First Vice PM: Georgia, US must restart strategic cooperation from clean slate

Levan Davitashvili, the First Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia, on Thursday said the Georgian Government should start strategic cooperation with the United States from a clean slate.

In his interview with Imedi TV, Davitashvili noted that Georgia would have a new Ambassador to the United States in the near future.

“There are positive positions from the US administration regarding the candidates presented by Georgia. Standard procedures are underway, and therefore, this is not a matter that requires our involvement. This issue will be resolved in accordance with procedures, and in the near future, we will have an Ambassador to the United States, which, of course, will further strengthen our bilateral relations”, the First Vice PM said.

Davitashvili emphasised that both Georgian and US Governments had inherited a rather difficult legacy, and therefore, strategic cooperation between the two countries must begin from a clean slate.

“Of course, in the final months of the previous administration, many aspects of our relationship deteriorated. Strategic cooperation must begin anew, from a clean slate. I believe that restoring strategic cooperation is one of the key tasks for both governments. We can introduce many specific new directions into the agenda, which, of course, should be beneficial for both countries - for the United States as well as for Georgia”, he continued.

He further addressed that the sanctions imposed by the previous US administration on some members of the Georgian Government were completely unfounded, and the situation in this regard needs to change.

“At the State Department, we had a discussion about the enforcement of sanctions in general. Georgia is a model country and a partner of the US in terms of sanction enforcement. However, the sanctions that were imposed absolutely without justification on certain members of the Georgian Government are, of course, one of the obstacles in our relationship, and this must be changed”, he said.