Mikheil Saakashvili

Mr. Prime Minister, distinguished guests, welcome to Georgia!

Today we are opening the most contemporary, the best border crossing point all around the world.

I remember very well Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's visit in Batumi in 2004, Georgia was destroyed and ruined then, but this was a start of our relationships.

Turkish Prime Minister is a man of his word - whatever he says is done by all means.

We said that we would arrange joint airport and we did it.

We have said that it would be visa-free regime between Georgia and Turkey and it was fulfilled.

He said that he would supports the flow of Turkish investments in Georgia and see how many Turkish investors came to Georgia.

We have said that political relations would seriously develop on every level and we can count on Turkey in every international organization.

It is an exemplary cooperation. The way Turkish state develops is exemplary as well.

It is exemplary how Turkey managed to form as one of the most dynamically developing country from secondary, backward state during last several years.

Black Sea part of Turkey was more backward than our part of Black Sea and see how much progress we have now in the direction of Turkey.

See how much had changed in lives of every single Turkish citizen.

See what a new technologies come from Turkey, how many new educational reforms were carried out and how great is their progress in this sphere.

See how great is their progress in regards of industrial development, financial liberalization, corruption and organized crime; how the image and its position had changed all around the world.

All of it concerns to this person - Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his team. I am proud that I consider myself his personal friend, when he first came here and looked at these mountains he said that this place looks like his house in Rise. His fighting soul, his temper, his talent exactly reflects what is also in our features and is very close for our nation, for those people who live here - this is why we consider him as our friend.

We think that he is an exemplary person not only in his country, but in Georgia as well. He is very close friend of ours.

When I was becoming the President I used to say that Mustafa Kemal Ataturk was an example for me, because he formed huge state from about nothing.  

During these last years since I became the President, the model of development, worthy and interest dynamic it is example of Turkey - what modern Turkey achieves in totally different conditions with the leadership of Prime Minister. I want to congratulate you that we today are signing agreement due to which the citizens of Turkey and Georgia will cross borders without passports, as we agreed one year ago, yesterday at 4 o'clock AM me and Mr. Nick Gilauri and several our friends came here - all Sarpi was outside on the streets. Everyone was smiling at us and finally we even received applauses. I thin that not us but those people deserve applauses, who worked day and night on the construction of this customs facility. No one believed that everything would end in May. They even started to speak about my regular phantasy and something like this is not possible to built in three or four months.

Kakha Baindurashvili led this construction. We had best specialists here and this engineering wonder is made by one of the best architects of the world from Berlin - Jurgen Mayer that practically became Georgian - he had fulfilled so many constructions in Georgia.

They had managed to open this really wonderful checkpoint. Crossing the border without passports means that lives of people would get simpler. The drivers will not have to come out of their cars and they will get through the customs as they do it in Switzerland and France and on the borders of other developed countries. We also have an airport that is between France and Switzerland. This is also your merit.

In the conditions of free trade, in the conditions of traveling without passports and visas our relationship is a perfect example of what sort of relationships must exist between the civilized countries, two big European states and two big nations. This is an example of what kind of relations must exist deriving from a very complicated past for the sake of bright future.

Earlier it was not a border - it was a closed border between the NATO and USSR.

This was the place where I was raised so that no one gave the right to come in, because a multi-month procedure should be passed. We were told that on the other side there lived dangerous people, but we guessed that they were very, very good people, unknown people that we couldn't understand, but still very good, however we guessed that we were deceived. But when this border opened it exceeded our most daring expectations, the feeling that we had when we met them. The events developed in such an interesting way that we found our brothers and sisters living on the other side.

Mr. Prime Minister I want to congratulate you on this day, wish you success in your great construction process, because finally strong Turkey, with its positive role in the neighborhood and friendship between peoples and cooperation represents the best model for the success of strong neighbors, friendship among the peoples and cooperation. These relations are exemplary not only for the countries of this region, but for the whole Europe and the world.

Once again I wish to express my deep gratitude to you.

Recep Tayyip Erdoğan

Mr. President, my dear friends, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen!

Today we are opening Sarpi border crossing point that bears great importance for our countries and I hope that this will be the bases for the success of these two countries. 

On March 5, 2009, when we were opening the Turkish border it was planned to open Sarpi border crossing point and which in cooperation with Mikheil Saakashvili as you see has been realized. Besides, it is also important that we refused to have a visa regime and you will be able to come to Turkey not only with your passport, but by means of ID cards only. This is just the first step of our project and I hope that in future we will realize far more projects.

The projects realized in the trade are also very important. Since 2009 our friend Georgia is number one for Turkey in regards of export-import, big investments will be realized in this regard.

Turkey now realizes more than 200 million export in Georgia and I am happy that I can underline a fact that Georgia is one of the friendly countries for Turkey.

It has to be noted that for foreign trade border crossing points and opening of Sarpi checkpoint is a very important step made forward to the relations between two countries to transfer to more active phase. 90 percent of our export is done through this.

As you see you are now at very modern high quality checkpoint now that gives a chance to the people on both sides to pass custom control in a simple way. Modernization is a sign of success for Georgia and for Turkey both. This project shows that friendship between Georgia and Turkey will deepen and that our friendship will not based on words only but on cooperation.

I want to note that Turkey was standing beside Georgia always and it will continue the same way in future, because Turkey is not only a neighbor of Georgia that proves close ties between these two countries, but is a good friend as well. This is a point that once again proves that there is a very close relation between these countries that gets deeper and deeper.

Traffic between Ankara and Batumi will get simple as well. Turkey is investing a lot in Georgia and our country stands on third place with the fulfilled investments in Georgia.

Baku-Tbilisi-Karsi railway project should be underlined as well. The foundation of this project had already been laid and it continues with great success today. I hope that this project will be crowned as successfully as Sarpi border crossing point project.

Mr. President, distinguished guests relationships between Georgia and Turkey is very important for the whole region, because is forms the bases of peace, success and development within the region.

W are ready to do everything in order o make these relationships deeper and to develop them more. 

I want to express my gratitude to everyone, who participates in the reconstruction of this border crossing point.

I wish you all great success.