Turkish President holds dinner in Georgian leader's honour

President Giorgi Margvelashvili has ended his official visit in Turkey with a special dinner held in his honour, hosted by the President of Turkey Abdullah G.

The dinner was held in the Presidential Palace of the Turkish leader last night.

Over the course of the evening, the two leaders continued to discuss ways of strengthening the partnership and cooperation between Georgia and Turkey.

"We want the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars Railway project - one of the significant parts of the joint route called a modern Silk Road - to be finished during this year, the Turkish President stated.

"We have also decided that one of the important parts of the Trans-Anatolian Pipeline Project (TANAP), which is part of the South Corridor for natural gas resources, will be implemented in co-operation with our Georgian and Azerbaijani partners.

"In general we are willing to cooperate with Georgia in the field of new projects, open new border-crossing points, develop communications and by doing so, strengthen our relationship, President G added.

At the dinner, the Georgian leader offered a toast and thanked the attending public for their contribution to the two countries partnership.

He said it was remarkable that the trade turnover between Georgia and Turkey was significantly increasing annually.

"However, we must take into consideration the potential of trade and economic relations can be further developed and investment projects supported this would be an additional stimulus for helping the two countries production on each others markets, Margvelashvili said.

He also expressed his gratitude towards the Turkish Government for the planned restoration works at the Oshki and Ishkhani monasteries. These were some of the important spiritual centers of the Middle Ages, located in Tao-Klarjeti province. Nowadays this territory is a part of the provinces of Erzurum, Artvin, Ardahan and Kars in north-eastern part of Turkey.

"We, Turkey and Georgia, have carefully involved many scientists to study and restore cultural monuments. I want to thank the Turkish Government for their cultural delegation, which arrived last year to observe the Oshki and Ishkhani Monasteries, Margvelashvili said.

Restoration of Ishkhani will be finalized this year and work at the Oshki Monastery will start, the Turkish President promised the Georgian leader at the dinner.

The Presidential dinner was attended by members of the Turkish Government, the diplomatic corps and representatives of sport, art and business.  

Before President Margvelashvili returns to Georgia, he will visit Tao-Klarjeti in North-Eastern Turkey today the birthplace of the medieval Georgian "Golden Era" that lasted from the tenth to the twelfth centuries.