Azerbaijan, Turkey important partners for Georgia - president

RIA Novosti

TBILISI - Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili said Wednesday that Azerbaijan and Turkey were important partners for Georgia.

Saakashvili welcomed his Azerbaijani and Turkish counterparts at a ceremony marking the opening of the Georgian section of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline.

"We are glad that Azerbaijan is developing very well," the Georgian leader said. "It is becoming a rich country with a developed infrastructure and economy."

He said Georgia was ready to provide whatever support Azerbaijan needed.

He also said Turkey had always supported Georgia in hard times and remained a close partner. "We are one region with a common economy," he said.