Georgian Minister: Azerbaijanis are our brothers, we will not allow confrontation

"Azerbaijanis and Georgians have lived together for centuries. Azerbaijanis are our brothers," Georgian Interior Minister Vakhtang Gomelauri told journalists in Dmanisi.

He stressed that the unpleasant incident in the region should not turn into an inter-ethnic confrontation: "Ethnic Azerbaijanis are, first and foremost, our citizens, and Azerbaijan is a strategic partner, ally, neighbor, and friend of Georgia. We cannot allow confrontation. Some try to exaggerate the problem by presenting the events in Dmanisi as an ethnic conflict. We will not allow it."