Georgia’s President Kavelashvili attended Georgia-Turkiye football match alongside Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan

Georgia’s President, Mikheil Kavelashvili, attended the match between the Georgian and Turkish national football teams alongside his children and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

According to the President’s press service, the two leaders also held a face-to-face meeting at Kocaeli Stadium in İzmit, Turkiye, where they discussed current events and bilateral relations.

Following the match, President Kavelashvili met with the Georgian players and addressed them. He highlighted the importance of unity in the face of both victory and defeat.

“In times of triumph and setback, the key is to stay united. Let us move forward with our heads held high. You represent Georgia, and you have no right to behave otherwise. Look ahead to victory. You have brought immense joy to our nation; it was a dream for our previous generation to take such a significant step in our history of independence. The new generation observes every move you make, how you give your all until the very end, and you must set an example in this, too.

After a defeat, it’s crucial to unite and show the entire nation what you stand for, proving that all of this did not happen by chance, that you are the heroes of our country. This is of great importance. A true professional, after all, is defined not only by never accepting defeat but by accepting it, overcoming it, and raising your head high to continue. We are a nation with a history spanning over three thousand years. We have come this far because, in every setback, we stood up even stronger. We rose, we moved forward,” the President of Georgia stated.

In a World Cup qualifying match held in Izmit, Georgia suffered a 4:1 defeat against Turkiye. The game was also attended by parliamentary majority MPs Levan Makhashvili and Nikoloz Samkharadze.