Georgian Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili visited Turkey on Thursday to discuss ways of keeping bilateral ties strong and further developing mutual cooperation between the two countries.
Meeting on Thursday with billionaire Ivanishvili, who became Georgia's prime minister in the country's recent elections, Parliament Speaker Çiçek said he wants the various difficulties Turkish businessmen face in the northeastern neighbor to be eliminated, as this will yield greater profits for Georgia as well.
"We have deep historical and cultural ties connecting our nations. Moreover, there are many Turkish businessmen in Georgia who serve as a bridge of prosperity and progress between the two countries. We are aware of the difficulties they are encountering and think that if those problems are eliminated it will benefit Georgian nationals, too," Çiçek said during his meeting with Ivanishvili on Thursday.
Çiçek also noted that Turkey is observing the political developments in Georgia, adding that Ankara places a special emphasis on Georgia's integration into NATO.
Ivanishvili's visit is important for the discussion of energy and transport projects that were begun long ago between the two states. Moreover, cooperation in the fields of culture, security, military and education will be addressed during the meetings of the Georgian prime minister.
Before the Ankara visit, Georgian Defense Minister Irakli Alasania said on Monday that cooperation between the defense ministries is expected to be discussed. Alasania said he also plans to visit Armenia and Azerbaijan in March and hold talks about plans for military cooperation. “One country cannot provide security in the region. We need to reinforce every format to provide regional security and Georgia will be one of the leading cornerstones,” Alasania said at Monday's briefing.
During the visit, Ivanishvili is accompanied by Economy Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili, Foreign Minister Maia Panjikidze, Defense Minister Alasania, Energy Minister Kakha Kaladze and Irakli Kovzanadze, head of the state-owned JSC Partnership Fund, and the representatives of the Ministries of Finance and Culture.
Ivanishvili's visit to Turkey comes after he visited Azerbaijan in late December and Armenia in January. His first visit after he was elected as prime minister of Georgia was to Brussels, although he was widely expected to make his first trip to the US.
Ivanishvili met with Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos on Jan. 23.
With a solid victory over President Mikheil Saakshvili's United National Movement (UNM) in October's parliamentary elections, Ivanishvili's nine-party Georgian Dream coalition won 83 seats in the 150-member parliament, making him the prime minister of a country expected to become a parliamentary republic. Georgia has so far been a presidential republic, but it plans to transform into a parliamentary one after this year's presidential election, when amendments will be made to the constitution.
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