Azerbaijan and Georgia: A Confederacy of Chums

For the South Caucasus, where disputes can fly fast and furious, it is an unusually strong friendship. And, according to Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili, the partnership between Georgia and Azerbaijan has gone even one step forward. Over the past few years, he told reporters on May 20 during a state visit to the Azerbaijani capital, Baku, it has become an informal confederation.

Mutual recognition of the need for territorial integrity and for diverse energy export routes drives the partnership, the Georgian leader affirmed. Azerbaijan's Ilham Aliyev, meanwhile, stressed that the region's peace and stability is contingent on "the brotherly relations" between the two countries, the APA news agency reported.

The two leaders discussed the prospects of expanding the South Corridor energy export route, and signed agreements on simplifying bilateral air communication and trade, and the mutual recognition of intellectual property rights.