Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze has stated that contacts, including at a high level, have recently been maintained between Tbilisi and Washington, which he said provides grounds to expect an improvement in relations between the two countries.
He noted that he had discussed these issues with US representatives, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and believes that against this backdrop, the possibility of “restarting” Georgian-American relations remains.
Kobakhidze also stated that the Georgian authorities feel the support of society and are confident in their position, adding that the government’s opponents, by contrast, are reacting negatively to the emergence of positive signals in relations with the US.
“We feel very confident, based on the fact that we have the support of society. As for Georgian-American relations, which our opposition is very nervous about, we have had several contacts, including my communication with Mr. Rubio, and all of this maintains our confidence that it is possible to restart Georgian-American relations.
This is today’s reality; as for the rest, let us calmly wait for developments. The opposition is nervous about positive trends. We are pleased by positive trends,” the head of the Georgian government stated.
Irakli Kobakhidze also commented on the visit to Georgia of Peter Andreoli, a representative of the US State Department’s Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs, noting that during the visit, the sides plan to discuss the details of bilateral cooperation.
According to him, Tbilisi expects a clearer position from Washington and is ready to discuss restoring the strategic partnership with the US “with a clean slate” and according to a concrete roadmap.
“We took a very clear position from the very beginning, we were waiting for the position of the American side. We are glad that positive trends have been observed recently; as for the rest, let’s wait,” the Prime Minister concluded.
