Parliament of Azerbaijan criticizes Georgian authorities

Azerbaijani MPs are in protest against a statement made by the Georgian Prime Minister wherein he said that Tbilisi could allow Armenia to transport cargo from Russia through self-proclaimed South Ossetia.

Gudrat Hasanguliyev, a member of parliament said that Azerbaijan should not pretend that nothing has happened. He suggested calling the Georgian Ambassador to the Foreign Ministry for an explanation.

Speaking after the Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan’s recent visit to Tbilisi, Giorgi Kvirikashvili commented on information about the conclusion of an agreement by the Georgian government along with the Swiss monitoring company SGS.

The document provides for the possibility of transporting goods to and from Russia via South Ossetia, which is considered by Tbilisi to be occupied territory.

The treaty allows transportation only in the event of a force majeure situation on the Georgian-Russian border in the Kazbegi-Upper Lars sector.

Experts in Armenia interpreted this statement as evidence of intentions to open railway conveyance between Russia and Armenia through Georgian territory. Read more about it here:

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Faraj Guliyev, another deputy, called upon the Milli Majlis (National Assembly) to express its official protest in regard to this.

Chairman of the Press Council of Azerbaijan, Aflatun Amashov said that if Georgia allows this it will have resigned itself to violating its own territorial integrity.

Several other members of parliament also expressed similar thoughts.

The chairman of the Mili Mahlis, Oktay Asadov, said in summary:

“Maybe someone in Georgia wants to sour our relationship, but I don’t believe that the government of Georgia will take this step. We built a railway to Kars which Georgia is benefiting from. Let’s charge the friendship group with studying the issue.”