Türkiye, Georgia step up cooperation on organized crime

TBLISI

Interior Minister Mustafa Çiftçi is welcomed by his Georgian counterpart.

Türkiye and Georgia will further strengthen operational cooperation against increasingly sophisticated organized crime networks operating across borders, Turkish Interior Minister Mustafa Çiftçi said on Sept. 1, during an official visit to Tbilisi.

Speaking at a joint press conference with his Georgian counterpart, Sulkhan Tamazaşvili, Çiftçi said members of “new-generation” criminal organizations involved in crimes in Türkiye sometimes exploit the ease of movement between the two countries to cross into Georgia and seek refuge there.

“These organizations do not recognize borders,” Çiftçi said, stressing that their increasingly complex structures and reliance on digital technologies pose a serious security threat both in Türkiye and other countries.

He said criminal networks were involved in a wide range of offenses, including cyber fraud, drug trafficking, extortion, threats, attacks and shootings targeting businesses. Given the transnational nature of such groups, Çiftçi argued that no country could effectively tackle the threat on its own and called for closer operational cooperation between law enforcement agencies.

The minister also highlighted the results of existing cooperation between Turkish and Georgian authorities, saying 866 people had so far been extradited to Türkiye or deported as a result of joint efforts. Of that total, 438 cases were recorded this year alone, he said, describing the figures as evidence of the value of bilateral cooperation.

Georgia’s Interior Minister Tamazaşvili said cooperation with Türkiye was particularly important in combating organized crime, cybercrime and drug trafficking, as well as irregular migration and other forms of cross-border crime.

He said the two sides had also discussed cooperation concerning wanted persons, the strengthening of relevant mechanisms and the more effective use of international legal cooperation. Police attachés, he added, play an important role in maintaining coordination between the two countries’ law enforcement agencies.