Georgia and Armenia have “mutual understanding” that different foreign policy paths chosen by the two countries should in no way negatively affect bilateral cooperation, Georgian parliament speaker, Davit Usupashvili, said as his Armenian counterpart Galust Sahakyan visits Georgia.

In his opening remarks at a meeting of the Georgian-Armenian parliamentary cooperation group in Tbilisi on October 8, Usupashvili said that cooperation between the two countries has “centuries old tradition”, but it has to be “further improved and diversified.”

“Georgia has signed the Association Agreement with the EU. Armenia will soon join the Eurasian Union and intends to secure its strategic interests through this way. I want to reiterate that we respect each other’s sovereign choice… and I want to reassure once again our Armenian colleagues that Georgia’s growing European integration will in no way negatively affect the relations with our brotherly Armenian people,” Usupashvili said.

“We have also clearly stated it to our European partners that we see our relations with the EU as being favorable also for our neighboring Armenia. I am sure that [Armenian] colleagues will also be guided with this same approach in the Eurasian Union and our Armenian colleagues will clearly explain to their partners within the Eurasian Union that bilateral ties, including trade and economic relations, will face no problems and complications because of that,” the Georgian parliament speaker said.

“This is a vital strategic issue and we have complete understanding over this issue,” he added.

In his opening remarks at the meeting, Armenian parliament speaker, Galust Sahakyan, who met the Georgian President, Prime Minister, Foreign Minister, as well as head of the Georgian Orthodox Church during his three-day visit to Georgia, focused mainly on importance of the parliamentary cooperation between the two countries and invited his Georgian counterpart to visit Armenia before the end of this year. Usupashvili responded that he would visit Yerevan “if not this year, definitely in the beginning of next year.”