Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze expressed his country’s desire to correct the course of its relationship with the United States.
Kobakhidze said in his speech at the conclusion of an ambassadorial conference, “One of our main foreign policy priorities is to correct the course of relations with the United States, which we will do our best to do,” according to what was reported by the newspaper “Georgia Today.”
Kobakhidze also indicated that there is absolute openness and willingness to correct the course of relations, and we hope that there will be similar steps under the new administration.
The Georgian Prime Minister added, “We also aspire to renew the strategic partnership, and to do so with a specific road map, which will reflect specific tangible results, and we hope that under the new administration we will see effective and responsive steps.”
Irakli Garibashvili announced that his government is ready to “reset relations” with the United States and the European Union, stressing the importance of starting new strategic partnerships with clear directives.
These statements came one day after Mikheil Kavelishvili, known for his strong criticism of the West, was sworn in as the new president of Georgia, according to a report by the “Balkan” news platform.
Last November, the Georgian Prime Minister suspended his country’s accession negotiations to the European Union, accusing the Union of “blackmail.” But he has now indicated that his government is ready to work to resume relations with the West. “We have publicly proposed to the United States to start a new strategic partnership, and we are similarly prepared to resume relations with the European Union,” he explained.
The Prime Minister linked the resumption of relations with Washington and Brussels to three main conditions: the parliamentary elections in Georgia, the US presidential elections, the results of which will become clear with the inauguration of the president on January 20, and the end of the war in Ukraine. He said: “After achieving these conditions, we are confident that our country’s situation will improve.”
Irakli also stressed that the end of the war in Ukraine is a common interest, saying: “The sooner the war in Ukraine ends, the better for Ukraine and its people, but also for our region and for Georgia.”
In a related context, the Georgian Prime Minister accused the pro-European Union opposition parties of being in a “state of self-destruction,” but he expected them to enter Parliament by next February.
It is noteworthy that four of the main opposition pro-European Union parties have boycotted Parliament since the parliamentary elections last October, where the ruling “Georgian Dream” party won 54% of the votes. The opposition, including outgoing President Salome Zurabishvili, has described the elections as fraudulent, citing a number of electoral violations.
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