NEW YORK

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan received Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili at the Türkevi Center, or Turkish House, in New York City on Sunday, where they discussed the importance of implementing the Middle Corridor.

Erdogan highlighted the swift operationalization of the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway as a key priority, according to the Turkish Presidency.

The Trans-Caspian East-West-Middle Corridor Initiative, also known as “the Middle Corridor,” which begins in Türkiye and passes through the Caucasus region via Georgia and Azerbaijan, crosses the Caspian Sea, traverses Central Asia and reaches China, is one of the most important components of efforts to revive the ancient Silk Road, according to Türkiye’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

During their meeting, Erdogan also thanked Georgia for its support after the major earthquakes in Türkiye in February, said a statement from Türkiye’s Communications Directorate.

Erdogan also stressed the importance of closing schools run by the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) in Georgia and freezing their assets and
congratulated the Georgian administration for the steps taken on this issue, according to the statement.

The two leaders also stressed the importance of increasing the trade volume between Türkiye and Georgia from $3 billion to $5 billion.