''This visit is a great honor for me. I want to express my gratitude to you for this warm meeting,'' Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Gharibashvili said at the joint press conference with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
Mr. Gharibashvili defined Turkey as Georgia's immensely important ally and strategic partner.
''You mentioned that Turkey had been Georgia's No.1 trade partner for multiple years, and we have carried out different important joint projects such as Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan, Baku-Tbilisi-Kars, and Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum. We have had an immensely productive talk and discussed almost all issues regarding the cooperation between our countries. I want to take this opportunity and express my gratitude to you for supporting our country's sovereignty. I also want to point out that Turkey has always and within all formats supported Georgia's sovereignty and its aspiration to become a NATO member country. Additionally, I also want to respond to the president's statement on our supreme strategic council's next meeting, which I am looking forward to. Fate has decided that Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Turkey are interdependent countries linked by close cooperation, partnership, and, most importantly, friendship,'' Mr. Gharibashvili declared.
