Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili says Georgia expects the strategic partnership with the United States to be fully restored and hopes that the administration of US President Donald Trump will correct what he described as mistakes made by the previous US administration.
Papuashvili made the statement while commenting on the recent meetings held by Mikheil Kavelashvili and Georgia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Maka Bochorishvili, with US Vice President J.D. Vance and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, which took place on the sidelines of events marking the opening of the Winter Olympic Games.
“We expect that, beyond working meetings and other forms of engagement, the strategic partnership between Georgia and the United States will be fully restored. This is not our fault; it is the fault of the previous US administration,” Papuashvili said.
He claimed that the ruling party Georgian Dream expects the Trump administration to correct what it views as missteps by the administration of former US President Joe Biden.
Papuashvili stressed that relations between Georgia and the United States deteriorated under the previous administration despite Georgia’s long-standing support for NATO and US-led security efforts.
“Georgia is a country that, under extremely difficult conditions, supported NATO and helped the United States protect global security. Georgia ranks first in soldiers lost per capita in Afghanistan. This demonstrates the friendship and partnership we have shown to the United States,” he said.
He added that, in his view, these contributions were not properly appreciated by the Biden administration.
“Instead of standing by us, we witnessed attempts to undermine the foundations of Georgian democracy. I believe this is another mistake of the Biden administration that it is important for the Trump administration to correct,” Papuashvili said.
Concluding his remarks, the Parliament Speaker noted that Georgia is observing ongoing geopolitical shifts and remains focused on maintaining security and peace, while expressing readiness to restore a strategic partnership with the United States.
“We are ready and remain in a state of expectation,” Papuashvili concluded.
