Georgia, US sign bilateral extradition treaty

The bilateral agreement on extradition between Georgia and the United States was signed on Friday by Georgian Justice Minister Rati Bregadze, Prosecutor General Irakli Shotadze and Bruce Swartz, the Deputy Assistant Attorney General of the US.

In his comments after the initiation ceremony of the agreement, Shotadze called it “an important moment in the history of Georgia”, noting it was a demonstration of Georgia-US “steadfast friendship”.

The Justice Ministry said the initialling of the extradition treaty between the two states was “a logical step” in the long negotiations, which was preceded by bilateral consultations between the parties, held in Georgia’s capital Tbilisi, in January-February 2023.

Photo via Justice Ministry

The agreement aims to promote fast and flexible cooperation between law enforcement agencies of the two countries and increase the effectiveness of the fight against crime. 

As part of his visit to the US, the Justice Minister also held a meeting with the US Attorney General Merrick Garland, where the two officials discussed the sectoral cooperation between the countries in various directions, as well as prospects of further strengthening the relations.