Georgian President Mikheil Kavelashvili offered his condolences to President of Turkiye Recep Tayyip Erdoğan over the military aircraft crash incident in a telephone conversation with his Turkish counterpart.

“I held a telephone conversation with the President of the Republic of Türkiye, H.E. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. I conveyed my deepest condolences to my Turkish counterpart regarding the crash of a Turkish Air Force cargo plane in Georgia. The conversation also addressed the ongoing search and rescue operations. In these difficult moments, we stand in steadfast solidarity with the people of Türkiye, and sincerely share your grief and sorrow,” Kavelashvili wrote in the social media post.

For reference, a Turkish military aircraft crashed in Sighnaghi municipality, approximately 5 kilometres from Georgia’s state border. The plane was conducting a flight on the Azerbaijan-Türkiye route. An investigation into the incident is underway under Article 275, Part 4 of the Criminal Code, which covers violations of air transport safety or operational regulations resulting in loss of life or injury.