Georgia and Turkey are ready for the full operation of the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway

Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development Mariam Kvrivishvili met with Turkish Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Abdulkadir Uraloglu, who is visiting Georgia.

Within the framework of the visit, the Turkish Minister will participate in the session of the bilateral intergovernmental economic commission, which will be held for the sixth time. Mariam Kvrivishvili and Abdulkadir Uraloglu are co-chairs of the commission.

At the meeting, the ministers discussed the priority areas of bilateral trade and economic relations. The discussion touched upon the development of cooperation between the countries in such sectors as: bilateral trade, transport and logistics, civil aviation, tourism, etc. It was noted that Turkey is the number one trading partner and a regularly leading investor.

The fruitful cooperation in the field of transport was emphasized. It was noted that the effective use of the role of the transit corridor and the formation of a regional logistics hub is a priority direction of the Georgian government, the further development of which is closely related to the overall socio-economic development of the country.

The close and fruitful cooperation between the two countries at both the bilateral and multilateral levels was emphasized. It was noted that Georgia and Turkey are actively involved in a number of initiatives for the development of transport corridors between Europe and Asia, including the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route - the Middle Corridor, which is increasingly gaining relevance in terms of deepening regional ties, promoting global trade and economic development.

Mariam Kvrivishvili introduced the Georgian government's vision of strengthening the country's transport and logistics capabilities to her Turkish counterpart and provided detailed information on the progress of specific projects that will contribute to the country's development in this direction. Among them are the modernization of the railway, the construction of the East-West highway, the development of the Anaklia deep-sea port, the new Tbilisi International Airport, the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway, etc. The meeting emphasized the need to further activate the competitiveness of the Middle Corridor and attract additional cargo to it.

At the meeting, the ministers expressed their readiness to fully launch the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway.

Cooperation in the civil aviation sector was named another priority direction. It was noted that in January-June 2025, the number of passengers transported between the two countries as a result of direct regular flights amounted to more than 615 thousand passengers, which is 5.97% more than in the same period in 2024. It was emphasized that currently 4 Turkish airlines carry out passenger transportation between the countries with a frequency of more than 100 flights per week, and cargo air transportation is also successfully operating. It was said that work is underway with Turkey's largest airline, Turkish Airlines, to launch a new direction, which will further increase cooperation in both the aviation and tourism sectors.

As noted at the meeting, increased air traffic significantly contributes to the development of tourist traffic between the two countries - according to data from 2024, more than 1.3 million visitors have arrived in Georgia from Turkey, and with this indicator, Turkey is second in terms of international visitor arrivals to Georgia.

At the meeting, the parties also discussed cooperation between the two countries in the areas of investment, land transport, hydrography and maritime affairs, railways and other areas.

Mariam Kvrivishvili invited the Turkish minister to the fifth International Silk Road Forum, which will be held in Tbilisi on October 22-23.

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