75 km being in process of harmonization. The commission has decided to recommend the aforementioned State commissions to continued efforts in this direction.
The session has also decided to charge the Georgian Ministries for Foreign Affairs and Defense to examine and submit relevant proposals after reception of the draft agreement on interstate military transportations between the two countries for the needs of the armed forces of Armenia and Georgia as developed by the Armenian side.
Following discussion of bilateral trade and economic cooperation-related issues, the commission stated that the bilateral foreign trade turnover had been growing and the indicators for January - August, 2007 were as high as for the whole year of 2006.
The successful cooperation between the two chambers of commerce and industry has been mentioned, too. In particular, in 2006 an exhibition with participation of the Georgian CCI and the Business Center for Assistance to Businesswomen by Armenia
's CCI has been organized in Tbilisi. The Armenian side informed the Georgian side on the successful testing of Zenith anti-hail system and expressed readiness to provide full information on this system.The commission took note that the Armenian Development Agency had accomplished certain work to advertise Armenian and Georgian products for their promotion on the markets of the two countries.
The commission also noticed that with the purpose of realization of the provisions of the agreement signed on June 4, 1996 between the Ministries of Agriculture of Armenia and Georgia, the Armenian side had developed a program of joint action which was handed over to the Georgian side during the session. It was entrusted to the two ministries of agriculture to coordinate and approve the proposed program of action.
The Armenian ministries of trade and economic development, finance and economy, transport and communications, the State customs committee and the State tax service by RA Government and the Georgian ministries of economic development, finance, as well as other interested ministries and departments on either side were told to make active work towards the further development of trade and economic cooperation in order to increase the volume of commodity circulation and attract additional investments.
The session also stated that bilateral cooperation was developing successfully in the sphere of tourism, too. In particular, in April 2007, the Armenian side participated in the annually held CTF-2007 all-Caucasian tourist fair, hosted by Georgia, and from September 24 to September 27, 2007 participated in
