President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and his wife Mehriban Aliyeva have hosted an official reception for President of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili, who is paying an official visit to Azerbaijan, and his wife Sandra Elisabeth Roelofs.

Addressing the ceremony, President Ilham Aliyev said that the visit of the President of Georgia to Azerbaijan demonstrates again that the reciprocal visits and meetings between the two countries had become sustainable.

The President of Azerbaijan said that the two countries had a common history and cultural values. He said that the relations between the two countries were based on strategic partnership and were successfully under way. "Today, Georgia and Azerbaijan are not only independent states that have justified themselves, but are also rapidly developing countries that have safeguarded their choice and the independent path of development. Our countries are actively involved in addressing both regional and global issues," President Ilham Aliyev said. He noted that the two countries were faced with the violation of their territorial integrity and separatism in the first years of their independence and were defending each other's positions in international organizations at a high level.

Noting the fruitful economic cooperation, the President of Azerbaijan touched upon the importance of major projects implemented by the two countries:

- The reforms ongoing in our countries and the course towards renewal and economic development have a lot of common features and similarities. We are also bound together through global projects that extend beyond the region. Georgia and Azerbaijan, as active participants in the energy and transport projects of global nature, play an important part in the transport and energy security of the continent. The closer our countries, the more positive impact this will have on the overall development of the region. The security, stability and peace of the region largely depend on the well-being of our societies and countries. From this point of view, the projects we have initiated and are successfully implementing play an important role in strengthening our countries as truly independent states.

President Ilham Aliyev touched upon the importance of the reforms carried out in Georgia in recent years. Expressing his confidence that the historical friendship and fruitful cooperation between the two countries would be continued, the

President of Azerbaijan said:

- For Azerbaijan, Georgia is not only a brotherly state and strategic partner, it is also a natural ally. Suffice it to look at the map to understand this... Azerbaijan is also of great importance to Georgia in terms of economic, investment and energy projects.

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President of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili began his remarks with the words: "To me, every visit to Baku is a holiday." He noted that Azerbaijan and Georgia are countries with a common history and values. The Georgian President recalled the friendly assistance Azerbaijan provided to his country which was left without gas and electricity in the cold winter days a few years ago, and thanked President Ilham Aliyev and the people of Azerbaijan again for the decision made at the time. Noting that Azerbaijan, as a member of the UN Security Council, was widely respected in the international arena, President Mikheil Saakashvili said that the Azerbaijani-Georgian friendship was a model of good-neighborly relations for the whole world. Stressing that Azerbaijan has come a long way of development under the leadership of President Ilham Aliyev in recent years, the President of Georgia said:

- No country that has ample resources can match Azerbaijan. Why? Azerbaijan has a clear course, an unequivocal path towards independence, a clear direction and horizons. I think that there can not be historic decisions without historic personalities. And the state of Azerbaijan is a perfect example of this.

The President of Georgia recalled the exceptional contribution of nationwide leader Heydar Aliyev to the formation of the Azerbaijani state and stressed the importance of the creation and development processes carried out in Azerbaijan by the worthy successor of the brilliant personality – President Ilham Aliyev:

- I think that Azerbaijan will become one of the important states and one of the best-known countries of Eurasia. The city of Baku clearly confirms that. This is already recognized by everyone and confirmed by the great interest in Baku...

In conclusion, the President of Georgia thanked President Ilham Aliyev for the hospitality again.