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IRAN OFFERS ENERGY COOPERATION, CONFLICT MEDIATION
By Ekaterina Basilaia
The Messenger, Georgia
Oct 24 2006
Georgian Foreign Minister Gela Bezhuashvili meets his Iranian
counterpart Manouchehr Mottaki
Georgia, needing all the friends it can get, is intent on stepping
up economic and political cooperation with Iran.
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Gela Bezhuashvili, and Minister of Energy,
Nika Gilauri, paid a two-day official visit to the Iranian capital
Tehran. The Georgian delegation met with the Iranian President Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad, Iran's Minister of Foreign Affairs and Oil Minister.
Speaking at a briefing after the talks, Iranian foreign minister
Manouchehr Mottaki stressed Iran's intention to expand economic
cooperation between the countries, especially in energy and transport,
though he also said that political cooperation was also high on the
agenda, Iranian Fars News agency reported.
"Given the position of Iran as a member of North-South Corridor and
that of Georgia as member of East-West Corridor, the two countries
are in a position to enter into complementary cooperation with each
other in economic fields," Mottaki stated.
Boosting ties with Iran has become a number-one priority for Georgia,
especially after last winter's energy crisis, during which almost
the whole country was left without gas and electricity for ten days,
when two Russian pipelines in North Ossetia mysteriously exploded,
and high-voltage power lines failed.
Broadening cooperation in the energy sector, specifically the
transfer of electricity and gas to Georgia, was top of the agenda at
the meeting.
During Energy Minister Gilauri's visit to Armenia last month Georgia
signed a trilateral agreement with Armenia and Iran, which legally
entitles Georgia to import electricity. "We will be able to import
at least 50 megawatts of electricity. We will continue talks over
increasing this amount," Gilauri stated then.
He said that this will be a barter deal, so Georgia will not pay
cash. Instead, Georgia will send the same amount of electricity back
to Iran and Armenia during the summer period, when Georgia usually
generates extra electricity.
He also said that a similar deal has already been reached with Turkey.
"If necessary, Georgia will import 100 megawatts of electricity
from Turkey and return the same amount during the summer period. So,
we will not have to pay cash," the Energy Minister said.
Along with economic issues the discussion of Georgian - Russian row
was on agenda of the two diplomats, where Mottaki offered Iran's help
to help ease the tensions between the two countries.
"Iran hopes that the United Nations Security Council (UNSC)
Resolution 1716 will be taken into consideration and that both
sides are invited to be self-restrained and take confidence building
measures," he declared.
Mottaki noted that the crisis between the two sides will undermine the
capacities and potentials of both sides on the national and regional
level, hoping that it will be solved through the balanced approach
of the heads of the two states.
By Ekaterina Basilaia
The Messenger, Georgia
Oct 24 2006
Georgian Foreign Minister Gela Bezhuashvili meets his Iranian
counterpart Manouchehr Mottaki
Georgia, needing all the friends it can get, is intent on stepping
up economic and political cooperation with Iran.
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Gela Bezhuashvili, and Minister of Energy,
Nika Gilauri, paid a two-day official visit to the Iranian capital
Tehran. The Georgian delegation met with the Iranian President Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad, Iran's Minister of Foreign Affairs and Oil Minister.
Speaking at a briefing after the talks, Iranian foreign minister
Manouchehr Mottaki stressed Iran's intention to expand economic
cooperation between the countries, especially in energy and transport,
though he also said that political cooperation was also high on the
agenda, Iranian Fars News agency reported.
"Given the position of Iran as a member of North-South Corridor and
that of Georgia as member of East-West Corridor, the two countries
are in a position to enter into complementary cooperation with each
other in economic fields," Mottaki stated.
Boosting ties with Iran has become a number-one priority for Georgia,
especially after last winter's energy crisis, during which almost
the whole country was left without gas and electricity for ten days,
when two Russian pipelines in North Ossetia mysteriously exploded,
and high-voltage power lines failed.
Broadening cooperation in the energy sector, specifically the
transfer of electricity and gas to Georgia, was top of the agenda at
the meeting.
During Energy Minister Gilauri's visit to Armenia last month Georgia
signed a trilateral agreement with Armenia and Iran, which legally
entitles Georgia to import electricity. "We will be able to import
at least 50 megawatts of electricity. We will continue talks over
increasing this amount," Gilauri stated then.
He said that this will be a barter deal, so Georgia will not pay
cash. Instead, Georgia will send the same amount of electricity back
to Iran and Armenia during the summer period, when Georgia usually
generates extra electricity.
He also said that a similar deal has already been reached with Turkey.
"If necessary, Georgia will import 100 megawatts of electricity
from Turkey and return the same amount during the summer period. So,
we will not have to pay cash," the Energy Minister said.
Along with economic issues the discussion of Georgian - Russian row
was on agenda of the two diplomats, where Mottaki offered Iran's help
to help ease the tensions between the two countries.
"Iran hopes that the United Nations Security Council (UNSC)
Resolution 1716 will be taken into consideration and that both
sides are invited to be self-restrained and take confidence building
measures," he declared.
Mottaki noted that the crisis between the two sides will undermine the
capacities and potentials of both sides on the national and regional
level, hoping that it will be solved through the balanced approach
of the heads of the two states.