Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in New York. The meeting was held within the 77th session of the UN General Assembly. According to the press service of the Government of Georgia, the main issues to be discussed were the strategic partnership between Georgia and Turkey, trade and economic relations, and the security environment in the world and the Caucasus region.
Garibashvili and Erdoğan discussed the ongoing war in Ukraine and the difficult security situation in the world and the region as a result of it. They also discussed the importance of peace and stability to ensure the region's further development and long-term prosperity. According to the press service of the Georgian government, in this context, the agreement reached between Azerbaijan and Armenia last year, mediated by Irakli Garibashvili, resulted in Azerbaijan releasing Armenian prisoners and Armenia handing over important maps to Azerbaijan.
After the meeting with President Erdoğan, Prime Minister Garibashvili wrote on Twitter that Georgia and Turkey are long-time partners and friends and are firmly committed to the strategic partnership's further development.
According to the information released by the Turkish side, President Erdoğan received Prime Minister Garibashvili at the "Turkish House" in New York, and their meeting was held closed to the press.
Turkey's official position towards the Russia-Ukraine war is neutral. Ankara acts as a mediator between the parties in humanitarian issues, for example, in the process of resuming food exports from Ukraine. A few weeks after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the negotiation process between the parties started with the mediation of Turkey, which was stopped soon after. Turkey has not joined international sanctions against Russia. The government of Georgia has refused to impose sanctions on Russia at the national level; however, it claims to abide by international sanctions.
Garibashvili also met UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. The Prime Minister said they exchanged opinions regarding the common agenda at the meeting.
"I had a fruitful meeting with the Secretary General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres. We exchanged views on the common agenda, which includes global peace, the fight against climate change, sustainable development goals, and strengthening relations between the United Nations and Georgia. We appreciate the UN's support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Georgia", wrote the Prime Minister.
In another meeting, Garibashvili met with the President of the Republic of Latvia Egils Levits at the UN General Assembly. "At the meeting, the importance of consolidating Latvia's support and efforts of international partners was noted so that the progress achieved by Georgia can be properly assessed at the upcoming summits of the Eastern Partnership and NATO," communicated the Press Office of the Government of Georgia. The Prime Minister also thanked the Latvian leader for his decision regarding the delivery of vaccines.
Commenting on the Prime Minister's visit Georgia's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ilia Darchiashvili, argued that the UN Secretary-General expressed strong support for Georgia. He positively evaluated the policy pursued by the Georgian government, the Prime Minister of Georgia, to strengthen peace and stability in the region.
