David Stepanyan, Yerevan. Exclusively to Vestnik Kavkaza
Armenia’s membership in the Customs Union and Georgia’s decision to sign the association agreement with the EU on the free trade zone will not prevent their bilateral cooperation. It was concluded as a result of the first official visit to Armenia in late February by the new President of Georgia Georgy Margvelashvili.
Members of the Georgian delegation met President of Armenia Serge Sargsuan, Premier Tigran Sarkisyan, the speaker of the parliament Ovik Abramyan, and Catholicos Garegin II. According to the talks it became clear that relations between two countries have a potential for development.
From this point of view, it should be noted that the Agreement on Free Trade Zone between Armenia and Georgia will continue its operation even after Armenia’s accession to the CU.
An exception will be Georgian goods only. Margvelashvili stated that despite differences in political vectors of Armenia and Georgia, Tbilisi and Yerevan have a common position on development of their relations. Sargsyan said that appearance of such a new configuration which combines participations in two opposite integration projects would lead to new opportunities for businessmen from both countries.
In recent time Armenian-Georgian relations develop rapidly. It means cooperation in the spheres of transport, energy, tourism, and agriculture. Sargsyan emphasized a role of regional infrastructural projects, considering them a guarantee of stability in the region. At the end of the Yerevan talks Margvelashvili invited Sargsyan to Tbilisi.
Despite absence of official information, relying on unofficial sources, it should be noted that discussion of unblocking a through Abkhaz part of the railroad, which hadn’t been used since 1991, was a special topic at the Yerevan talks. The part is strategically important for Yerevan, considering the upcoming membership in the CU, as it would enable Armenia to have direct contacts with the CU partners and the future Eurasian Union.
Georgy Gvimadze, an expert of the Georgian Center for Strategic Studies, recalled readiness of the Georgian government to discuss the issue: “I think Georgia is able to spend $30 million to restore the part of the railroad, which is under our control. Even though traffic through Abkhazia won’t bring benefits to Georgia, the project would be politically positive, considering normalization of relations with Abkhazia and Russia,” the expert concluded.
