Nalbandian (center right) with Vashadze during Monday's meeting

YEREVAN (Combined Sources)—A wide array of issues pertaining to Georgia-Armenia relations were discussed Monday when Georgia’s foreign minister Grigol Vashadze visited Yerevan and held meetings with the Armenian president and foreign minister.

Greeting the Georgian Foreign Minister, Foreign Minister Eduard Nalbandian said Armenian-Georgian relations were advancing positively and there was a solid base for development and advancement of cooperation.

The two leaders also discussed implementation of agreements, scheduling of reciprocal visits, the upcoming session of the Armenia-Georgia Intergovernmental Commission, as well as issues related to political, economic, energy and culture.

The Karabakh conflict resolution was also among the discussion topics, with both leaders stressing the need for resolve the conflict peacefully and based on international legal principles.

A contentious issue that arose during Vashadze’s visit was his surprise at reporters’ questions regarding an upcoming visit by President Serzh Sarkisian to Georgia this month.

On October 18, Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili’s spokesperson announced that Sarkisian would visit Georgia in early November. On Oct. 21, the Armenian Foreign Ministry said Sarkisian did not have such a trip on his schedule.

“I am here with a purpose to prepare the Armenian President’s visit [to Georgia],” said Vashadze, as reported by RFE/RL, adding that the dates of upcoming visit would be announced later.

Sarkisian’s office also confirmed that trip was discussed with Vashadze during their meeting.

After the Sarkisian-Vashadze meeting Monday, the president’s office said friendly bilateral relations were developing in the spirit of cooperation and that high-level dialogue between the two countries makes it possible to promptly resolve all the issues of bilateral relations.

Georgia’s Economy Minister Vera Kobalia was also part of the Georgian delegation visiting Armenia. She met separately with Prime Minister Tirgran Sargsyan, who expressed confidence in strengthening bilateral relations.

“We view Armenia and Georgia as a single economic zone. All obstacles to goods transfer between the two countries should be ruled out,” said Sargsyan referring to ongoing discussions about the creation of a single customs zone to enhance the efficiency of customs operations between the two countries.

Sargsyan said that a focus of the talks was a 42 million-euro project that would bring three customs points (Gogavan, Bavra and Bagratashen) up to par with international standards.

Cooperation in the IT sector, as well as the construction of the Meghri-Batumi highway that would facilitate access to the Black Sea, was also discussed.