“Special honour” to visit President Erdoğan - “true leader, firmly defending Turkey’s national interests” - Georgian PM

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze on Thursday said it was “a special honour” to visit Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan - “the country’s true leader, who firmly defends the national interests of Turkey and the Turkish people”.

It is a great honour for me to pay an official visit to a friendly country - Turkey, with which Georgia has a very close cooperation and strategic partnership, and of course, we are all very careful about this partnership”, Kobakhidze noted in a joint press briefing with Erdoğan and stressed the Turkish President’s leadership was “an example to all of us”.

The Georgian PM emphasised he had discussed bilateral and multilateral relations between the two countries with Erdoğan, and had shared opinions on important regional issues while reviewing the prospects for future cooperation and Georgia’s European integration.

He thanked the Turkish official for his “excellent hospitality” and highlighted the importance of maintaining the dynamics of holding high-level meetings.

The Head of the Government said he had informed the Turkish President of the ongoing processes in Georgia.

Georgia supports the peaceful coexistence in the South Caucasus and always expresses its readiness to contribute to promoting peace and constructive cooperation in the region, the PM stressed, adding he and the Turkish President had welcomed the demarcation agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

In the context of security challenges, the PM said he had discussed the ongoing war in Ukraine, which “threatens the fundamental security of Europe and the Black Sea region”, and highlighted Turkey's “tireless efforts” to facilitate finding the possibility of dialogue between the parties.