Azerbaijani, Georgian Leaders Pledge Friendship

President Saakashvili returned to Tbilisi from an energy summit in Poland accompanied by his Azerbaijani counterpart, Ilham Aliyev on May 12.

The two presidents then unveiled a statue of Azerbaijan?s late president, Heydar Aliyev, in downtown Tbilisi.

Saakashvili said at the ceremony that the statue was yet another ?symbol of brotherly ties between our nations.?

A street on the right bank of the Mtkvari river in Tbilisi was named after Heydar Aliyev when his son, President Ilham Aliyev, last visited Tbilisi in February.

Saakashvili said that there had been many attempts ?to separate us but it will be impossible.?

?Our enemy wants to create discord between us? But we need to stand together? Our strategic interest is to further strengthen these ties,? he added.

Saakashvili also said that ethnic Azerbaijanis living in Georgia ?are an inseparable part of our nation.?

In response, Aliyev thanked, as he put it, ?my brother Mikheil? for his ?kind words? and hailed his father?s ? Heydar Aliyev’s – ?significant achievements? in developing cooperation between the two countries.

This post is also available in: ქართული (Georgian) Русский (Russian)