Tbilisi expects US to prioritize relations, take concrete steps ‘soon’, FM

Georgian Foreign Minister Maka Botchorishvili on Monday claimed that the US Secretary of State had highlighted the need to review the current approach toward Georgia and ensure the country was more prominently placed on the US agenda. 

During a visit to Italy for the Winter Olympics, the FM expressed hope that concrete steps would soon be taken to normalize relations and address existing issues between the two countries.

Botchorishvili further noted she had met with several US officials during the Olympics, including Vice President Jay D. Vance, and described the exchange as highly substantive, noting that even in a short time they were able to highlight key issues currently on the Georgia-US agenda.

“During the Milan Olympics opening, I had the opportunity to speak with the US Secretary of State. It is clear that the new administration inherited a very negative legacy in its relations with Georgia. The Secretary emphasized that this needs to be reviewed and that Georgia should be more prominently placed on the US agenda. We hope that in the near future, we will see concrete steps from the US aimed at normalizing relations and addressing issues we have raised multiple times. We seek a strategic partnership built on a clean slate, one that is substantive and reflects the interests of both countries,” Botchorishvili told the press.

She added that alongside her meetings, Deputy Foreign Minister Lasha Darsalia conducted several high-level meetings in Washington, further supporting the Georgian side’s expectation that the US would actively reconsider its agenda regarding Georgia.