Georgian FM: US political steps demonstrate Georgia has always been reliable partner

Georgian Foreign Minister Maka Botchorishvili on Tuesday said the political steps taken by the United States clearly demonstrated that Georgia had always been a reliable partner, stressing that the two countries had developed close ties of which Georgia was proud.

Botchorishvili made the remarks at the Concordia Annual Summit, held on the sidelines of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly, where she also highlighted the growing regional and global importance of the South Caucasus.

“The political steps taken by the United States clearly show that Georgia has always been a reliable partner. We have developed a very close partnership with the United States, and we are proud of this partnership”, Botchorishvili said.

She noted that Georgia had long contributed to missions conducted under the auspices of the United States and NATO and had played an important role in promoting peace and the peaceful resolution of conflicts in the region.

“Georgia has for a long time contributed to missions conducted under the auspices of the United States and NATO. We are proud of the partnership we have built over these decades. Georgia has always played an important role in promoting peace in the region and resolving conflicts peacefully”, she continued.

She also stressed that European integration and relations with the EU were an emotional issue for Georgia, closely linked to the country’s history and its longstanding aspiration to become part of Europe and, specifically, the European Union.

According to the Minister, the current geopolitical context was creating a situation in which Georgia was assuming an increasingly important geopolitical role, requiring the development of various partnerships. However, she stressed that this did not mean Georgia was abandoning its aspiration to join the EU.

“European integration and relations with the European Union are an emotional issue for Georgia and are closely linked to our history and our longstanding aspiration to become part of Europe and, in this case, the European Union”, Botchorishvili noted.

“In the current geopolitical context, a situation is emerging in which Georgia has a fairly important geopolitical role, which in turn requires the development of various partnerships. However, this does not mean that we are replacing our aspiration to become a member of the European Union”, she added.

Botchorishvili said the South Caucasus had gone through a particularly difficult period, but Georgia was proud of having maintained security and stability in the country, thereby creating a foundation for economic development and deeper cooperation in the future.

“The role of the South Caucasus is growing not only from a regional but also from a global perspective. What is happening in the region is also important for the United States. This creates new opportunities for Georgia”, the Minister concluded.