FM: Now Georgia, as Never Before, Needs the Support of the US

In the assessment of Georgian Foreign Minister David Zalkaliani, the scheduled visit of US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to Georgia reaffirms the United States' unwavering support and involvement in Georgia's security, development and democratic processes in the country.

"This visit is distinguished by the fact that it is a clear sign of political support from the US administration, which fully reflects the strong partnership and fruitful cooperation between the two countries. For the past 4 years, we have had highly effective cooperation with the current US administration in all key areas of the Strategic Partnership Charter, but we have even more ambitious plans to take this strategic partnership, which is at the highest level, to a qualitatively new level. This visit will be important in this direction and will further enhance our strategic partnership," said David Zalkaliani.

Zalkaliani noted that along with all issues of bilateral relations, Pompeo's visit will focus on the security challenges in the region, the situation around Georgia and the country's role.

"With this visit, we reaffirm that Georgia is a key ally of the United States in the region and an important stronghold. I am convinced that this visit will significantly contribute to stability in the region and the stable development of Georgia in all directions," he said, adding that Pompeo's visit means support to Georgia in the difficult geopolitical situation.

"Georgia, as never before, needs the support of the United States, a key strategic partner, at this very time, and this visit underscores this support," the Minister said.

He added that the talks will also focus on future priorities.

Regarding the expectations of the Georgian opposition during the visit of Mike Pompeo, David Zalkaliani said that "it does not make sense to use the visit of the US Secretary of State for domestic political interests."

"The main message here is the US support for Georgia. Opponents do not seem to understand or do not want to understand the statements that have already been made [about the election]," he noted.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will pay a two-day visit to Georgia on November 17-18, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia has announced. 

By Ana Dumbadze 

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