On April 15–16, Georgian President Mikheil Kavelashvili made his first official visit to Azerbaijan. The last time a Georgian president visited Azerbaijan was in 2019, when Salome Zurabishvili made her first official foreign trip to Baku as president. However, later tensions between the “Georgian Dream” government and Zurabishvili negatively impacted her stance toward Azerbaijan. Seeking political support in the West, she came to be perceived as a conduit for the policies of external powers in the region.
Particular attention was drawn to her close ties with the French political leadership, especially with President Emmanuel Macron, who holds a hostile stance not only toward the current Georgian authorities but also toward Azerbaijan. As is well known, Zurabishvili was once a career French diplomat, making her connections with Paris virtually inseparable. Macron personally provided her with political support before Western leaders on numerous occasions, and she always reciprocated. Unsurprisingly, many countries in Western Europe still do not recognize the current Georgian president, considering the presidential and parliamentary elections held last year to have been rigged. For the leadership of the European Union and many European countries, Zurabishvili remains the legitimate president of Georgia — and she does not shy away from playing that role.
She has become so integrated into the political agenda of the European Union and her chief patron Macron that, in early April, she participated in the “Rally for Democracy,” an event organized by Macron’s party, Renaissance. Speaking from France, Zurabishvili appealed to EU member states to “prevent the strengthening of totalitarianism in Georgia”, warning that “the rollback of democracy and the move toward totalitarianism” in Georgia is not just a problem for Georgia but for all democracies. According to her, the country’s authorities, led by “Georgian Dream” leader Bidzina Ivanishvili, are following a pro-Putin course and are under Moscow’s control. If Russia applies the same hybrid warfare tools it successfully tested in Georgia to other countries, the scale of problems will only increase.
These statements are so strongly supported by EU leadership that they could not go unnoticed in Baku. Speaking at the forum “Toward a New World Order”, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev made it clear that Azerbaijan supports Georgia’s sovereignty and believes that all internal matters should be decided by the Georgian people. President Aliyev emphasized that the European Commission’s current attitude toward Georgia’s domestic processes is completely unacceptable. In his words, this behavior is characteristic of colonial powers attempting to view the will of the Georgian people through the prism of a colonial past.
Thus, as the Georgian political leadership becomes increasingly ostracized in the West, Baku demonstrates a firm commitment to developing dialogue with the Georgian authorities and views the election of the new Georgian president as a sign of stabilization of the internal political situation and strengthening of Georgia’s political agency.
On the first day of the visit, the Georgian president met with Azerbaijani Prime Minister Ali Asadov. The parties assessed the current state of bilateral trade and economic cooperation, emphasizing the need for the accelerated implementation of projects in the transport and energy sectors and the continuation of close contacts across various areas, including regional and international formats. They also stressed the importance of preserving peace and stability in the South Caucasus, which are critical for implementing promising projects connecting not only the two countries but a much larger group of participants.
Kavelashvili expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Ali Asadov for Azerbaijan’s unwavering support of Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
This theme continued the following day during official talks and discussions with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev. During a joint press conference after their one-on-one and expanded meetings, President Aliyev stated that interstate relations between Azerbaijan and Georgia are at a high level. He emphasized that the peoples of both countries have lived for centuries in peace, neighborliness, and brotherhood, and that this remains true today.
Kavelashvili, in turn, stressed that Georgia stands for peace and resolving conflicts through dialogue. He noted that the South Caucasus needs peace to enhance the region’s influence on the international stage.
In recent years, both Baku and Tbilisi have advocated for the creation of a South Caucasus cooperation platform. This was most recently discussed at the Antalya Diplomatic Forum, where President Ilham Aliyev met with Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze.
According to the Georgian president, the full potential of the region can only be realized after a peace treaty is signed between Armenia and Azerbaijan. The parties agreed that external interference in regional processes and attempts to impose “liberal values” alien to the region’s peoples are unacceptable. Kavelashvili regretted that Tbilisi and Baku have repeatedly become targets of double standards and external meddling in their internal affairs.
“Despite numerous attempts, we firmly eliminate these threats, ensuring security and stability in the region. No third country or organization knows better than we do what our peoples need,” the Georgian leader stressed.
This position is fully understood and supported by Baku. President Aliyev has repeatedly made it clear that Azerbaijan will not tolerate attempts by external forces to draw dividing lines in the region.
Much of the meeting also focused on bilateral projects. According to President Ilham Aliyev, the numerous investment projects uniting the two countries are crucial not only for the region but for a wider area.
“The joint oil and gas projects, oil and gas pipelines, and transport and communication initiatives implemented by Azerbaijan and Georgia are truly significant — not only shaping the energy and transport map of the South Caucasus but of all Eurasia. Today, when we talk about Europe’s energy security, it is impossible to imagine it without Azerbaijan and Georgia,” concluded President Aliyev.
Both countries clearly understand the value of their relationship — both to each other and to the wider world. As for external powers, it is now time for them to adapt to the character of regional partnerships, not the other way around. And the sooner they realize this, the better — and, more importantly, the more beneficial — it will be for them.
Ilgar Velizade
