Georgia 'proud' of friendship, strategic partnership with Türkiye: Foreign minister

By Burc Eruygur

ISTANBUL (AA) — Georgia’s foreign minister said on Thursday that his country is "proud" of its friendship and strategic partnership with neighboring Türkiye.

“We are really proud of our good neighborliness, friendship and strategic partnership with Türkiye, and we attach great importance to these relations,” Ilia Darchiashvili said in a news conference with his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan in the Turkish capital Ankara.

Underlining that strategic cooperation helps further strengthen Türkiye-Georgia ties, Darchiashvili said they also help them achieve efficient results in bilateral and multi-formats.

“The importance of our strategic cooperation, both regionally and globally, is paramount,” Darchiashvili added.

He highlighted the importance of regional peace and stability for Georgia and that its cooperation with Türkiye be consolidated and further strengthened as soon as possible.

On his meeting with Fidan, he said they agreed on continuing active work on organizing a visit by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to Georgia, as well as a visit by Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze to Türkiye.

Darchiashvili also said he conveyed to Fidan an invitation to visit Georgia, adding that they discussed ways to fully utilize the potential between the two nations.

During their meeting, Fidan reaffirmed Türkiye's "determined stance and support for Georgia's sovereignty and territorial integrity," Darchiashvili said.

"We discussed with my esteemed counterpart the problems we face in terms of security and the processes in the region in general, and what we can do to strengthen peace and stability in the region," he said, adding that Türkiye maintains its place as Georgia's largest commercial partner.