Azerbaijan’s Aliyev Praises Georgia for not Allowing Arms Transit to Armenia
In an interview with Azerbaijani TV channels on September 19, President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev stated that “Georgia acted like a very reliable partner” by “not allowing the transportation of weapons to Armenia through its territory” in the wake of renewed Azerbaijani-Armenian armed clashes in Tovuz/Tavush region in July.
President Aliyev’s statement alludes to earlier allegations by Baku-based online magazine haqqin.az, – known to be close to the Azerbaijani leadership – which claimed that Armenia was receiving arms from Serbia and Russia through Georgia. Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia promptly denied Tbilisi’s role in the arms sale and referred to the allegations as “unverified information disseminated by the media.”
“I must say that I highly appreciate the actions of the Georgian government in these events,” Azerbaijani President went on, adding that Georgia’s refusal to allow arms transit to Armenia “is why transport planes deliver weapons to Armenia through the territories of the Caspian countries and by air.”
Noting that the two nations “are bound by both historical ties and common interests,” Azerbaijani President reiterated “that the governments of Georgia and Azerbaijan are in close contact with each other, and this will continue to be the case.”
President Aliyev also announced that recently appointed Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov will pay an official visit to Tbilisi in the near future.
He then accused ethnic Armenians of both Armenia and Georgia, as well as “ethnic Armenians disguised under Georgian names” of the attempts to “strike a blow at the Georgian-Azerbaijani ties.” “But they will not achieve this, because, … we are reliable partners [with Georgia] and openly discuss all issues,” President Aliyev concluded.
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