The Government of the Republic of Armenia

PM of Georgia Bidzina Ivanishvili: I would like to say that our first official visit to Armenia and the meeting in the country with friendly and neighborly relations has been very cordial. I want to thank the Prime Minister, Mr. Tigran Sargsyan, for the warm reception. Our conversation took place in such an environment, as if we had known each other since childhood. I am an inexperienced political figure, but had no problems during the meeting. We have talked about issues of mutual interest and made interesting decisions. There are still several issues that need further discussion, but I am sure that we will be able to reach an agreement. On the way from the airport, Mr. Prime Minister said that we should build a common economic market, which was a very pleasant thing to hear. Our countries are small, and I believe that the idea of creating a common market will be very essential for the integration of both of our countries. We have a new government and we hope to improve and develop the relations with our neighboring countries, first of all in economic terms.

PM of Armenia Tigran Sargsyan: I want to join Prime Minister Ivanishvili in his warm words. This was our first meeting, but we had a really cordial conversation, and I want to thank my colleague for such attitude. We came to the conclusion that there are no issues in the Armenian-Georgian relations that cannot be solved through mutual discussions. We think that there is a great potential to expand and deepen the economic relations between the two countries. I am very grateful to my colleague for responding positively to all our requests. We will quickly form working groups and prepare for our next intergovernmental commission meeting; we have very interesting and far-reaching projects in all areas. We have already signed two cooperation agreements today, one in the culture sector and the other on making the work of the customs points more consistent. I am sure that there will be more agreements in the future, which would enhance our cooperation.

Question for the Prime Minister of Georgia Bidzina Ivanishvili: Mr. Prime Minister, on behalf of the journalists, I would like to welcome you and our Georgian colleagues to Armenia. My question is as follows: In you pre-election program you stressed the importance of the role of the Armenian community, and the fact that the Armenian community supported you and gave you the majority of the votes says that they trusted your pre-election program, because it had given a special role to the Armenian community, its cultural and social problems. Now after the elections, I want to clarify: what specific steps are going to be taken, particularly in Javakhk, and what expectations can the Armenian community have from you in general?

PM of Georgia Bidzina Ivanishvili: I would like to say that I have many Armenian friends, both in Georgia and beyond, including Russia. Before the elections I had visited almost all the areas inhabited by Armenians and received a very cordial welcome. During the elections we had very good feelings for each other, which is evident from the results of the elections. I had had several cordial meetings with the Armenia community and would like to thank them for their support. Now it is our time to act, and I will bring to reality everything I had promised during the pre-election period. I want to say that the government will do everything in order to make the Armenian community feel that they live in their own country. I will do everything for their integration into society and want to repeat, that I will implement everything mentioned in my pre-election program.

Question from Rustavi TV: My question is directed to the two Prime Ministers. How would you comment on the statement made by the Georgian Minister of Foreign Affairs on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict?

PM of Georgia Bidzina Ivanishvili: This problem has been exhausted, everything is clear, especially when your TV channel has already addressed the issue. This problem has been distorted and Rustavi TV displayed the highest activeness on the matter. Today, once again, the same channel raises the issue.

PM of Armenia Tigran Sargsyan: First of all I would like to thank my Georgian colleagues for being on a balanced position about the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. It is not a secret that very often any statements made about the conflict are being distorted. We are grateful to our Georgian colleagues for responding operatively in case of such distortions, so there are no comments that do not comply with the Georgian government’s position.

PM of Georgia Bidzina Ivanishvili: We have talked about this during the meeting with Ilham Aliyev in Azerbaijan. I have passed Aliyev’s position on this issue to Tigran Sargsyan. I do not want to talk about this issue in details, because it is really hard, and as it can be seen, it is not going to find its solution in the near future. My wish is that the issue is resolved peacefully.

Question: My question is directed to the two Prime Ministers. Do you consider the restoration of Armenia-Georgia-Abkhazia railway possible in the near future?

PM of Georgia Bidzina Ivanishvili: I think it is possible. There are all the possibilities for us to restore it. I think you understand that there are no problems between Armenia and Georgia, but you know we have big issues in the relations with Russia. We have great hopes and we are making efforts to restore our relations with Russia. The main issue is the territorial integrity of Georgia.
The restoration of the railway, however, is related to general issues, and can be solved earlier, if there is will. The Georgian side is ready to make moves, the next side is Russia. You also know that we do not have good relations with Abkhazians, so it comes down to the desire expressed by all the parties involved.

PM of Armenia Tigran Sargsyan: I would like to refer to your question. We have already discussed the issue on the agenda of Armenian-Georgian relations, and we stressed out that we would make efforts for the efficient work of the railway. We want this issue resolved as soon as possible and we will occupy a proactive stance in the settlement of the conflict.