Georgian Defense Minister and Vice Prime Minister Irakli Chikovani spoke by phone with Turkish Defense Minister Yaşar Güler following the crash of a Turkish military cargo plane near the Georgian-Azerbaijani border.

According to the Georgian Ministry of Defense, Chikovani expressed profound sorrow over the tragedy and conveyed condolences on behalf of Georgia’s Defense Ministry to his Turkish counterpart.

He also offered sympathy to the families and loved ones of the victims, as well as to the Turkish Armed Forces and the people of Türkiye.

The Georgian Ministry of Internal Affairs reported that the Turkish military aircraft, traveling from Azerbaijan toward Türkiye, crashed in the Sighnaghi municipality, approximately five kilometers from the Georgian border.

Sakaeronavigatsia, Georgia’s air navigation agency, confirmed that both Ganja Airport and Turkish authorities were promptly notified of the incident.

The Turkish Ministry of Defense stated that the aircraft was a C-130 transport plane carrying 20 servicemen when it went down near the Georgian-Azerbaijani border.