Georgian, Armenian premiers discuss bilateral, regional issues

By Burc Eruygur

ISTANBUL (AA) – The prime ministers of Georgia and Armenia discussed bilateral and regional issues in a phone call on Sunday.

Irakli Garibashvili and Nikol Pashinyan “discussed various issues on the agenda of Georgia-Armenia cooperation,” according to statement issued by the Georgian government.

They also “exchanged views on close regional cooperation and ongoing issues,” the statement said.

Pashinyan also briefed Garibashvili on the Oct. 31 trilateral meeting in Sochi between the leaders of Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Russia, it added.

At the Sochi meeting hosted by Russian President Vladimir Putin, Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev reaffirmed their commitment to comprehensive normalization between Baku and Yerevan.

They also agreed to refrain from the use or threat of force, and to discuss and resolve issues “solely on the basis of mutual recognition of sovereignty, territorial integrity and inviolability of borders, in accordance with the UN Charter and the Alma-Ata Declaration of 1991,” according to a joint statement released after the trilateral meeting.

Aliyev and Pashinyan welcomed Russia’s readiness to help normalize relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia, with the goal of “ensuring stability and prosperity in the South Caucasus,” it added.

The Sochi meeting came after deadly clashes on the Azerbaijan-Armenia border near Karabakh in September claimed nearly 300 lives, the worst flare-up since the 2020 conflict that ended with a deal brokered by Moscow.

Relations between the two former Soviet republics have been tense since 1991, when the Armenian military occupied Karabakh (Nagorno-Karabakh), a territory internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan.