Georgian PM: reset of US-Georgia relations hinges on Ukraine war’s end

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze on Monday linked the reset of US-Georgia relations to the conclusion of the war in Ukraine, emphasizing the importance of regional stability.

The strategic partnership with the United States, formalized under the 2009 Strategic Partnership Charter, has been suspended following Washington’s reaction to Kobakhidze’s announcement last month to delay Georgia’s European integration process until 2028.

“First of all, we must wait for the war in Ukraine to end. The sooner the war in Ukraine ends, the better for Ukraine, the region, and Georgia,” Kobakhidze told the media.

He also cited three cumulative conditions for improving ties – Georgia’s October 26 general elections, the US elections set to culminate with the January 20 inauguration, and the resolution of the Ukraine war.

The Prime Minister expressed confidence that meeting these conditions would ease pressures on Georgia, including the “removal of demands for the country to serve as a second front” in the ongoing conflict.

The US-Georgia Strategic Partnership Charter, signed in January 2009, established working groups in four areas – Defense and Security, Economy, Trade and Energy, Democracy and Good Governance, and People-to-People Relations. These partnerships remain on hold as relations await recalibration.