Erdoğan hosts Georgian PM to talk bilateral, regional affairs

ANKARA

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has hosted Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze to further boost the two countries’ already close ties and cooperation in various fields, including economy and trade.

Erdoğan welcomed the Georgian premier at the presidential complex on May 16 along with a large delegation. The two leaders had bilateral meetings and chaired their delegations before making a joint press statement.

Kobakhidze took office in early February after obtaining the confidence vote from the Georgian Parliament. He paid his one of first visits abroad to Türkiye upon Erdoğan’s invitation.

Erdoğan urged more countries to recognize the State of Palestine amid the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza due to Israeli attacks and blockades.

"The struggle for freedom, for which Palestinians have paid heavy prices, must be supported by all of humanity on the basis of law and diplomacy," Erdoğan said at the press conference.

During the talks Erdoğan has repeated the importance Türkiye is attaching to the protection of Georgia’s territorial integrity, sovereignty, stability and prosperity. In this context, Erdoğan reaffirmed Ankara’s support for peaceful resolution of the conflicts in Abkhazia and South Ossetia through the protection of Georgia’s territorial integrity.

The two leaders have also discussed the return of Ahıska Turks, also known as Meskhetian Turks, to their homeland as this year marks the 80th anniversary of their deportation. Ahıska Turks were expelled from the Meskheti region of Georgia by Soviet leader Joseph Stalin in 1944. They also faced discrimination and human rights abuses before and after the Soviet deportation.

Economy and trade were important issues the two leaders raised. Türkiye has become the third largest trade partner of Georgia since 2008. Erdoğan and Kobakhidze announced their common objective of increasing trade volume to $5 billion from current $3 billion.

The Turkish companies’ investments in Georgia and expanding the scope of their engagement have also been elaborated during the talks.

The leaders also exchanged views on the implementation of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline that has been carrying Azerbaijani oil to the world markets through Georgia and Türkiye. They have explored ways to increase the regional cooperation and connectivity.

They have also discussed the current developments in the South Caucasus amid efforts to encourage Azerbaijan and Armenia to sign a peace treaty following the 2020 war. Türkiye and Armenia are also in talks for normalizing ties.