Georgia, which was occupied by Russia in the 19th century, existed as an independent republic in 1918-1921, and where the Soviet power was dominant starting from 1921, regained independence in 1991. After regaining independence, one of the most important issues in Georgia has been the issue of national/ethnic and religious minorities. Moreover, the privileges granted to the Georgian Church as well as the violation of the rights of Muslim minorities during this period are seriously criticized.

The most crowded population among the Muslims of Georgia is the Borchaly Turks. According to the argument of the Georgian historians, the Borchaly Turks were supposedly made to migrate to the region by Shah Abbas in the 17th century. This argument is wrong, and the researches confirm that Turks have lived in this region since very ancient times. The region known as Borchaly was included in the Kvemo Kartli region in line with the administrative region division made in Georgia after independence. In sectarian terms, an important part of the Borchaly Turks is Shia and the rest are Sunni. At present, there is not even one TurkishMuslim living in Armenia. The fact that Muslim minorities living in Georgia turn to different religious communities and sects reinforces the segregation in society. For example, there is Sunni-Shia segregation among the Borchaly Turks, albeit in small segments. While Salafism spreads strongly in the Kist community, the Salafi/Wahhabi movement may find supporters among the other Muslim groups of Georgia.

Another Muslim group living in Georgia are the Kists. The Kists mostly live in villages in the Pankisi Valley, in the northeast of Georgia, and have a strong traditional community structure. Today, the traditionalist-innovative discussions continue in the Kist community. The traditionalists are members of the Qadiriyya or Naqshbandi sect, which has existed in the Caucasus for a long time. The innovators are those who follow the Salafi/Wahhabi movement. This segregation has shown its effect on the Kist community, caused a serious transformation in the belief-based social structure, and also occasionally brought up the Pankisi Valley to the world agenda in the context of security issues. 

The Muslim minority that has the most serious identity problem in Georgia is the Adzhars. The tendency towards Christianization among the Adzhars is on the increase due to pressure or incentive. As a result of the religious policies of the Tbilisi administration following the collapse of the Soviet Union, there has been a substantial decrease in the number of Muslims in Adzharia. At this point, the Muslim Adzhars are a religious minority not only in Georgia but also in Adzharia.

One of the Muslim groups that constitute a minority in number in Georgia is the Meskhetian Turks. The Meskheti region was abandoned to the Russian Empire after the Ottoman-Russian wars, and remained within the Georgian borders during the period of the Soviet Union. In 1944, the Meskhetian Turks were exiled from their ancestral homeland to Central Asia. In 1956-1991, the Meskhetian Turks continued their struggle to return home and their organisation activities. One of the conditions of membership of Georgia to the Council of Europe in 1999 was to ensure the return of the Meskhetian Turks. However, this process failed, and very few Meskhetian Turks migrated to various regions of Georgia.

The issue of Muslim minority is one of the issues that are occasionally added to agenda and discussed in Turkey-Georgia and Azerbaijan-Georgia relations. Unfortunately, though the relations between Turkey and Georgia as well as the ones between Azerbaijan and Georgia have a strategic nature, there are still artificial phobias produced in Georgian society such as "threat of Turkey", "fear of Turk" and "economic expansionism of Azerbaijanis". The false propaganda of certain circles in Georgia and the wrong policies implemented by the Georgian administration on minorities in general play an important role in the emergence of this situation. It is observed that there are some efforts to dissolve these issues through bilateral negotiations (i.e., Turkey-Georgia and Azerbaijan-Georgia). On the other hand, thanks to the development of trilateral cooperation format which brings together all three states on the same platform today, it will be possible to dissolve the issues in a more optimal and faster way. Further development of the trilateral cooperation format is of great importance for the security, economic and social development of the region. Likewise, the meetings in the form of trilateral cooperation are held, and important documents such as the Trabzon Declaration of 8 June 2012, Batumi Communique of 28 March 2013 and Ganja Declaration of 19 February 2014 were adopted. The last of these meetings was held in Tbilisi on 23 December 2019. In face of the cooperation developed between Russia, Iran and Armenia, and including certain claims and threats against the countries in the region, it is extremely important to strengthen the cooperation line between Turkey, Azerbaijan and Georgia in terms of regional security and development. In line with the common interests of all three states, dissolution of the issues related to minorities, resolution of religious and ethnic disputes and settlement of problems in this area will be able to raise the Turkey-Azerbaijan-Georgia relations to the level of strategic cooperation in the true sense of the word.