ArmInfo.Ankara stands for strengthening interaction between the countries of the region and is ready to support trilateral cooperation in the formats Azerbaijan-Georgia- Armenia or Turkey-Azerbaijan-Georgia. This was stated by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at a joint press conference with Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili in Ankara. Erdogan also stressed that Turkey supports the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Georgia. At the same time, he noted that Turkey views Georgia as "the key to regional cooperation."
"Turkey has been Georgia's largest trading partner for the past 14 years, and now our goal is to increase the volume of trade to $ 3 billion. We are negotiating the extension of the Free Trade Agreement. We are determined to simplify trade and speed up customs procedures," Erdogan said. The head of state recalled that a number of large projects and investments have been implemented in the region with the participation of Turkey and Georgia. In this regard, President Erdogan highlighted the gas and transport corridors (the Southern Gas Corridor, the East-West international transport corridor and the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway) connecting the two countries, as well as China and Europe. In turn, Irakli Garibashvili noted that Turkey is "an extremely important friend and strategic partner" for his country. Garibashvili noted that Turkey unequivocally supports Georgia's sovereignty and its integration into NATO.
According to him, regional issues were also discussed during today's meeting. Garibashvli highly appreciated the level of interaction between Turkey, Georgia and Azerbaijan. According to him, the three countries are "united by a common destiny" based on "strong ties, excellent cooperation and friendship." Prime Minister of Georgia Irakli Garibashvili on Tuesday, June 1, arrived in Ankara on an official visit at the invitation of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. This is the first official visit of Garibashvili to Turkey after taking office as prime minister, Anadolu reports.