Turkey-Georgia collaboration promotes regional peace, according to Erdogan
Turkey, Georgia, Azerbaijan, and Iran Strengthen Cooperation in South Caucasus
The strategic frameworks known as the Türkiye-Georgia-Azerbaijan trilateral mechanism, launched in 2014, and the Türkiye-Georgia-Azerbaijan-Iran format, inaugurated in 2018, have been instrumental in promoting cooperation across political, economic, and security domains in the South Caucasus.
These mechanisms, which aim to enhance regional stability, peace, and prosperity, have been significant in advancing regional peace and stability by enabling dialogue and cooperative projects among the countries sharing complex geopolitical interests and challenges.
Turkey, Georgia, and Azerbaijan have been actively working together on security, economic development, and regional infrastructure. Turkey, being Georgia's largest trade partner since 2007, highlights the economic dimension of these arrangements. The trilateral cooperation mechanisms also serve to counter external destabilizing forces and reduce dependence on powers like Russia by opening new transport and energy routes, exemplified by projects like the Baku–Tbilisi–Ceyhan pipeline.
The trilateral mechanisms have also been crucial in supporting humanitarian efforts, such as the dignified and safe return of the Ahıska Turks to their homeland in Georgia. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan reaffirmed Turkey's support for this cause during his recent meeting with Georgian President Mikheil Kavelashvili.
The inclusion of Iran in the Türkiye-Georgia-Azerbaijan-Iran format, inaugurated in 2018, aims to broaden diplomatic and economic cooperation in Eurasia. While Iran's role in the Caucasus is nuanced, these trilateral mechanisms aim to harmonize competing interests, as exemplified by the management of critical transport routes such as the Zangezur corridor.
President Erdoğan and President Kavelashvili met in Ankara on Tuesday, marking Kavelashvili's first official visit to Turkey since taking office in December 2024. The leaders discussed key regional crises, including the war in Ukraine and the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, and emphasized the positive impact of these trilateral formats on regional stability.
In recent years, Türkiye-Georgia relations have advanced through high-level visits, shared infrastructure projects, and common positions on regional stability. Both countries have embassies in each other's capitals, and Turkey operates a consulate general in Batumi, Georgia. Georgia, in turn, has consulates general in Istanbul and Trabzon, Turkey, with Trabzon located on the border with Georgia.
These trilateral mechanisms, therefore, continue to play a vital role in fostering dialogue among stakeholders, supporting humanitarian and infrastructural projects, and striving to stabilize a historically volatile region with competing ethnic and geopolitical interests.
- In addition to the trilateral cooperation with Georgia and Azerbaijan, Turkey also seeks diplomatic and economic expansion with Iran as part of the Türkiye-Georgia-Azerbaijan-Iran format, aiming to promote broader cooperation in Eurasia.
- The role of diplomacy in these trilateral mechanisms has been pivotal, as illustrated by President Erdoğan's meeting with Georgian President Mikheil Kavelashvili in Ankara to discuss key regional issues, such as the war in Ukraine and the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza.
- The strategic frameworks, including the Türkiye-Georgia-Azerbaijan trilateral mechanism established in 2014 and the Türkiye-Georgia-Azerbaijan-Iran format inaugurated in 2018, have extended to Ankara, with President Erdoğan hosting President Kavelashvili for his first official visit to Turkey since his office tenure began in December 2024.
