Afət Ziyadqızı
Georgian media gave extensive coverage to the meeting between the presidents of Azerbaijan and Türkiye.
“Operative Information Center-OMM” reports that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s official visit to Azerbaijan was a focus of attention for the country’s media.
The country’s leading television channels, news agencies and business publications provided timely coverage of the visit. They published separate reports on the meeting between President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Shusha, as well as on the messages delivered by the two leaders.
Georgia’s First Channel, 1TV, reported on November 8 that Erdoğan had arrived in Azerbaijan. Its coverage highlighted the welcome ceremony at Fuzuli International Airport, the subsequent official reception in Shusha and the fact that the visit coincided with November 8, Victory Day.
The broadcaster later published a separate report on the Azerbaijani and Turkish presidents’ remarks at a joint news conference. The headline emphasized the Turkish president’s support for Azerbaijan’s efforts to secure lasting peace in the region. The report also included President Aliyev’s remarks that the unity between Türkiye and Azerbaijan was eternal and unshakable.
“InterpressNews,” one of Georgia’s prominent news agencies, also gave extensive coverage to the visit. Its report covered Erdoğan’s official visit to Azerbaijan, the reception ceremony in Shusha and the two leaders’ statements to the media. It also noted that the Azerbaijani and Turkish presidents had visited the Khojaly genocide memorial.
Georgian media interest in the visit began before November 8. Three days earlier, on November 5, 1TV published a separate report on Erdoğan’s remarks about relations with Azerbaijan. Its headline highlighted his message that ties between the two countries went beyond ordinary diplomatic relations and that their existing brotherhood could overcome any obstacle.
The same remarks also drew the attention of “InterpressNews.” On November 5, the agency used the statement “There is no obstacle that the brotherhood between Türkiye and Azerbaijan cannot overcome” as its headline.
Two key themes stand out in Georgian media coverage of the visit. The first is the strategic relationship between Azerbaijan and Türkiye and the messages of unity and solidarity delivered by the two leaders. The second is the importance of their ties for peace, security and regional developments in the South Caucasus.
Notably, Georgian publications did not present the visit solely as a protocol event. Erdoğan’s remarks before the trip were covered separately, followed by reports on the visit itself, the official reception in Shusha, the leaders’ meeting and their statements at the news conference.
Coverage of President Aliyev’s remarks focused on the unbreakable unity of Türkiye and Azerbaijan, the two countries’ solidarity during the war and the future development of their relations. In Erdoğan’s remarks, Georgian media highlighted his support for Azerbaijan’s efforts to establish lasting peace in the region, the reconstruction of Garabagh and the emergence of a new era in the South Caucasus.
Local media coverage indicates that Tbilisi follows Azerbaijan-Türkiye relations not only as bilateral ties but also in the context of regional developments in the South Caucasus. Georgian publications gave particular attention to the visit’s coincidence with Azerbaijan’s Victory Day on November 8, its location in Shusha and the two presidents’ messages on peace and cooperation in the region.
