The visit of the Milli Majlis delegation to Georgia ended on Wednesday. The deputies representing the Friendship Group with Georgia met with their Georgian counterparts, including members of the Friendship Group with Azerbaijan, as well as with the Chairman of the Parliament, Irakli Kobakhidze. In addition, the members of the Azerbaijani parliament also met with Deputy Foreign Minister of Georgia David Dondua and discussed with him the issues of cooperation between the two countries that go beyond the inter-parliamentary cooperation. According to the press service of the Parliament and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia, the issues of trade, cooperation in the field of economy and implementation of the energy projects were discussed during the meetings.
The head of the Parliamentary Committee on Foreign Affairs, Sophio Katsarava, called the priority "the preservation of stability and the strengthening of regional security," hinting at the desire of both countries to resolve peacefully the existing conflicts in the separatist regions. Katsarava made a landmark statement about a desire to develop the inter-parliamentary cooperation between Georgia, Azerbaijan and Turkey. It is a question of creating a trilateral format for the interaction of the three neighboring countries, not only through the executive branch, including the highest level but also with the participation of the legislative bodies of the states. Perhaps in the near future, a meeting of speakers will take place, and then an expanded conference with the participation of the deputies. The head of the Friendship Group with Azerbaijan, Vice Speaker of the Parliament Zviad Dzidziguri said: "There is a firm determination to involve legislators to the development of relations for the successful solution of the common issues.”
It is noteworthy that the deputies of the Georgian parliament representing the Azerbaijani community of the country, Savalan Mirzoyev, Ruslan Gakhiev and Mahir Darziyev actively participated in all meetings.
From Tbilisi, the Azerbaijani guests went to Batumi. A lot of Azerbaijanis live in Adjara and thousands of tourists from Azerbaijan visit the region annually. The Azerbaijani consulate under the leadership of Farviz Ismayilzade is working in Batumi. The head of the autonomy, Zurab Pataradze, during the conversation with the deputies of the Milli Majlis, reminded that in Ajaria, there is a tradition to mark the anniversary of the proclamation of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic, and this year Georgia and Azerbaijan celebrate the centuries of the ‘first republics’ founded in 1918. ‘Our countries gained independence almost simultaneously and together fought for its preservation,’ Zurab Pataradze said.
