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Bidzina Ivanishvili, the billionaire founder of the ruling Georgian Dream party, and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, along with Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze, at Ivanishvili’s business centre on 6 April 2026 (screengrab from a Georgian Dream video)
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Aliyev Meets Ivanishvili during Georgia Visit

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The Armenian Mirror-Spectator
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By Mikheil Gvadzabia

Before concluding his state visit to Georgia on April 6, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev met with Bidzina Ivanishvili, the founder of the ruling Georgian Dream party.

According to Georgian Dream’s press office, Ivanishvili hosted Aliyev at his business center in Tbilisi. The meeting was also attended by Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze, Foreign Minister Maka Botchorishvili, and Economy Minister Mariam Kvrivishvili, among others.

Ivanishvili is viewed by many both domestically and internationally to be Georgia’s informal leader.

“The meeting focused on close cooperation in the energy sector and on transport and energy projects jointly implemented by Georgia and Azerbaijan. The Baku–Tbilisi–Kars railway was highlighted as playing a key role in ensuring regional connections,” the press office said.

According to the office, Ivanishvili thanked Aliyev for ‘supporting the peaceful and stable situation in the South Caucasus region.”

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“[Ivanishvili] also noted that, in an environment full of security challenges, it is vital that the political leadership of the two countries make maximum efforts to maintain peace and economic development,” the statement read.

The press office also reported Ivanishvili’s remarks that friendly relations between the two countries are “at their highest level,” underscoring economic ties and “the potential for maximizing the use of the transit corridor”.

“The President of the Republic of Azerbaijan noted that Georgia is one of the most attractive, stable, and interesting destinations for investment,” the office noted, adding that “the president also emphasized bilateral projects, the importance of the energy corridor, and Georgia’s active involvement in the export of Azerbaijani natural resources”.

“Ilham Aliyev reaffirmed his readiness to continue joint efforts to maintain peace and stability in the region,” it concluded.

During his one-day visit, he met with President Mikheil Kavelashvili and Kobakhidze.

News of Aliyev’s visit emerged in Georgian media on Sunday, just hours after a Georgian court ordered deportation of Afgan Sadigov, Aliyev-critical journalist, from the country.

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Prior to his latest visit, Aliyev was last in Georgia in 2023.

“Georgia’s leader”

In Armenia, Narek Karapetyan, the nephew of Armenian–Russian billionaire opposition figure Samvel Karapetyan, whose Strong Armenia party is establishing itself as a leading opposition force ahead of Armenia’s parliamentary elections, used the meeting between Aliyev and to attack Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.

Narek Karapetyan, who heads the party’s electoral list, referred to Ivanishvili as “Georgia’s leader” and stressed that he had never met with Pashinyan, interpreting this as a sign of the Armenian Prime Minister’s weakness.

“Do you know when we”ll be able to say that we have strong diplomacy and strong leadership? When the leader of our closest neighbor stops disregarding our Prime Minister and finally agrees to meet with him,” Karapetyan said.

“But we”re sure, aren”t we, that he would gladly meet with Samvel Karapetyan and discuss how they will make Armenia and Georgia flourish,” he continued.

Since becoming Prime Minister in 2018, Pashinyan has visited Georgia multiple times and held meetings with senior political officials. Most recently, he was in Georgia in March 2026, when he met with Kobakhidze. However, there is no public information indicating that he had ever met with Ivanishvili.

Karapetyan was detained in June 2025 following a statement in support of the Armenian Apostolic Church amid the government–Church confrontation. He is currently under house arrest.

Since his detention, Karapetyan has faced charges of incitement to seize power, with additional financial crime charges added later, all of which he denies.

(This story originally appeared on April 7 on the website www.oc-media.org.)

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