Georgia’s Vice Prime Minister and Defence Minister Irakli Chikovani is visiting the Republic of Turkey at the invitation of his Turkish counterpart, Yaşar Güler.

According to the Defence Ministry’s press service, as part of the visit to İzmir, Irakli Chikovani attended a demonstration exercise of the multinational military drill “EFES-2026” at the Doğanbey training ground, in which Georgian servicemen participated in both staff and field exercises.

The Honorary Observers’ Day was attended by the President of the Republic of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan; Turkish Defence Minister Yaşar Güler; Azerbaijani Defence Minister Colonel-General Zakir Hasanov; and senior military and political representatives from various countries. Accompanying the Georgian Defence Minister were Lieutenant-General Giorgi Matiashvili, Commander of the Georgian Defence Forces, and his deputy, Major-General Zaza Chkhaidze.

Alongside the “EFES-2026” multinational exercises, the two ministers held a bilateral meeting. According to the Defence Ministry, the Defence Ministers of Georgia and Turkey discussed cooperation between the two countries and upcoming plans. Irakli Chikovani thanked his Turkish counterpart for the invitation and emphasised the close and productive cooperation that exists between the two countries in the field of defence. The Minister expressed gratitude to the strategic partner for its support of Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. Discussions touched on security challenges and the importance of peace and stability in the region. The two sides focused on bilateral and trilateral cooperation formats in the defence sphere, encompassing a range of areas: high-level visits, joint exercises, training courses, expert-level consultations, and more.

“EFES-2026” is one of the Turkish Armed Forces’ largest and most strategically significant multinational exercises, bringing together nearly 50 countries. The Georgian Defence Forces participated in the multinational exercise for the fourth time.

Members of the Georgian Defence Ministry’s delegation also attended a defence industry exhibition held as part of the exercises, where they familiarised themselves with products from leading Turkish defence industry companies.