President Aliyev once again reaffirmed Baku\'s official support for bilateral and regional economic projects and stated that the trade turnover between Azerbaijan and Georgia has doubled since he came to power in October 2003. \"Georgia is our strategic partner. We are engaged already in some of the largest energy and transport projects in the world [the ongoing Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline and the planned Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum gas pipeline] and we would like to intensify our cooperation in all spheres. Only together can we develop and prosper,\" Aliyev stated at the press conference in Tbilisi.

The two governments signed six intergovernmental agreements in the fields of education, transportation, taxation and media. \"I brought here a large delegation with myself. Almost half of the Cabinet of Ministers is present here. I urge all Azerbaijani ministers to have talks with their Georgian counterparts and intensify the dialogue between the two countries,\" said Aliyev. One of the key issues in the bilateral talks was the transit rates for cargo across Georgia and Azerbaijan. Both Presidents agreed that in order to compete with other routes, the two countries needed to lower their railroad transit fees. Besides, President Aliyev expressed Baku\'s interest in the construction of a Georgia-Turkey railway and proposed to form an international consortium to carry out the project.

On the second day of his visit, Aliyev, together with Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili, traveled to Marneuli, the southeastern region of Georgia, almost completely populated by ethnic Azerbaijanis. This region has been the place of socio-economic and ethnic tensions in the past several weeks. On May 25, close to a thousand Azerbaijanis protested in front of the local mayor\'s office to voice their criticism of President Saakashvili\'s cadre policy. Protestors were angry over the forceful replacement of local civil servants in governmental positions serving under former President Shevardnadze by loyalists of President Saakashvili. Even elected members of the local municipalities were reported to be forced to resign. Local residents also complain about land distribution in the region: close to 70% of local Azerbaijanis are still not able to privatize their land.

Further on, tensions in this region intensified in the beginning of June, when police forces launched an anti-smuggling and anti-corruption campaign and arrested several local businessmen. Azerbaijani media immediately labeled the incident as \"discrimination against the Azerbaijani minority\" and accused President Saakashvili of implementing such a policy. Official Tbilisi reacted by saying that there was no ethnic ground of these actions, and that they were only directed against organized crime. The Georgian embassy in Baku issued a press release in which it said, \"These measures are directed against smuggling and are not aimed against a particular ethnic group. They take place all over the territory of Georgia.\" At the press conference in Tbilisi, President Saakashvilli once again stated, \"We hope that our neighbors will take our measures with understanding. It should be clear that these actions are aimed only to fight corruption.\"

An estimated 500,000 ethnic Azerbaijanis live in Georgia, primarily in Tbilisi and the southeastern regions of the country, bordering Azerbaijan. The cross-border trade of agricultural products is the main source of income for residents on both sides of the border.

President Aliyev rushed to express the Azerbaijani Government\'s commitment to bilateral friendship and partnership and promised to keep the issues of concern of ethnic Azerbaijan under his watch. \"You are ethnic Azerbaijanis, but you are also citizens of Georgia. You need to try to further integrate into Georgian society. You need to become more publicly active and hold governmental jobs,\" said Aliyev to a crowd in Marneuli. Aliyev also promised that more socio-economic development of the region should be expected with the completion of Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan and Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum pipelines. The Azerbaijani government pledged more support for the region in the field of education. The joint publication of books on history and language will be planned in the nearest future.

Thus, Aliyev\'s visit once again reaffirmed the bilateral political and economic alliance of Georgia and Azerbaijan. Despite some minor tensions in the relationship, often artificially raised by local media, the two countries are committed to continue their strategic partnership and economic cooperation.