Georgian authorities did not hesitate to clearly and unconditionally support Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in his fight against "the regime of the colonels" that tried to establish military dictatorship in Turkey. Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili and President Giorgi Margvelashvili even voiced their support on the night of coup attempt, when phrase "it is not clear who controls the situation" still prevailed in the world media (CNN, for example).
Immediately after the night session of the National Security Council, chaired by President Margvelashvili, head of the Cabinet of Ministers informed that he intends to visit Turkey for a working visit in the near future. The visit took place, becoming a manifestation of diplomatic support for Turkish authorities, who, as Giorgi Kvirikashvili stated, "defended democracy".
Georgian Prime Minister was warmly greeted at the highest level. President Erdogan expressed his gratitude to the Georgian government for the support and said that he hopes for further development of friendly relations.
Giorgi Kvirikashvili did not return from Ankara empty handed. He signed several important agreements - on promotion and protection of investments, on compliance with parties' interests in rail transportations, employment and social guarantees, on cooperation between penitentiary institutions.
Last agreement is especially important because, as the Minister of Corrections and Legal Assistance Kakha Kahishvili explained, it allows Tbilisi to raise the issue of extradition of Georgian citizens, who committed crimes on the territory of Turkey, so that they could serve their sentence at homeland.
"We believe that Giorgi Kvirikashvili's visit is a manifestation of support of Georgian nation for Turkish nation on the background of such tragic events," Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said after talks with his Georgian counterpart. According to him, these agreements became "the indicators of potential development of cooperation between Turkey and Georgia." In turn, Georgian Prime Minister stressed that only "democratic and stable Turkey" corresponds to the interests of Georgia.
