Turkish-Georgian relations exemplary, Georgian President says

The Georgian president said relations between Turkey and Georgia are “exemplary” during a visit by the Turkish prime minister to the Black Sea resort city of Batumi on Monday.

Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili’s remarks came while he was speaking during the ribbon-cutting ceremony of the Sheraton Batumi Hotel, built by Turkish businessmen, with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. “I have had very good relations with many leaders; Georgia has very close cooperation with many countries, but Turkey’s exemplary cooperates with Georgia it an example for the whole of Europe and for the entire region,” Saakashvili said, as reported by the Georgian media.

Speaking during the opening ceremony, Erdoğan said the hotel is a shining white star for Batumi and the city is one of the most beautiful places in the Black Sea region. Expressing his thanks to businessman Nurettin Çarmıklı and Nuron Holding for designing such a wonderful hotel, Erdoğan said the hotel’s architectural design was a very important project. He added that tourism is significant for the Turkish economy and that during his party’s seven years in power, they had paid great attention to tourism.

Saakashvili also spoke about Iran’s recently signed agreement on its nuclear program. He said he has not seen such a prompt resolution of issues or such effective intergovernmental cooperation as they had with Turkey and that this was thanks to Erdoğan. Saakashvili went on to say that the Turkish government sets an example in that no matter what the global crisis, if the government and people are strong, it is always possible to improve the situation.

Saakashvili said the agreement with Iran, mediated by Brazil and Turkey, was “a diplomatic victory.” Later during the ceremony, Saakashvili awarded Erdoğan with the Order of the Golden Fleece for his contribution to the development of bilateral relations.