Georgian FM hails US support bill for Georgia as ‘unprecedented’
Georgian Foreign Minister David Zalkaliani has called the bill “comprehensive,” covering all fields of cooperation between Georgia and the US. Photo: Foreign Ministry press office.
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Georgian Foreign Minister David Zalkaliani says that the bill supporting Georgia passed by the US House of Representatives yesterday is “unprecedented”in US-Georgia relations and in the history of independent Georgia.
I want to express my gratitude to our strategy partner, the US, for passing this unprecedented bill, which once again confirms strong cooperation between Georgia and the US.” Zalkaliani said.
He stated that the US passed the bill at a time when the American political agenda “is too busy” with different issues.
“The fact confirms the importance of Georgia for the US,” Zalkaliani said.
He stated that it is a “comprehensive bill, covering all fields of cooperation.”
After the approval by the House of Representatives now the bill needs to be passed by Senate. Photo: britannica.com.
We wish to upgrade Georgia-US trade and economic cooperation to the level we currently have in defence and security. It is very important that the bill speaks about the significance of signing a free trade deal between Georgia and the US,” Zalkaliani said, adding that before the passage of the bill 28 US congressmen appealed to US trade representative to take actions towards signing the free trade agreement.
Zalkaliani said that in their appeal the 28 congressmen stated that Georgia is in need of more investments from the US.
I am sure that the bill will play a role in further strengthening both political and economic ties between Georgia and the US,” Zalkaliani stated.
The US House of Representatives passed the Georgia Support Act yesterday with unanimous bipartisan support.
After the bill is also passed by the Senate, it will need to be signed by President Donald Trump in order to be officially enacted.
Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia and Parliament Speaker Archil Talakvadze have thanked the US House of Representatives for passing the Georgia Support Act with strong bipartisan support, with Gakharia saying that “it is the first standalone legislation related to Georgia dedicated to taking our partnership to the next level.”
The United States House of Representatives has passed the bipartisan Georgia Support Act, introduced by Congressmen Adam Kinzinger and Gerry Connolly and co-sponsored by 31 other US legislators. Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia said the US is Georgia’s “closest strategic ally”, whereas the Georgia Support Act is “a landmark piece of legislation”.
The Georgian Foreign Ministry reported earlier today that the United States House of Representatives is holding discussions over the bipartisan Georgia Support Act. The bill, introduced in the House on January 16, 2019, directs the Department of State to report to Congress on various topics related to Georgia.
US congressman Adam Kinzinger says that the passage of a bipartisan bill supporting Georgia in the US House of Representatives sends a “strong signal to Russian President Vladimir Putin to think twice before he decides to get involved in Georgia’s internal issues.”
US congressman Brendan Boyle said he supported the Georgia Support Act in the House of Representatives “to reaffirm and strengthen the US-Georgia partnership”.
The state partnership programme fosters interoperability between the US and Georgia and promotes peace and security, the US Embassy to Georgia reports.US Major General Thomas Carden is in Tbilisi to attend the 25th anniversary of the state partnership programme “to commemorate the enduring relationship between the country of Georgia and the US state of Georgia,” the US Embassy said.