Foreign

Home page

Foreign

Mikheil Saakashvili: â€œAzerbaijani-Georgian relations developed even more thanks to Ilham Aliyevâ€™s effortsâ€

19 July 2010 07:55 (UTC +04:00)

Baku â€“ APA. â€œGeorgia will never forget that when its energy infrastructure was exploded and the Georgian people faced a difficult situation, Azerbaijan helped us to meet our energy needs. I believe that the Georgian people will never forget Azerbaijanâ€™s assistance. We will never forget itâ€, said President of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili in a joint press conference with the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev in Batumi, APA reports quoting AzerTAC New Agency. The Georgian leader thanked Azerbaijan for meeting Georgiaâ€™s energy needs when the country faced a difficult situation during wintertime. â€œThen, Azerbaijan made a very important decision and helped Georgia out during its hardship. It is a result of not only strategic partnership but also a symbol of fraternity,â€ the President said. â€œWe have very extensive relations and we believe that we will further help each otherâ€.

President Saakashvili assured the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway would be put into operation and found the need for the Azerbaijan State Railway department to join this work. He said Azerbaijan meets 70% of Georgia`s demand in natural gas. The Head of State noted old Soviet highways will be repaired to facilitate cargo transportation. â€œOur relations have reached the highest level over recent years and we must continue it. Of course, groundwork of these relations was laid by Heydar Aliyev... These relations strengthened due to Heydar Aliyevâ€™s strategic views, and developed even more thanks to Ilham Aliyevâ€™s effortsâ€.
The Georgian President expressed confidence that bilateral ties would develop even more and serve stability in the region.