Turkey and Georgia Agree to Expand Economic and Trade Cooperation

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan received Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze and his delegation. The two sides discussed further strengthening the already close ties and cooperation between the two countries in various fields, including economy and trade.

Following the meeting, Turkey and Georgia signed a memorandum on energy cooperation and agreed to increase bilateral trade, and then issued a joint press statement.

"The meeting was productive, we expressed our support for Georgia's integration into Euro-Atlantic institutions. As Turkey, we want these developments to benefit the people of Georgia. Last year, we reached $3 billion in bilateral trade. We are focusing on $5 billion as a new goal," Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said after meeting with Kobakhidze.

Kobakhidze took office as Georgia's prime minister in early February after receiving a vote of confidence from the country's parliament. He made one of his first foreign visits to Turkey at the invitation of Erdogan.

During the talks, Erdogan stressed the importance of protecting Georgia's territorial integrity, sovereignty, stability and prosperity. In this context, Erdogan reaffirmed Turkey's support for a peaceful resolution of the conflicts in Abkhazia and South Ossetia by protecting Georgia's territorial integrity.

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