Turkey Reiterates its Full Support to Georgia

Visiting Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on August 11 that Turkey is ready to cooperate with Georgia on both political and economic issues.

“Turkey completely supports Georgia”s territorial integrity and expresses readiness for cooperating on political and economic issues,” Recep Erdogan said at a joint news briefing with President Saakashvili on August 11.

He said Turkey, as a NATO member state, is ready to give recommendations to Georgia and even to mediate in its accession into NATO.

Earlier on August 11, during his talks with Georgian Prime Minister Zurab Zhvania the Turkish Prime Minister initiated the opening of a third checkpoint on the Karsi-Kartsakhi section of the Georgian-Turkish border and even expressed a readiness to fund the project. 

The two sides also agreed to resume construction of the Karsi-Akhalkalaki-Tbilisi rail link, which has been suspended for 8 years.

Simultaneoulsy, a group of Turkish businessmen, who are accompanying the Turkish Prime Minister during his visit, are acquainting themselves with the investment environment in Georgia.

Later today the Turkish delegation will travel with President Saakashvili to the capital of Adjaral, Batumi.

Mikheil Saakashvili hailed the visit of the Turkish delegation as “vital” and expressed a readiness for close cooperation. 

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