Azerbaijan, Georgia eye cooperation in combating transnational crimes
By Aynur Karimova
Baku and Tbilisi have discussed prospects for developing relations in the field of combating transnational crimes.
The discussions were held between Azerbaijani Interior Minister, Colonel-General Ramil Usubov and a Georgian delegation led by Interior Minister Giorgi Mghebrishvili on November 26.
Usubov spoke about the friendly relations between the two countries. The Azerbaijani minister also touched upon the cooperation of the two ministries in combating transnational crime and exchanging experience and information.
He also informed the guest about the criminal situation in the country.
"Thanks to domestic and foreign policy pursued under the leadership of the Azerbaijani president, our country's international prestige has increased significantly. Its visual manifestation is the Eurovision Song Contest and Baku-2015 First European Games. Azerbaijan has gained significant experience in this field by hosting these events in high security and tranquility condition," he noted.
Mghebrishvili, in turn, said that Georgia is interested in further developing relations with Azerbaijani interior bodies.
During the Baku visit, the Georgian delegation also met with Azerbaijan's Emergency Situations Minister, Colonel-General Kamaladdin Heydarov.
Heydarov highlighted great deal of works carried out in the field of preventing the emergencies in the country.
Mghebrishvili, for his part, stressed the importance of further deepening and developing relations between the relevant bodies of both countries' ministries in the field of prevention of emergencies.
The Georgian delegation also became familiar with the work of the Ministry's crisis management hall and operations room of the Crisis Management Center.
Earlier the Georgian delegation was received by President Ilham Aliyev.
Azerbaijan and Georgia established diplomatic relations in 1992, one year after gaining independence from the Soviet Union. In October 1997, Azerbaijan and Georgia became two of the four founding members of GUAM, an organization that also includes Ukraine and Moldova.
Today, the two countries are successfully cooperating in the political field, and strategic cooperation between Azerbaijan and Georgia is developing from day to day.
The two neighboring countries enjoy not only good political relations, but also long-standing and successful cooperation in the energy sector. Further, Azerbaijan’s state oil company SOCAR is deeply involved in the energy market in the neighboring South Caucasus republic.
Azerbaijan has long been one of Georgia’s largest trade partners, with trade turnover between the two countries reaching $1.35 billion in 2014.
Azerbaijan mainly exports petroleum, petroleum oils and gases, gypsum, anhydrite, plaster and other products to Georgia, while motor cars, live bovine animals, bars and rods of iron, as well as cement, make up the majority of imported goods from Georgia to Azerbaijan.
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Aynur Karimova is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Aynur_Karimova
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