The President of Georgia met the Georgian sailors, led by an official Georgian delegation, who arrived in Turkey from Kenya after being rescued from the captivity of Somalian pirates. The Prime Minister of Turkey met the sailors along with the President of Georgia.
Mikheil Saakashvili and Recep Tayyp Erdogan met one on one and later held a joint press conference.
Mikheil Saakashvili thanked the sailors for their bravery and the solidarity they showed each other while in captivity.
“I am very glad that our Turkish brothers are also returning to their families. This is very important. It is incredibly hard to imagine what kind of a hell these people went through while being there. This is probably one of the worst things that could happen to a person during a lifetime. It is extremely important that they are now free” – stated the President of Georgia.
Mikheil Saakashvili also touched on the Georgian-Turkish relations and focused attention on the projects that the two countries are implementing together. He noted that Turkey is distinguished by its dynamically developing economy which is a prerequisite for developing the entire region.
During his welcoming address, Recep Tayyip Erdogan thanked the President of Georgia for brokering the return of the Turkish sailors along with the Georgian sailors. In their turn, the Turkish sailors and their families also thanked Mikheil Saakashvili.
The Prime Minister of Turkey mentioned that cooperation of the two countries is developing even more. As he noted, implementing joint projects contributes in bringing the two countries closer.
“I would like to note that our relations have developed extraordinarily in the recently. This means cooperation in terms of military, economic, and tourism spheres. The cooperation in the energy sphere is also notable. We are implementing a large railway project, which will connect Tbilisi and Baku through Kars. This project is being implemented quickly. It will bring our two countries even closer. We will take this project to the end, of course, with the assistance of Mikheil Saakashvili. We also have very important achievements in the culture sphere” – noted the Prime Minister of Turkey.
After the end of the press conference, the President of Georgia flew to Batumi with the sailors, where their families had been expecting the rescued sailors.
15 Georgian and 3 Turkish sailors spent 508 days in the captivity of Somalian pirates. The President of Georgia was personally involved in the process of rescuing them.