The President of Georgia hosted the delegation of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey today. Among the attendees were the members of the ruling party “Justice and Development” as well as members of the “Republican People’s Party”. The President drew attention to bilateral relations and joint projects while talking to the members of the assembly. Mikhei Saakashvili focused on the free trade and free visa travel agreements signed with Turkey as well as the increasing Turkish investments in Georgia. He specially distinguished the cordial relationship which exists between the leaders of our two countries. “The mutual relations are essential for Georgia” – stated Mikheil Saakashvili during his address and once again noted the importance of a strategic relationship with Turkey.
“With its impressive economic development and consistently right politics, Turkey is gaining more and more influence in the region and throughout the world. Your country is a firm friend of Georgia which is proven by the visa free travel between us and that our citizens can cross borders with just an ID card, which is exemplary for many countries in the world. The Batumi airport is used mutually between Georgia and Turkey, just like the Geneva airport between France and Switzerland. This is also a very important precedent. I was in Batumi today and I saw two Airbus planes side by side leaving for Ankara and Istanbul simultaneously. It was impossible to imagine this a while ago. A flight from Turkey to the Batumi airport is scheduled every day. Very soon there will be several flights per day. This means travelling and the moving of people, businessmen, and money which will assist the development and prosperity on both sides. It is very important for us that there is an agreement between Turkey and Georgia regarding free trade. The trade is expanding between our countries more and more, which will have great importance in terms of developing our economies. Many Turkish investments have entered Georgia; much construction is going on, including some with Turkish money and with the participation of Turkish companies. Huge investments are being put into the hydro power stations in Georgia, which in their turn will produce electricity and export it to the Turkish market. This creates an opportunity to employ people and creates new prospects for our relationship. The fact that many Turkish citizens have Georgian roots strengthens the ties between us, because they represent a bridge between our countries and the destinies of our peoples. We are grateful that Turkey has always been a firm supporter of the territorial integrity of Georgia and has always expressed support for us even in the toughest situations.
I am glad that I have a very close friendship with Prime Minister Erdogan and President Abdullah Gul. They are great supporters of Georgia and I hope that the cooperation between our Parliaments will become strategic. I think there is much more to be done in terms of drawing the Parliaments of our two countries closer because this is a prerequisite to closer ties between our peoples. I think there will soon come a time when Turkey will re-explore Georgia as a dynamically developing country and I think close relations will be beneficial for both our countries and our peoples. I consider the relationship between Georgia and Turkey essential and decisive” – stated Mikheil Saakashvili.
After the meeting was held with the President of Georgia, the 21 person delegation of the Turkish Grand National Assembly left for Batumi.