Georgia’s Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili has cancelled a planned official visit to Armenia at the last minute, citing domestic political issues.
The Armenian government announced on Thursday that Kvirikashvili will arrive in Yerevan on Friday for talks with President Serzh Sarkisian and Prime Minister Karen Karapetian. It said later in the day, however, that the visit has been “postponed indefinitely at the request of the Georgian side.” “It will take place after the Georgian parliament approves the makeup of Kvirikashvili’s new cabinet, added a short government statement.
A spokeswoman for the Georgian government gave the same explanation on Friday. “The visit was scheduled for December 1 but the Georgian side indefinitely postponed it,” Sopho Mosidze told RFE/RL’s Armenian service (Azatutyun.am). “The visit will certainly take place after the Georgian parliament approves the new composition of the government.”
Mosidze could not give possible dates for the visit. She also declined to explain whether Kvirikashvili was not aware of the Georgian parliament’s work schedule and why he delayed his planned trip at such a short notice.
Asked whether there are any problems in Georgian-Armenian relations, the official said: “I am not in a position to speak on other subjects.”
Kvirikashvili most recently visited Armenia in November 2016 to inaugurate, together with President Serzh Sarkisian, a newly reconstructed Armenian checkpoint on the border with Georgia. The two leaders also discussed preparations for the planned construction of a new bridge at the main Armenian-Georgian border crossing.
Kvirikashvili also met with Karapetian in Tbilisi in February this year.
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