Georgian Parliament official: current US administration treats Georgia as partner, unlike previous administration

Zviad Shalamberidze, the First Deputy Chair of the Parliamentary Committee on Regional Policy and Self-Government, on Monday said that the current US administration has a fundamentally different approach toward Georgia compared to the previous Biden administration, approaching Georgia as a true partner rather than a minor nation to be marginalised.

In his interview with Imedi TV, Shalamberidze noted that the increasing number of high-level meetings between Georgian and US officials demonstrates the Trump administration’s interest in restoring partnership relations with Georgia.

“Proper communication with Georgia is beneficial for everyone. It should be beneficial for both America and Georgia. Unlike the previous administration, the current US administration has a different stance, and that stance is as follows: it approaches Georgia as a partner, rather than just some small country that the previous administration, in this case, wished to bully”, Shalamberidze said.

“The dynamics show that high-level meetings are occurring more and more frequently. The official reason provided by the American side for the arrival and meetings is that this visit is a step toward further improving and healing Georgia-US relations. Consequently, any such meeting, whether in Georgia or the United States, is certainly another step forward”, he continued.

Shalamberidze further added that the positive development currently taking place “between our countries allows us to boldly say that, sooner or later, the strategic relationship between the two nations will be restored”.