Georgian FM: Deputy FM’s visit to Washington signals Georgia’s readiness to reset US relations

Georgian Foreign Minister Maka Botchorishvili on Wednesday said the Deputy Foreign Minister Lasha Darsalia’s visit to Washington aimed to engage with US officials, keep Georgia on the US agenda, and demonstrate the country’s readiness to reset its strategic partnership with the United States.

In her remarks, Botchorishvili noted that Georgia was awaiting proposals from the United States regarding the renewal of bilateral relations.

“We are patiently awaiting proposals and discussions from the United States regarding the renewal and reset of relations with Georgia. Recently, a congressional delegation visited Georgia, and we discussed Georgia-US relations and ongoing processes in the country with them”, she said.

The Foreign Minister praised Darsalia’s efforts to communicate with key figures in Washington, emphasising the importance of dialogue and international visibility.

“Mr. Lasha Darsalia’s visit to Washington also serves the purpose of communicating with as many people as possible, raising discussions about Georgia, and keeping Georgia on the US agenda in the sense that we are ready to reset relations”, Botchorishvili noted.

She also commented on the US House Judiciary interim report titled “The Threat of Foreign Censorship, Part II: Europe’s Decade-Long Campaign for Global Internet Censorship and How It Harms Freedom of Expression in the United States”, emphasising that Tbilisi and Washington were aligned on this matter and that Georgia has often been unfairly criticised in such international contexts.

“We can confidently say that the criticism directed at Georgia over the years has been demonstrably unfair. Of course, it would have been better to discuss such issues at the highest political level. Georgia is a living example of what is being discussed today in the United States. Georgia can be seen as the best example of the consequences when one interferes so bluntly in another country’s domestic politics - such interference, instead of supporting democracy, actually acts against it”, she concluded.

Key issues related to bilateral relations between Georgia and the United States were discussed on Tuesday in a meeting between Lasha Darsalia, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia, who is on a working visit to Washington, and Brendan Hanrahan, the United States Assistant Secretary of State.