Georgian Envoy Lauds Ties With Iran

Tehran, March 9, IRNA - Iran and Georgia have traditional cooperation in many economic fields, said the Georgian ambassador to Iran. English-language newspaper “Iran Daily”, published on Sunday, quoted Ioseb Chakhvashvili as saying that Iran has rich natural resources, including crude oil and gas, and has high capacity in production of oil byproducts. Chakhvashvili made the remarks on the sidelines of a ceremony to mark Ghana’s Independence Day. “It is in the interest of Georgia to meet its energy needs through Iran, due to proximity between the two countries,” he said. He said Iran is Georgia’s major supplier of asphalt, which ranks first among the products of other suppliers in term of quality. “Many Iranian products are now being sold in Tbilisi’s market,” he said. He added that about one month ago, Iranian and Georgian merchants set up a joint Chamber of Commerce and Industry to boost transactions. Chakhvashvili also said, “I am very happy to be in Iran as Georgia’s ambassador. I can speak Persian very well, which makes it easier for me to work in Iran.” The ambassador noted that his main mission in Iran is to develop bilateral relations, adding, “Throughout history, these two nations have always had close relations”. The Georgian ambassador noted that Iranian people are very warm, hospitable and peaceful. Chakhvashvili was appointed Georgia’s new ambassador to Iran in 2013. He had earlier served as Georgia’s ambassador to Turkmenistan and Afghanistan. Georgia is in the Caucasus region of Eurasia and its capital city is Tbilisi. The country has a population of almost 5 million./end