ANKARA - Turkish Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Gul and Transportation Minister Ismail Yilmaz will travel to Georgia to attend inauguration of Batumi International Airport on May 26th.
Batumi International Airport, which is modernized by Turkish consortium TAV-Urban, will be jointly used by Turkey and Georgia.
FM Gul is expected to inaugurate the airport together with President of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili.
According to the joint use model, passengers from Turkey and third countries that arrive at Batumi International Airport will be transferred to an air terminal to be built in Hopa district of northeastern city of Artvin, without going through procedures of crossing borders. Similarly, those passengers in Hopa terminal will be transferred to Batumi Airport by private buses after they complete the procedures in Hopa.
This would allow those Turkish citizens living near Georgian border to travel with only their identification cards.
Hopa air terminal that will be built by TAV, will be operated by the holding, as well.
The joint use project was signed during Turkish President Ahmet Necdet Sezer's official visit to Georgia on March 14th, 2006.