Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze has met with the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev. The meeting focused on the strategic partnership between Georgia and the Republic of Azerbaijan, and on the prospects for further deepening cooperation across a range of fields.

According to the Georgian Government, emphasis was placed on the positive dynamics in the development of trade and economic ties between the two countries, and on the role of the Intergovernmental Commission on Economic Cooperation in this context. The Georgian side confirmed its readiness to host the Commission’s next session in the near future.

The leaders of the two countries discussed global and regional geopolitical challenges, and once again underscored the importance of peace for the sustainable and stable development.

The meeting also touched upon projects of regional significance that Georgia and Azerbaijan are implementing jointly, and their role in strengthening connectivity.

Following the meeting, a package of agreements in the energy and transport sectors was signed between the two countries, encompassing: a twenty-year intergovernmental agreement on the principal terms governing the supply and transit of electricity between Georgia and Azerbaijan; and an extension by twenty years of the gas purchase and sale contract concluded in 2003, which provides guarantees for the security of social gas supply.

Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development Mariam Kvrivishvili on the Georgian side and Minister of Economy Mikayil Jabbarov and Minister of Energy Parviz Shahbazov on the Azerbaijani side signed the documents.

A protocol of the bilateral Coordinating Council was also signed, pursuant to which the new section of the Baku–Tbilisi–Kars railway will be brought into full operation. The document was signed by Georgian Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development Mariam Kvrivishvili and Azerbaijani Minister of Digital Development and Transport Rashad Nabiyev. Under the agreement reached between the parties, daily passenger rail services between Tbilisi and Baku will resume from May 26, following a six-year suspension.

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze and Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev attended the signing ceremony.