Georgian Parliament Speaker emphasises Georgia’s commitment to strengthening US partnership

Georgian Parliament speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Friday addressed the current state of bilateral relations with the United States, expressing optimism for a “reset” under the new US administration.

In his remarks, Papuashvili emphasised that while Georgia has historically been a distinguished strategic partner to the US, relations were severely strained by the previous administration.

He stressed that the previous US administration's approach brought relations to a level that was “absolutely unacceptable” for Georgia. However, he believes the change in leadership in Washington presents a unique window of opportunity.

“The Georgian society has shown remarkable wisdom throughout this period, observing a world in turmoil since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine. In this chaos, the Georgian people proved to be among the most prudent, navigating this period calmly and in a way that prioritised their own interests. As a result, we are now in a position to have very structured discussions, including with our American colleagues. We can openly talk about our interests and, naturally, enter any relationship based on our national priorities, while also recognising that other countries have their own interests, and that is the basis for dialogue”, he said.

Papuashvili mentioned that Marco Rubio himself had declared that the new US administration's foreign policy principle was to acknowledge the national interests of other nations and engage with them accordingly.

“The main task, as highlighted by Rubio, is to identify where the interests of the American people and those of other nations - in this case, the Georgian people - align. Based on this alignment, genuine political partnership can be built”, Papuashvili concluded.