President Zurabishvili says US support ‘important’ for Georgia
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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’.
We welcome the visit of the U.S. Secretary of State to Georgia. The support from our strategic partner, the United States, for our democratic development and for peace and stability in the region is important. ????????????????
— Salome Zourabichvili (@Zourabichvili_S) November 11, 2020
Mike Pompeo will visit Georgia on November 17-18 to meet with President Zurabishvili, Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia and Foreign Minister David Zalkaliani, 'to express our support for Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, to urge further progress in democratic reforms'.
აშშ-ის საელჩო თბილისში მოუთმენლად ელის სახელმწიფო მდივან პომპეოს ვიზიტს საქართველოსთან სტრატეგიული პარტნიორობის გამტკიცებისთვის.
— U.S. Embassy Tbilisi (@usingeo) November 10, 2020
U.S. Embassy Tbilisi looks forward to welcoming Secretary Pompeo for a visit to advance our strategic partnership with Georgia. https://t.co/JpSVpIg89a
Although Pompeo has not officially scheduled a meeting with Georgian opposition politicians, representatives of opposition political parties say they hope to have an opportunity to share their election-related concerns with the US Secretary of State.
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 ministry stated that meetings with top Georgian officials will focus on the priorities under the United States-Georgia Charter on Strategic Partnership.
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.”
Georgian opposition parties plan to hold rallies on central Tbilisi streets without speeches by opposition leaders during the visit of the US State Secretary Mike Pompeo on November 17-18.
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.
"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.
Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia and US State Secretary Mike Pompeo met earlier today in Tbilisi, where Gakharia told Pompeo that “it is the moment to further strengthen US-Georgia cooperation and partnership and US representation in the region.”During the meeting at the administration building of the government of Georgia in central Tbilisi Gakharia called Pompeo and the US ‘real friends and allies.’