Georgian FM: Georgia must develop partnerships across multiple directions

Georgian Foreign Minister Maka Botchorishvili said on Friday that relying on a single international partner would be a mistake in today’s global environment, stressing that the country’s constitutional strategic objectives do not preclude, but rather require, the development of partnerships across multiple directions.

In her interview with Imedi TV, Botchorishvili noted that Georgia’s engagement with Central Asia carries significant potential and can bring mutual benefits, as cooperation with Georgia also serves the interests of countries in the region.

“It would be a big mistake on Georgia’s part to focus on only one partner in today’s world. We have our strategic goals, which are declared and written in our Constitution, but this certainly does not exclude and, on the contrary, requires the development of our partnerships in various directions wherever possible and wherever Georgia’s interests may lie”, she said.

The Minister noted that Georgia has limited resources and could not allocate equal attention to every foreign policy direction.

“In general, the Asian direction is one where, it can be said, relatively little resource has been spent on our part over the years. We are a small country and do not have the capacity to distribute foreign policy resources equally in every direction, and of course, in the current circumstances it is very important that we fill certain gaps in our relations and focus precisely on those countries that are growing economies, strategically important, and that today recognise Georgia’s importance in the current geopolitical situation”, Botchorishvili noted.

She added that current global developments create an opportunity for Georgia to deepen relations with countries that have strategic importance and share mutual interests with Tbilisi.

“Accordingly, this interest is mutual, and in this case relations with Central Asia are very important. The potential is enormous, which will bring benefits both to our country and to them, as cooperation with Georgia is in their interest”, she concluded.