THE JORDAN TIMES
By Hani Hazaimeh

AMMAN - Ties between Amman and Tbilisi took centre stage on Monday as Georgian Prime Minister Nika Gilauri arrived in Jordan for a one-day official visit.

During his visit to the Kingdom, the first by a Georgian premier, Gilauri and Prime Minister Samir Rifai discussed means to enhance economic cooperation.

At the political level, Gilauri said the two sides support each other on international issues, adding that Georgians believe that the Arab-Israeli conflict must be solved through negotiations.

“We hope to see the Palestinians and the Israelis reach a peaceful solution soon,” he said in an interview with The Jordan Times yesterday.

Gilauri, who was accompanied by an economic team, said that his meetings with Jordanian officials offered an opportunity to discuss cooperation in various areas.

“This is my first visit to Jordan and it is a chance for us to get to know each other’s countries and potentials to take our economic cooperation to a higher level,” the official said, adding that the two sides signed an economic cooperation agreement yesterday that will pave the way for future collaboration.

He added that the discussions also included facilitating visas for businessmen and tourists as well as establishing direct flights to encourage travel between the two nations.

“This will pave the way for the private sectors to follow suit and engage in joint investments,” he said, noting that he extended an invitation to Rifai to visit Georgia to learn more about the potentials of the Georgian market.

Later in the day, the Georgian premier met with Jordanian businessmen where he gave a presentation on the Georgia’s private sector.

He expressed hope to form a joint business forum in Georgia to explore potentials of cooperation and sign a bilateral investment protection treaty with the Kingdom.

Gilauri underlined that Georgia enjoys “good” relations with the Arab and Muslim worlds, adding that Muslims account for 8 per cent of Georgia’s population.

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