European motives of Zurabishvili�s visit to Baku

Mrs. President called the visit as a continuation of the tradition of her predecessors, who built strategic relations with Azerbaijan, proceeding from two important aspects: the pro-European transport and energy policy and the restoration of the territorial integrity of both states.

At a press conference in Baku on the results of talks with President Ilham Aliyev, Zurabishvili mentioned these two aspects as leading and uniting the development strategy of the two countries and their priorities.

During her February visits to Europe, Zurabishvili reiterated her pre-election stance, regarding political and foreign policy orientation - consolidation with the West. She stressed that the goal of his six-year tenure as president was to maximize Georgia"s integration into Europe and even to join the European Union.

This policy is fueled by the counterproductive actions of Russia in the post-Soviet space, which in 2008-committed aggression against Georgia, rejecting two separatist regions and the latest actions of Moscow against Ukraine. Under these conditions, the Georgian president sees no basis for dialogue with Kremlin, but considers it necessary to defend against it by increasing cooperation with European institutions and in particular with NATO.

In this strategy of Georgia, Azerbaijan occupies an important place as the main player in the region"s energy security and a reliable partner, proven by the historical vicissitudes of the distant and recent past.

President Aliyev also believes that the transport, energy and territorial aspects are priority links between Georgia and Azerbaijan. During the press conference, he focused on projects such as the TANAP gas pipeline, the BTC oil pipeline, the Baku-Supsa railway and the BTK railway corridor. At the same time, Aliyev focused on the trilateral cooperation of Azerbaijan-Georgia-Turkey, making it clear that without the participation of fraternal Ankara, the South Caucasus projects could not become a reality.

The speeches of the presidents, as well as the comments of officials from among the Georgian delegation indicate that the pro-European list of the South Caucasus will not only continue, but also increase because Salome Zurubishvili, as an experienced French diplomat, will play an active role in this process. In the case with women in the Caucasus, such leadership is fraught with unpredictable results.