Georgia’s President Visits Turkmenistan
By Tea Mariamidze
Monday, November 28
President of Georgia Giorgi Margvelashvili arrived in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, on November 25 in order to take part in the Global Sustainable Transport Conference and hold official meetings with his Turkmen and Afghan counterparts, as well as the United Nations (UN) Secretary General.
The conference was held with the support of the UN and was attended by more than 80 international delegations, the leaders of multiple countries, and the heads of international organizations, including UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and OSCE Secretary General Lamberto Zannier.
“This was a very good opportunity for us to underline Georgia’s role as the important country linking Europe and Asia,” President Margvelashvili stated after the conference.
The head of Georgia’s Presidential Administration, Giorgi Abashishvili, stated that a number of interesting transport projects are planned in which Georgia is directly involved, such as the Lapis Lazuli Corridor, the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars Railway, and the new Silk Road.
“The development of Georgian transport infrastructure to provide such connection of Europe with Asia should always be underscored,” he added.
After the conference, Georgia’s President held a meeting with his Turkmen counterpart, Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov.
The Presidential Administration reports that Berdimuhamedow confirmed that Turkmenistan plans to increase the volume of transit through Georgia.
Margvelashvili stressed that Georgia would welcome joint business forums and Turkmen entrepreneurs and investors’ visit to Georgia. He believed such an event would increase the trade and economic relations between the two states.
Moreover, the presidents discussed large-scale projects, including the Silk Road. Margvelashvili noted that the Silk Road creates wider perspectives of transport cooperation between Georgia and Turkmenistan.
He also thanked Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov for supporting Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
The President of Georgia also met his Afghan counterpart, Ashraf Ghani. The sides discussed the prospects of deepening political, economic and cultural ties.
The importance of Lapis Lazuli project was also underlined, which envisages the development of transport, transit and trade cooperation from Afghanistan to the West via Turkmenistan, Baku, Tbilisi, the ports of Poti and Batumi of Georgia, as well as Kars and Istanbul.
The Afghan President expressed a desire to share the experience of the reforms implemented in Georgia and put emphasis on the training opportunities of Afghan public officials in relevant departments of Georgia. He also invited President Margvelashvili to Afghanistan.
Giorgi Margvelashvili underlined that Georgia strongly condemns any form of expression of terrorism and violence that claim the lives of innocent people. He also noted Georgia’s contribution to Afghan peacekeeping missions of North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) that ensure security and peace in Afghanistan.
Furthermore, the President of Georgia held a meeting with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.
Georgia’s Presidential Administration reports that the sides discussed the multi-year cooperation between Georgia and the United Nations, the most important international institution in the world.
President Margvelashvili thanked the UN General Secretary General for his efforts and fruitful cooperation with Georgia and noted that the UN is of the utmost importance for the world's security and stability, as well as for the promotion of human rights and sustainable development.
The sides discussed the current developments in the region, as well as the situation in Georgia’s breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.
The President expressed concern over Russia’s ratification of the so-called military deal with occupied Abkhazia. He also condemned the scheduled referendum in Tskhinvali region (South Ossetia) to be held in 2017 on officially joining the Russian Federation.
The UN Secretary-General appreciated the methods and mechanisms of human rights protection in Georgia, saying they positively affect the development of the democratic processes in the country.
