Türkiye, Georgia ink cultural cooperation program

By Fatih Turkyilmaz

ISTANBUL (AA) – Türkiye and Georgia on Friday signed a cultural cooperation program for the years 2024-2028 in Istanbul.

The program was signed by Türkiye's Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Ersoy and Georgia’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Culture, Sport and Youth Thea Tsulukiani at the Ataturk Cultural Center in Istanbul.

Speaking at the signing ceremony, Mehmet Ersoy said he and his Georgian counterpart had a productive meeting where they discussed the relations between Ankara and Tbilisi.

Emphasizing the significance of the cultural and historical heritage shared by the two countries, Ersoy said: "We possess a common cultural and historical heritage with Georgia. Preserving, sustaining, and passing on these shared values to future generations is our mutual priority and goal."

With the cultural cooperation program signed between the two countries for the years 2024-2028, a working group will be formed, and an action plan will be prepared for the preservation and restoration of the Ottoman and Georgian cultural heritage on the territories of both countries, Ersoy said.

For her part, Thea Tsulukiani thanked Türkiye for its work in protecting and restoring shared cultural heritage.

“Our gratitude is endless. The development of cultural relations is our top priority. I believe that cultural relations will be further strengthened under the framework of the protocol we have signed. The budget allocated by Türkiye for these works is particularly praiseworthy,” Tsulukiani added.