Ilia Darchiashvili, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia, says that he welcomes if Azerbaijan decides to open the land border.
As the minister noted in response to BMG's question, Azerbaijan has its views regarding the opening of the border.
"We welcome if the borders are fully opened, in order to further develop the tourism with our strategic partner country. We had a lot of visitors and we want it to continue in the future.
Not only to Georgia, in general, they have specific arguments and views regarding the opening of borders. Therefore, it is very difficult to say anything. We welcome if the Azerbaijan side takes the appropriate decision and opens the border", said Darchiashvili at the briefing held after the government meeting.
Deputy Minister of Economy Mariam Kvrivishvili cites the closure of the land border by Azerbaijan as the reason why tourist flows in Georgia could not return to the pre-pandemic levels. According to her, Georgia lost more than 1.5 million tourists and USD 400 million.
Azerbaijan decided to close the land border in spring, 2020 due to the Covid pandemic. As of the latest decision, the country will open its land borders on April 2, 2024, and until then, entry into Azerbaijan is only possible by air.
