Georgian Defense Minister, Juansher Buchuladze participated in a trilateral Georgian-Turkish-Azerbaijani Ministerial in Turkey on December 21. He also held face-to-face meetings with his Turkish and Azerbaijani counterparts, Hulusi Akar and Zakir Hasanov, respectively.
The trilateral defense cooperation between Georgia, Turkey, and Azerbaijan was launched in 2012 and the ministerial is hosted by the countries based on a rotation principle. This year the ministerial was hosted by Turkey.
Trilateral Ministerial
The Georgian Defense Ministry reported that during the trilateral meeting the Defense Ministers of Georgia, Turkey, and Azerbaijan discussed the security environment and modern challenges in the Black Sea region, as well as the current developments in Ukraine. They also focused on the importance of strengthening energy security and diversification of energy supplies.
The Georgian, Turkish, and Azerbaijani Defense Ministers also discussed the defense cooperation and future plans with Juansher Burchuladze noting that joint exercises and meetings at expert levels would bring the militaries of the three countries closer and strengthen their interoperability.
At the end of the meeting, the ministers signed a communique of the trilateral ministerial.
Meeting with Turkish Defense Minister
According to the Georgian Defense Ministry, Georgian and Turkish Defense Ministers, Juansher Burchuladze and Hulusi Akar, respectively, focused on successful strategic cooperation in the sphere of defense.
Minister Burchuladze noted Turkey’s material, technical and financial assistance in the development of the Georgian Defense Forces, as well as the involvement and support of Turkish experts, and thanked his counterpart for the provided support.
The sides also discussed the issues of cooperation in bilateral and trilateral formats, as well as cooperation with NATO.
“Security environment in the region, increasing threats and Russia’s aggression against Ukraine were also discussed,” the Georgian Defense Ministry reported.
Meeting with Azerbaijani Defense Minister
Speaking with his Azerbaijani counterpart, Zakir Hasanov, the Georgian Defense Minister focused on the security environment in the region and the importance of ensuring peace and stability. The two ministers also discussed the implemented and ongoing joint projects.
According to the Georgian Defense Ministry, the sides discussed bilateral defense cooperation, including in the field of military education and joint participation in multinational military exercises.
Juansher Burchuladze hailed as “historical” the energy project, which “was signed by the Georgian Prime Minister, as well as top officials of Azerbaijan, Romania, and Hungary several days ago.”
In turn, the Defense Ministry of Azerbaijan reported that at the meeting, the sides emphasized the importance of mutual support for the territorial integrity of the three countries and noted that the development of bilateral military cooperation will contribute to ensuring stability and security in the region.
The sides stressed that cooperation between Azerbaijan and Georgia in defense is developing. The ministers exchanged views on various areas of military cooperation, as well as discussed regional security issues, and other issues of mutual interest.
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