Georgian, Turkish Presidents discuss expanding trade, cooperation

Georgian President Mikheil Kavelashvili on Tuesday highlighted that Turkey remained Georgia’s top trading partner and emphasised the importance of exploring new steps to further develop bilateral trade and fully utilise existing potential.

Speaking at a joint briefing with the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Kavelashvili said it was essential to boost exports from Georgia to ensure the Free Trade Agreement benefits both sides equally.

“In view of Turkey being Georgia’s number one trading partner, we discussed possible steps to further advance bilateral trade and make better use of the existing potential. For us, it is important to promote the growth of exports from Georgia so that the Free Trade Agreement is equally beneficial for both sides”, the Georgian President said.

Kavelashvili emphasised that the meeting further focused on the Middle Corridor concept and its importance for both countries.

“We also discussed the Middle Corridor concept and its significance for our nations. The importance of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline, the Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum gas pipeline, the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway, and the Southern Gas Corridor projects was underlined, as they give our countries a new dimension in the global geopolitical arena. In addition, we discussed prospects for cooperation in culture, education, and people-to-people relations”, Kavelashvili stated.

The Georgian president concluded by expressing gratitude to his Turkish counterpart for the warm hospitality.