Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili lauded Turkey as “one of the major regional and global players” and commended the “unique friendship and brotherhood” between the two states in his address at a reception dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the Republic of Turkey in Tbilisi.
Extending his congratulations to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his people on the “historic date”, the head of the Georgian Government stressed Turkey had transformed itself into one of the “key” states worldwide due to its “unwavering ambition and consistent policies”.
"Turkey has become one of the major political and economic players both regionally and globally. We highly appreciate Turkey's significant contribution to promoting peace, stability and development both in the neighbourhood and beyond," Garibashvili said.
The PM said the partnership between Turkey and Georgia had gradually turned into a “solid strategic partnership”, which he claimed was “particularly evident” in “dynamic economic” ties.
Describing Turkey as one of Georgia's “main” trade partners over the years, Garibashvili said the bilateral trade turnover had amounted to $2 bln in the first eight months of this year, and expressed his hope the figure would increase to $3 bln by the end of this year.
He also noted Turkish companies continued to invest in Georgia and foreign direct investment had reached almost $370 million in the last three years, while the number of Turkish businesses in Georgia exceeded 10,000.
Speaking about the strategic location of the two countries, Garibashvili said Georgia and Turkey were playing a “crucial role” in connecting Europe and Asia.
