YEREVAN, JUNE 29, NOYAN TAPAN. One of the primary concerns of the Armenian and Georgian leaders and governments should be raising the interstate relations to the level of the two peoples' centuries-old relations. RA President Serzh Sargsyan reported at the joint press conference with Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili within the framework of the latter's official visit to Armenia. According to him, solution of security problems in the region can be only achieved through a dialogue, strengthening confidence, mutual respect and cooperation. S. Sargsyan said that use of force has never given good results and quick normalization of Georgian-Russian relations is in Armenia's national interests. "We have strategic relations with Russia, we are connected with Georgia with thousands of threads, we deepen our relations with both countries and do it openly, without hesitation, without secrecy veil, frankly. If our relations to some extent can assist normalization of Georgian-Russian relations, we will be only glad, but we have never set such a task, our task should be to deepen our relations," S. Sargsyan stated. From point of view of development of bilateral relations the Armenian and Georgian Presidents attached importance to deepening cooperation and carrying out joint initiatives, which will contribute to decrease of the world economic crisis influence on the two countries' economies. S. Sargsyan said that communication ways laying through the territory of Georgia are of essential importance for Armenia's economy, therefore Armenia expressed interest in quick relaunching of the land car check-point between Georgia and Russia. He welcomed the steps undertaken by the Georgian government to mitigate the socio-economic situation in Javakhk, to improve the infrastructures and to create new jobs expressing Armenia's readiness to support that process. S. Sargsyan also expressed content with Georgian President's statement that Georgia will not pose obstacle in the issue of transit of Armenian goods to RF, moreover, it will assist that process. S. Sargsyan informed his Georgian counterpart about the Nagorno Karabakh problem, as well as normalization prospects of Armenian-Turkish relations. In his words, regional countries should find cooperation verges in spite of the disagreements."Armenia is interested in having a peaceful, stable, and prosperous neighbor, Georgia, with which we have not only common past, but also common future," S. Sargsyan said. The two countries' leaders arranged to make active the contacts, students' exchanges, cultural contacts. A successful example of it is the Days of Georgian Culture held this year in Armenia and the Armenian Cultural Program planned next year in Georgia. They also arranged to hold annual Armenian-Georgian sports games, Armenian-Georgian olympiad of pupils.

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