During his first official visit to Turkey as President of Georgia, Mikheil Kavelashvili reaffirmed the “strong political will” shared by both nations for their strategic partnership.
The two leaders emphasized the importance of the Middle Corridor and important infrastructure projects such as the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline, Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum gas pipeline, Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway and the Southern Gas Corridor. “These projects give our countries roles and functions new dimensions in the global geopolitical arena,” Kavelashvili noted.
In talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Kavelashvili said, “We placed special emphasis on prospects for deepening regional, trade-economic and transport-energy cooperation,” adding that Turkey is Georgia’s number one trading partner. He mentioned the need to increase Georgian exports so the free trade agreement benefits both sides equally.
The meeting also addressed bilateral and multilateral cooperation, with Kavelashvili inviting Erdoğan to visit Georgia and calling for the next session of the High-Level Strategic Partnership Council.
“It is a great honor for me to be making my first official visit as President of Georgia to the friendly Republic of Turkey, with whom Georgia shares a solid strategic partnership and multifaceted cooperation,” he said, thanking his counterpart for “the exceptional and warm hospitality.”
