On April 29 RA NA Speaker Artur Baghdasaryan met Ilya II, Patriarch of Georgia in Tbilisi and handed over the brotherly greetings and wishes of His Holiness Karekin II, Catholicos of all Armenians. During the meeting issues related to cultural ties between Armenia and Georgia were discussed. Based on the necessity of preserving churches, RA NA Speaker proposed the patriarch to discuss the issue of the legal status of the Armenian churches being in the Georgian area. It was proposed to give the churches status of public right: this matter both in the parliament and patriarchate had positive response. Today there are nine churches in connection with which the Georgian side presents its ambitions, considering that they are built on the bases of the Georgian bases. In the result of the meeting of RA NA Speaker and Patriarch of Georgia, an agreement was reached to set up a joint working group, which will be involved in the issue of the Armenian churches in the area of Georgia. The Patriarch also offered to set up a representation of the Georgian church, which is also an important step for the discussion and solution of the problems of two churches, as well as cooperation.

The delegation was in the Armenian pantheon of Khojivank and paid its respects to the memory of the buried Armenian distinguished figures.

During the visit to the Armenian drama theatre after Petros Adamian the history and problems of the theatre were presented to the Parliament Speaker. By the request of Armen Bayanduryan, Artistic Director of the theatre, NA Speaker promised to give as a present one bus to the theatre for the tour.

The same day in Tbilisi a meeting with the members of the Armenian community was held. Georgy Khosroev, RA Ambassador in Georgia presented the members of the Armenian community, after which an open and unconstrained talk took place. NA Speaker Artur Baghdasaryan told the community members about the meetings and discussed issues, agreements during them. The community members mainly referred to the social-economic and scientific issues. Special attention was paid to the schools of Akhaltskha and Javakhk and the problems of jobs of the people living there. Artur Baghdasaryan said that he discussed those problems with the Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili and Parliament Speaker Nino Burjanadze, and the heads of Georgia promised to solve the problems as soon as possible. The information, that the Speakers of two parliaments agreed to visit together Javakhk in the nearest future, was gladly accepted. It was noted that Georgia has in principle changed its stance in connection with the re-opening of Abkhaz railway, and now that issue is observed from the viewpoint of strengthening the economic ties, the variants of making private investments and Europeans’ participation are discussed through the establishment of consortium. The issue of re-opening the Abkhaz railway is envisaged to discuss during the upcoming meeting of the Caucasus quartet.

The issue of eliminating the road tax from the Armenian side was one of the pressing problems of the community members, the solution of which the Speaker of the Parliament presented through the conclusion of the inter-state agreement, as not only Georgian transportations move by the Armenian roads.

As educational numerous problems were raised, RA NA Speaker Artur Baghdasaryan promised that during one month Sergo Yeritzyan, Minister of RA Education and Science will visit the schools of Tbilisi, Akhaltskha and Javakhk, in order to study the possibilities of providing textbooks, material-technical base and teachers’ training. Other issues related to the life of the community were discussed. The community members expressed their satisfaction and gratitude to the NA Speaker, estimating the meeting with him as a very important event in the Armenian-Georgian relations and especially in the life of the community, which feels valued and assessed in the result of such visits and meetings.

The meeting with Zurab Noghaideli, the Prime Minister, was envisaged on April 29, but because of floods in Georgia Mr. Noghaideli left the flooded areas, so the meeting was held on April 30. The issue of the material-technical promotion to 150 Armenian schools of Georgia was among the discussed issues. An agreement was reached about the meeting of four governors of the bordering regions of Armenia and Georgia in order to discuss the perspectives of the regional cooperation. It was noted that the trade-economic relations have big potential of the development and the two countries can develop joint programmes within the framework of “Wider Europe: New Neighbourhood.” Mr. Noghaideli also ensured that the social-economic problems of Javakhk are in the center of attention and a recovery programme is being developed for the Armenian people, which includes implementation of the investment and agricultural programmes.