Parliament official emphasises Caucasus, Black Sea ties in foreign policy

Nikoloz Samkharadze, the Chair of the Foreign Relations Committee of the Georgian Parliament, on Tuesday highlighted Georgia’s foreign policy priorities, emphasising strengthened political and economic ties with its southern neighbours - Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Turkey - as well as expanding relations with Central Asia, China, and the Gulf states.

In an interview with a Romanian outlet, Samkharadze outlined Georgia’s foreign policy objectives beyond its European integration path, focusing on regional partnerships and global economic cooperation.

“Georgia’s foreign policy is also oriented toward the Caucasus and the Black Sea region. Our priority is to develop political relations with our southern neighbouring countries - Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Turkey - with whom we have excellent political relations, strategic partnerships, and very strong economic, political, and strategic ties”, the Parliament official said.

Samkharadze emphasised that Georgia was also deepening bilateral relations with Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, particularly in transportation, trade, and logistics.

“Foreign policy priorities also include expanding relations with China [primarily in the trade and economic sectors], Gulf countries, and Israel. Georgia has traditionally maintained good relations with these countries, but at this stage, the economic component of these connections has gained even greater significance”, he noted.

The official reiterated that the United States remains a key strategic partner for Georgia but acknowledged that relations had not advanced significantly in the past two years due to the war in Ukraine.

Samkharadze expressed hope for a renewed engagement with the United States under a new administration.