Economy Minister, new Turkish Ambassador discuss economic relations

The strategic partnership between Georgia and Turkey, the importance of deepening relations in bilateral trade, energy and transport as well as tourism and other areas, were discussed on Thursday in an introductory meeting between the Georgian Economy Minister Levan Davitashvili and Ali Kaan Orbai, the newly appointed Turkish Ambassador to Georgia.

The officials highlighted “successful” bilateral trade relations and noted Turkey had held a leading place, last year, among Georgia’s trade partners, with a 35 percent increase, while also discussing changes in the free trade agreement between the two countries and stressing it would “further increase” exports from Georgia to Turkey.

The Economy Ministry said the meeting also focused on cooperation in the field of investments, with the sides noting that in the first quarter of 2022, Turkey had been the third largest investor in Georgia and covered many sectors, including real estate, transport, energy, manufacturing, including light industry, hotel business, etc.  

Implementation of the diagonal cumulation with the European Union, which will contribute to the deepening of cooperation between the business circles of Georgia and Turkey, was also highlighted.

The officials agreed on “active cooperation” for the successful development of Georgia-Turkey relations, while Davitashvili congratulated the new ambassador on his appointment in Georgia and wished him success in his future activities.