Giorgi Gabunia, Chair of the Culture Committee, and the Committee member, Giorgi Sosiashvili attended the opening ceremony of the Istanbul International Literary Festival (UTEF) in Istanbul, Turkey.

The opening ceremony of the 2025 Trabzon International Festival was hosted by the Beyoğlu State Library in Istanbul. Within the framework of the event, with the support of the Consulate of Georgia in Istanbul, a presentation of a book by Giorgi Sosiashvili published in the Turkish language (“Prose Collection,” translated by Harun Çimke) was held. Addresses were delivered by the Chair of the Culture Committee of the Parliament of Georgia, Giorgi Gabunia; Committee Member Giorgi Sosiashvili; the Consul of Georgia in Istanbul, Zakaria Megrelishvili; and the Rector of Gori State University, Aleksandre Mghebrishvili.

The festival, the planned events of which will continue in Trabzon, is dedicated this year to the distinguished Georgian scholar and public figure Tariel Putkaradze. Committee Member Giorgi Sosiashvili spoke to the audience about Putkaradze’s life and work, as well as his significant contribution to Georgian–Turkish cultural relations.

The festival was founded in Trabzon in 2014 and has been held annually with the support of the authorities of the Republic of Turkey.

Writers, poets, and playwrights from various countries participate in the international literary event. The festival aims to deepen cultural dialogue among people.

In different years, the Trabzon International Literature Festival has been dedicated to Shota Rustaveli, Ilia Chavchavadze, Vazha-Pshavela, Otia Ioseliani, Nodar Dumbadze, Ana Kalandadze, and Tariel Kharhelauri.

The event held at the Beyoğlu State Library in Istanbul was attended by Turkish writers, representatives of the Georgian diaspora, and local government officials.