An official reception was held in honor of President of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili and his spouse Sandra Elizabeth Rulofs on behalf of the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev and his spouse Mehriban Aliyeva on 27 February.
According to the official website for the President of Azerbaijan, speaking at the ceremony, President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev said that the visit of the Georgian President to Azerbaijan shows once again that the mutual visits and meetings between the two countries have become stable.
The head of the Azerbaijani state said that the two peoples have common history and cultural values. He noted that the relations of strategic partnership between the two countries successfully continue.
"Today Georgia and Azerbaijan are not only the independent states that justify themselves, but also the dynamically developing countries that have established their choice and independent way of development, take an active part in the resolution of both regional and global issues", President Ilham Aliyev said.
He noted that the two countries which faced the violation of the territorial integrity and manifestations of separatism in the first years of independence are protecting each other’s stances within the framework of international organizations.
Noting the fruitful cooperation in economic sector, the head of the Azerbaijani state touched upon the major projects implemented by the two countries.
"There are many similar and common features in the reforms, courses and economic development in our countries. We are also united by global projects that go beyond the regional boundaries. As the active participants of energy and transport projects of global concern, Georgia and Azerbaijan play an important role in issues of energy and transport security of the content. The closer ties between our countries will promote the more positive impact of this role on the general development of the region.
Security, stability and tranquility in the region mostly depend on the welfare of the society and the countries. In this term, our successfully implemented projects play an important role in strengthening our countries as really independent states".
President Ilham Aliyev touched upon the importance of reforms carried out in Georgia in recent years. Expressing confidence that the historically formed friendly relations and fruitful cooperation between the two countries will continue, the head of Azerbaijan said:
"For Azerbaijan, Georgia is not only a brother and a strategic partner, but also a natural ally. To understand this, just look at the map ... Azerbaijan to Georgia is also of great importance in terms of economic, investment and energy projects."
Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili began his speech saying: "To me, every visit to Baku is a holiday".
He noted that Azerbaijan and Georgia are the countries with a common history and values. The Georgian President recalled the friendly assistance provided by Azerbaijan to his country, which a few years ago in the cold winter days was left without gas and electricity, again thanked President Ilham Aliyev and the people of Azerbaijan for this decision.
Noting that Azerbaijan, as a member of the UN Security Council, is widely respected in the international arena, Mikheil Saakashvili said that the Azerbaijani-Georgian friendship is a model of good-neighborly relations in the world.
The Georgian President recalled the exceptional merits of national leader Heydar Aliyev in the formation of the Azerbaijani state, stressed the importance of the processes of creation and development carried out in Azerbaijan by the worthy successor to the genius personality - President Ilham Aliyev.