Georgia’s President says Ambassador’s meeting with US President “welcome step” toward reengagement

Georgian President Mikheil Kavelashvili on Sunday commented on the recent meeting between Georgia’s Ambassador Tamar Taliashvili and the US President Donald Trump, calling it a positive and meaningful step in bilateral relations.

“It was a positive development that our Ambassador met with the United States President and conveyed our messages”, the President said.

In his remarks, Kavelashvili pointed out a different stance of the previous US administration.

“The administration has changed. The values and challenges that the current administration speaks about are the very issues we have been addressing from the start - these were the challenges we were fighting, not the United States or the European Union”, he continued.

“When such double standards were implemented, even the current administration is now exposing and criticizing the previous one. This ‘Russian label’ they used against others became laughable - it was used whenever they ran out of arguments. It’s now even a subject of ridicule. The fact remains: we are ready for a reboot - we have always been ready and are now awaiting reciprocal steps. I am confident that, once everything is properly understood, a meeting will take place”, he continued.

The President further emphasised that the Georgian side was not changing anything, stressing “first and foremost, we are sincere and transparent with our citizens about what we want and which path we are choosing”.

He further added that the responsibility for any reciprocal steps lied with the current US administration and the Secretary of State.

“Once that happens, we are always ready for discussions and engagement on relevant issues”, Kavelashvili concluded.