This is a positive development: Irakli Menagarishvili

Vigen Sargsyan, RA Defense Minister, was on a two-day official visit to Georgia on December 21. According to Armenian Defense Ministry after the official welcoming ceremony in Tbilisi tete-a-tete was launched between the Defense Ministers of Armenia and Georgia Vigen Sargsyan and Levan Izoria, which was followed by the meeting of Defense Ministry delegations of the two countries.

During the meeting Armenia-Georgia military cooperation and forthcoming programs have been touched upon. The sides also reflected to regional security issues. Negotiations ended by signing of the agreement on bilateral cooperation for 2017. It’s noteworthy, that Armenian Defense Minister gave an interview to Russian “Lenta” prior to the visit, where he covered Armenia-Russia military-political relations, Armenia-Russia joint military troops, Caucasian air-defense system, as well as Armenia-NATO cooperation, stressing that Armenia-NATO cooperation isn’t an obstacle to Armenia-Russia relations.

Sargsyan stated that NK conflict peaceful settlement is the platform, where interests of CSTO and NATO, Russia, the USA and the EU coincide. And already in Georgia during an interview to Georgian “Liberty” Sargsyan stated that in the period of the April war there were socializations between foreign ministries of Armenia and Georgia.

“Georgian partners were rather bothered, they proposed their efforts to find ways for the dialogue and suspend military operations,” Sargsyan said. “We are deeply convinced, that all the documents, covering ceasefire establishment signed between Azerbaijan, Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia, upon Baku’s request in 1994-95, are termless documents, which have legal force until peaceful settlement of the conflict,” Vigen Sargsyan said.

Irakli Menagarishvili, former Georgian FM, diplomat, told “168 Hours” that it was important for the newly appointed Defense Minister to visit Georgia. “As I understood this was the second official visit of Vigen Sargsyan after Russia, where the agreement on Armenia-Russia joint troops was signed. This issue has been repeatedly discussed by the Georgian expert community. Even there were discussions that it may be used against Georgia.

Naturally, this was an original gesture to Georgia, which will be worthily estimated by the Georgian authorities. Seemingly, it should have been so, the neighboring countries should first take steps, however, on account of the ongoing situation in the region, it may be supposed that Armenian Defense Minister could avoid visiting Georgia and pay one of its first visits to it. This is a positive development, which shows that despite Russia’s will, Armenia-Georgia relations are developing in an ordinary direction,” Menagarishvili said.

He believes that the visit agenda included not only cooperation program. He assures that the Armenian side, in all likelihood, introduced some clarifications on developing joint military troops with Russia. “When neighboring countries develop in different directions, which currently have even hostile positions, they should attempt not to give way to that hostility, clarifying issues, which bother the opposite side.

I consider, one of such issues was Armenia-Russia joint troops, as it’s being much touched upon that in Armenia it’ll function against Georgia and etc. Thus, it won’t be additional, if the Armenian side assured that those talks are senseless. I’m sure, it was so,” Georgian diplomat said. He considers that after the April war the existent situation in NK conflict zone, position of the Armenian side, negotiations have also been touched upon in Georgia.

“Georgia is one of the most interested sides in this issue , as regional instability means instability to Georgia. It made a proposal of becoming a platform for negotiations, of course, its implementation wasn’t realistic on account of OSCE MG functions, however, Georgia would implement such unbiased functions in case of desire by the two sides,” Irakli Menagarishvili said.

According to the diplomat, Georgia as well, on account of military cooperation with Azerbaijan and Turkey, repeatedly introduces clarifications to the Armenian side on that cooperation. “Most probably, this time again it was touched upon. I consider, the agenda of Armenian and Georgia Defense Ministers is the same with the change of some shades. Obviously, the sides do the sufficient, so that Armenia-Georgia relations didn’t suffer, however, those efforts may be even more,” Mengarishvili said.

By Araks Martirosyan