Georgian FM: Georgia seeks fresh start in strategic partnership with US

Georgian Foreign Minister Maka Botchorishvili on Monday said the Georgian Government was seeking to restart strategic partnership talks with the United States from a “clean slate”, adding that the partnership should be filled with substance and based on the interests of both countries.

Speaking to journalists, Botchorishvili noted she had the opportunity to speak with the US Secretary of State on the sidelines of the opening ceremony of the Milan Winter Olympics.

She further added that the new US administration had inherited what she described as a “very negative legacy” in relations with Georgia.

“The US Secretary of State has clearly stated that all this should be reviewed and relations with Georgia should be raised to some extent on the agenda of the United States”, the FM said.

“We hope that in the near future we will see concrete steps taken by the United States to normalize relations with Georgia, first of all, and then to discuss the matters that we have discussed many times. We want a strategic partnership from a clean slate, a strategic partnership that will be filled with substance, taking into account the interests of both countries”, she continued.

Botchorishvili emphasised that the Georgian side had the opportunity to communicate with US representatives over two days. She noted that on the first day, communication took place with US Vice President JD Vance, and on the second day, with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

“On the first day, we communicated with US Vice President JD Vance, and on the second day, we communicated with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, which was quite meaningful, and even in that short time, we were able to focus on the important issues that are on the Georgia-US agenda today”, she added.

Botchorishvili also noted that in parallel, the Georgian Deputy Foreign Minister Lasha Darsalia was holding high-level meetings in various institutions in Washington

“Of course we expect that the issue of reviewing relations with Georgia will be more actively on the agenda of the United States”, she concluded.