US Secretary of State Pompeo to visit Georgia next week
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will meet with Georgian PM, president, foreign minister and Catholicos Patriarch. Photo: VoA.
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US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will visit Georgia on November 17-18, the Georgian Foreign Ministry stated earlier today.
The ministry says that the visit ‘once again points to the firmness of the US-Georgia strategic partnership and reaffirms the commitment of the two countries to further strengthen ties.’
The US Department of State says that Pompeo's last stop in Europe will be Tbilisi, where he will meet Georgian officials 'to express support for Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, to urge further progress in democratic reforms.'
The visit provides yet another proof that the United States remains strongly committed to supporting Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as the country’s continuous democratic development and European and Euro-Atlantic integration,” the Georgian Foreign Ministry said.
Looking forward to the visit of Secretary Pompeo to Georgia and fruitful discussions on US-Georgia strategic partnership, regional security, Euro-Atlantic integration and our democratic reform agenda @StateDept @SecPompeo ???????????????? https://t.co/bqazEm4bte
— David Zalkaliani (@DZalkaliani) November 10, 2020
The ministry stated that meetings with top Georgian officials will focus on the priorities under the United States-Georgia Charter on Strategic Partnership, as well as on prospects to further strengthen cooperation in defence,security, trade and economy fields, democracy, people-to-people contacts, education and cultural exchanges.
Looking forward to the upcoming visit of @SecPompeo to ????????. This visit is reiteration of all time high status of????????????????strategic partnership. In the framework of the visit we will discuss the geopolitical situation in the region as well as our coop in defense & security.
— Giorgi Gakharia (@GakhariaGiorgi) November 10, 2020
Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia has tweeted that ‘this visit is reiteration of all time high status of strategic partnership.’
Pompeo will hold meetings with Gakharia, President Salome Zurabishvili,Foreign Minister David Zalkaliani and Catholics-Patriarch of Georgia Ilia II.
US State Secretary Mike Pompeo and Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia have spoken on the phone and discussed a range of issues, including the October parliamentary elections, Georgia’s ‘effective response’ to the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia’s redoubled occupation efforts during the pandemic.The phone conversation yesterday was held due to the postponement of the US-Georgia Strategic Partnership charter session due to the pandemic, with the officials expressing hope the session will take place by the end of the year.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has welcomed the adoption of Georgian constitutional amendments on June 29, calling on the Georgian parliament ‘to honour the will of the Georgian people and the pledge of Georgian officials related to the implementation of internationally recommended election reforms.’
US State Secretary Mike Pompeo wished success to the new prime minister of Georgia Giorgi Gakharia and wrote in his letter sent to Georgia that he is “looking forward to working with you to further advance our bilateral relationship in the spheres of democracy and governance, economic and trade cooperation, defence and security cooperation.”
The State Secretary of the United States Mike Pompeo has called Georgian President-elect Salome Zurabishvili to congratulate her on her victory in the 28 November presidential race, the US Department of State wrote yesterday.
Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili welcomes the upcoming visit of the US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo next week. Zurabishvili wrote on Twitter that the support from the US as ‘a strategic partner’ is important for the ‘democratic development and for peace and stability in the region’.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who will be travelling to Georgia on November 17-18, will hold meetings with representatives of Georgia’s ‘vibrant civil society’ along with senior government officials.
Forty-five representatives of the Georgian security and foreign policy community have requested a permanent presence of American armed forces in Georgia in an open letter to the US State Secretary Mike Pompeo, who will visit Georgia later today. The letter says that such a policy may include allied (US/European) forces on a rotational basis, as well as logistical and air patrol elements that would provide a wide range of options for American and allied forces ‘to operate uninterrupted’ in the South Caucasus and Black Sea regions.
The Georgian Foreign Ministry says that the visit of US State Secretary Mike Pompeo to Georgia later today ‘once again points to the firmness of the US-Georgia strategic partnership and reaffirms the commitment of the two countries to strengthen their cooperation.’ The ministry stated earlier today that the visit is yet more evidence that the United States ‘remains strongly committed to supporting Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity’, as well as the country’s ‘continuous democratic development and European and Euro-Atlantic integration’.
"Thrilled to be in Tbilisi", US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo wrote on Twitter after arriving in Georgia earlier today. "The United States and Georgia have a strong relationship built upon our shared commitment to freedom and independence. We are committed to helping Georgia deepen its Euro-Atlantic ties and strengthen its democratic institutions", he stated.