Georgian Prime Minister Meets with Turkish President in Turkey
By Liza Mchedlidze
Friday, May 17, 2024
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Turkey. Erdogan affirmed his support for Georgia's European integration and expressed optimism that ongoing events in Georgia would be resolved in the best interests of the Georgian people.
The Georgian delegation was hosted by President Erdogan at the Turkish Presidential Palace. Following the meeting, both leaders addressed the media and shared statements regarding their discussions.
"Today, two friends and leaders of two strategic partner countries met, and a very fruitful conversation took place. I once again supported Georgia's territorial integrity, sovereignty, and prosperity. Additionally, I expressed my continued support for Georgia's path of integration into Euro-Atlantic institutions.
I was very happy to hear your views on the current events in Georgia. In Turkey, we believe that these events will be resolved in the best interests of the Georgian people," Erdogan said.
The Turkish President noted that Turkey is ready to participate in major projects in Georgia, including the construction of airports, ports, energy infrastructure, and transmission lines.
According to Erdogan, they pledged to cooperate in security and counterterrorism efforts. They also shared their assessments of current events in the Gaza Strip and discussed the role of the international community in addressing these issues.
"All of humanity must support the Palestinian people's struggle for freedom. They have paid a heavy price for this, and all of humanity should unite within the framework of law and diplomacy. The resolution adopted at the UN General Assembly shows where the international community stands, and I also believe that supporting mechanisms are necessary to encourage Palestine. This is very important, very crucial at this stage. I call on all countries that have not recognized the statehood of Palestine to do so," Erdogan said.
According to the information, they exchanged opinions on the Ukraine-Russia war.
"We support the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine and emphasize the importance of peace, including in the Caucasus. We expressed our desire to continue working in this direction."
"In my opinion, the peace agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan represents a historic opportunity for the entire region," Erdogan said.
During the meeting, the Prime Minister provided President Erdogan with updates on various developments occurring in Georgia. They also engaged in discussions concerning ongoing events in the Middle East, emphasizing Georgia's support for achieving peace in the region through diplomatic negotiations with international backing.
"Certainly, I have provided Mr. President with information regarding the processes that will take place in our country from different points of view. We also discussed the processes taking place in the Middle East. It was noted that Georgia supports the idea of the need to establish peace in the Middle East, which can be achieved through negotiations with the support of the international community.
Taking into account the current processes in the modern world, we made a special emphasis on the prospects of deepening regional, trade-economic and transport-energy cooperation. In this context, the importance of transit function, connectivity was especially noted.
The Republic of Turkey is the number one trade partner for Georgia and we discussed how our partnership can be further deepened. Of course, we see great potential for further deepening of bilateral trade relations. We also had a conversation about the importance of exports from Georgia and bilateral trade in general," said the Prime Minister.
