The relations with Georgia are something more than economic relations, said Ahmad Alili, Head of the Caucasus Policy Analysis Center, in an interview with the Georgian Public Broadcaster (GPB).

According to Ahmad Alili, the relations that Azerbaijan and Georgia built in the 1990s serve as the strategic backbone that allow the whole region to be integrated into the Euro-Atlantic community.

“I believe that without economic help to each other, both Azerbaijan and Georgia would weaken. This is why Azerbaijan helps Georgia with economy and energy projects and Georgia provides the platform to Azerbaijan to be linked with the outside world.

If Azerbaijan and Georgia stop to cooperate, this backbone is going to be broken and this means that sooner or later, the aspiration toward Euro-Atlantic space will go lower and lower. Baku understands it perfectly and that is why, right now, the main aim is to find the new ways to increase the cooperation between Tbilisi and Baku so that this backbone, these roots of cooperation be strengthened to take the whole region to the Euro-Atlantic community,” Ahmad Alili said.

As for the platform of cooperation proposed by the Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, the Head of Caucasus Policy Analysis Center said: “If there is any such platform this platform is going to recognize the territorial integrity of all participating countries. I don’t think that this platform can create a problem for Georgia but it can create a problem for Russia because it will have to recognize the territorial integrity of Georgia. Azerbaijan is sensitive on this issue. Azerbaijan always protected the territorial integrity principle of Georgia and Ukraine. Azerbaijan cannot jeopardize anyone’s territorial integrity by asking any country to join the platform,” Ahmad Alili said.