Georgian Leader Hails Cooperation with Turkey
President Saakashvili said on May 6 that Georgia?s cooperation with Turkey is an example of ?a great friendship.?
Mikheil Saakashvili was speaking at a ceremony of the launch of the construction of a new airport in Batumi, Adjara Autonomous Republic.
On March 14 the Georgian and Turkish sides signed an agreement which envisages the transformation of the Batumi airport into part of Turkey’s network of internal flights.
The Turkish company TAV pledged last September to invest USD 15 million in reconstructing the Batumi airport. TAV is also reconstructing the Tbilisi International Airport.
Kursad Tuzmen, the Turkish Minister of State in charge of Foreign Trade, and Georgian officials, including Parliamentary Chairperson Nino Burjanadze, attended the ceremony.
?We have a brilliant experience of cooperation with Turkey? When our northern neighbor ceased issuing visas for Georgian citizens, it coincided with Turkey?s decision to cancel the visa regime for Georgia. Today, each citizen of Georgia can cross the border with Turkey without any obstacles or visas. This is a huge achievement and a sign of great friendship,? President Saakashvili said.
He also said that Georgia and Turkey are currently developing new agreements on free trade, which will help Georgian exporters gain easer access to the Turkish market.
?And this will happen against the background of the artificial closure of other markets for the Georgian products,? he added.
?I want to stress that Turkish investments in Georgia have increased. Up to USD 100 million will be invested in the construction of the Tbilisi and Batumi airports alone. This is a huge amount of capital invested directly in Georgia?s economy,? the President said.
