Gharibashvili praised Pashinian’s “vision” for restoring peace and strengthening stability in the South Caucasus after last year’s war in Nagorno-Karabakh.
“The Karabakh war was a tough challenge for our region,” he told a joint news briefing. “But after familiarizing myself with Prime Minister Pashinian’s new vision I believe this challenge will turn into a new opportunity that will bring prosperity to Armenia and the Armenian people.”
“I also want to make clear that political and economic stability in Armenia is very important for us. It is directly connected with stability in our country and the region as a whole,” he said.
Pashinian similarly spoke of new “regional opportunities” that emerged after the Karabakh war stopped by a Russian-brokered ceasefire last November. He reaffirmed earlier in the day support for reopening transport links between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
An Armenian government statement on his meeting with Gharibashvili cited Pashinian as saying that Azerbaijan’s “unconstructive policies and anti-Armenian rhetoric” poses a threat to regional peace and stability. It said he also praised Georgia’s “balanced position” on the Karabakh conflict.
According to the statement, economic issues were also high on the agenda of the talks, with the two premiers pledging more efforts to expand Georgian-Armenian trade and explore joint “initiatives” relating to energy, transport and information technology. That includes a multilateral deal on a transport corridor that would connect Iran’s Persian Gulf ports to the Black Sea via Armenia and Georgia.
Gharibashvili told reporters that both sides are open to “new projects.” He did not go into details.
The Georgian leader visited Baku and Yerevan in May.