“We intend to continue mutually beneficial cooperation with our nearest neighbors – Iran and Georgia. Development of good-neighborly relations with them is of great importance for Armenia’s foreign policy,” RA President Serzh Sargsyan said at the Armenian diplomatic corps annual meeting, September 1.
Sargsyan pointed out that Iran-Armenia gas pipeline was put into operation, and agreement on new infrastructural projects with Iranian authorities was reached. He emphasized that political dialogue at top level with Georgia continues. In particular, Gyumri-Akhalkalaki-Bavra-Batumi highway construction project (on Armenia’s shipping to and from Black Sea) is successfully underway, that once completed will enable relief of traffic load from Armenia to Black Sea both ways.
RA President touched upon the problems of Armenian community in Georgia and stressed Armenian leadership should take every possible step to support them. “Our policy logic concerning Javakhk should proceed from the premise of ‘integration without assimilation’. Integration in this case implies that Armenian population will have perspectives of becoming successful and respectable citizens of Georgia. I reckon that imparting Armenian language a regional status, provision of Armenian Apostolic church with status and steps toward the protection of Armenian monuments will assist the reinforcement of Armenian-Georgian friendship as well as deepening of mutual confidence atmosphere,” Sargsyan concluded.
