EU views Tbilisi as convenient venue for Azerbaijan-Armenia talks

TBILISI. Feb 8 (Interfax) - The European Union supports Tbilisi's wish to act as a bridge in negotiations between Baku and Yerevan, EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus Toivo Klaar said.

It is very important to ensure that these three countries of the South Caucasus work together and promote peace, and Georgia's role as a bridge between Armenia and Azerbaijan is highly important, Klaar told Georgia's First Public Broadcasting Channel on Wednesday, when commenting on the details of his meeting with Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili in Tbilisi.

Klaar said that Garibashvili and he had discussed the steps already taken in this regard. He expressed hope that this cooperation between the EU and Georgia and between the EU and the three countries of the South Caucasus would continue to grow.

Last summer, Tbilisi hosted a meeting of the Azerbaijani and Armenian foreign ministers, Klaar said, adding that the Georgian capital could further serve as a venue for meetings at the highest level and in various formats.

Georgia is geographically convenient in this sense, as it can be reached quickly and easily from neighboring countries, he said. Klaar believes it is logical that the three countries located in the same region, in the South Caucasus, should try to find avenues for their cooperation, for instance, in transport, energy, environmental protection, etc.