Turkish ambassador: Georgia’s security, stability, and prosperity are of great importance not only to our bilateral ties, but also to our entire region

“We acknowledge that Georgia’s security, stability, and prosperity are of great importance not only to our bilateral ties, but also to our entire region. In an effort to further our bilateral relations in all possible dimensions, Türkiye’s strong political determination exists,” stated Mustafa Türker Arı, Ambassador of the Republic of Turkey to Georgia, in a message marking the 103rd anniversary of the proclamation of the Republic of Turkey.

“On this day, we are celebrating 103rd anniversary of the proclamation of the Republic of Türkiye. The Turkish nation, united around our great leader Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, started a National Struggle -in our literature Milli Mücadele- just after the First World War.

This impressive series of national solidarity in all corners of our beloved country, also laid the foundations of the Republic of Türkiye through victories achieved by profound sacrifice and courage. The Republic was thus proclaimed on October 29, 1923, by Gazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk and our other national struggle leaders around him.

Today, under the strong leadership of H.E. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Türkiye pursues an active diplomacy in its region and beyond. We have a principled and peaceful foreign policy based on Great Atatürk’s motto: “Peace at Home, Peace in the World”.  At a time when the current era in global politics is extraordinary not merely because of the proliferation of geopolitical crises, but there are also true structural shifts, our foreign policy centers peace in all our diplomatic initiatives around the globe.

Türkiye is one of the states which can hold the diplomatic line, de-escalate tensions, and keep dignified dialogue channels open, as our Foreign Minister H.E. Hakan Fidan have been underlining recently.

Therefore, Türkiye’s involvement in regional peace efforts has been sought as we bring the convergence of many distinct forms of strategic capacity such as geographic depth, institutional reach, our historical and substantive ties with the Global South and with actors beyond the traditional Western sphere, including Africa and Latin America. We have a diplomatic network which is the third largest in the entire world.

Mindful of the fact that Türkiye – Georgia interaction and exchange date back to centuries, today we are two strategic partners, upholding family and family values, sharing immense cultural and humanitarian ties that go beyond their status as neighbors.

Remembering the Peace and Friendship Treaty of the two countries signed on June 4, 1918, and also the first Georgian Ambassador Simon Mdivani’s presenting his Credential to Gazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk on 8 February 1921, we have seen a significant progress on bilateral cooperation in every field over the past 35 years since the re-establishment of diplomatic relations between our two countries. Today, we are spending every effort to find new dimensions in our cooperation for sustaining peace and stability in the region, while at the same time consolidating what we have achieved on our friendship. As great Georgian poet Shota Rustaveli said in his famous poem The Knight in the Panther Skin, “The love of a friend is the strongest of all.”

There is a wide-ranging collaboration spanning from education to military domain, from culture to tourism sectors. Through TIKA’s projects, International Maarif Schools programs, Türkiye Scholarships, and Yunus Emre Turkish Cultural Center’s programs, Turkish Airlines and other companies’ flights, we encourage all interested partners to cement our close ties in these fields. Turkish Banks in Georgia, namely Ziraat Bank and İşbank, have been contributing to the financial cooperation since many decades now.  Defense industry cooperation has a great potential to explore in our relations and we are looking forward to take new steps.

Türkiye is proud to be Georgia’s number 1 trade partner for the last 18 years. Bilateral trade volume stands at 3,1 billion USD. In the first eight months of 2026, trade volume reached 2,3 billion USD. We are actively working to increase our annual trade volume to 5 billion USD. Free Trade Agreement provides an additional impetus to reaching this target. Thanks to the favorable economic environment provided by Georgia, nearly three thousand Turkish companies are operating in infrastructure, hospitality, civil aviation, renewable energy, manufacturing sectors. Total Turkish investments in Georgia reached 2,5 billion USD. In addition to the 5,6 billion USD worth of projects they have undertaken, Turkish construction firms are also showing strong interest in Georgia’s infrastructure development projects.

I would like to emphasize Türkiye’s firm support for Georgia’s territorial integrity and sovereignty. We acknowledge that Georgia’s security, stability, and prosperity are of great importance not only to our bilateral ties, but also to our entire region. In an effort to further our bilateral relations in all possible dimensions, Türkiye’s strong political determination exists.

Taking this happy occasion, I would like to present my sincere greetings to the friendly people of Georgia and thank for sharing the joy of our celebration,” the Turkish ambassador stated.