US Senator Coons: we hope EU will “swiftly” welcome Georgia
The Senator thanked Georgia for supporting Ukraine amid the ongoing Russian invasion. Photo: ipn.ge
Tweet 
Share
US Senator Chris Coons expressed his hope the European Union would “swiftly” welcome Georgia as a new member during a joint press point with Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili in Tbilisi on Thursday.
Coons marked the “significant” 30 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations between Georgia and the US, saying the sides worked “closely together to build the institutions, the capabilities of partnership and of democracy.”
The Senator thanked Georgia for supporting Ukraine amid the ongoing Russian invasion, pointing out the assistance had been provided both by the country and its residents.
Coons pledged the US would continue providing “support, investment and development” for Georgia in the future.
We are here intentionally. We are here because we know Georgia is important. We are here because we see the critical steps Georgia is taking in this region and on the world stage, and we thank you - for your leadership, your friendship and your partnership,” he said.
Press Point with U.S. Senator Chris Coons https://t.co/dgbHY9YWsq
— Salome Zourabichvili (@Zourabichvili_S) April 21, 2022
For her part, Zourabichvili reaffirmed her solidarity with Ukraine and highlighted the efforts of the US to build peace and stability in the Black Sea region.
The US congressional delegation, led by Coons, paid an official visit to Georgia to meet with US diplomats, senior Government officials and civil society leaders to discuss the importance of sustaining and strengthening the Trans-Atlantic Alliance, maintaining a “forceful response” against Russia’s war in Ukraine, and bolstering European security.
The United States Department of State has $88 million in support for Georgia included in the draft budget for 2023, published on Monday.
Georgia’s “greatest victory” will be “its success in building a prosperous, secure, vibrant democracy”, United States Ambassador Kelly Degnan said on Sunday at a Tbilisi concert marking the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili and President Salome Zourabichvili, along with US Ambassador to Georgia Kelly Degnan, attended a solidarity concert marking the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries on Saturday evening.
American Senator Chris Coons, who is the Chairman of the Appropriations Subcommittee on State and Foreign Operations and member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, will lead a congressional delegation this week in visits to France, Georgia and Italy.
Georgia is an “important partner” of the United States in a partnership that has been “demonstrated in different ways”, the Department of State Spokesperson Ned Price said during a briefing on Thursday.
The ongoing United States support for Georgia is “especially important”, Nikoloz Samkharadze, the ruling Georgian Dream MP who chairs the Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee, said on Friday.
Questions of deepening the Georgia-United States strategic partnership, and the security challenges in the Black Sea region were discussed on Friday in a meeting between Prime Minister of Georgia Irakli Garibashvili and a US Congressional delegation on visit to the country.
The United States supports Georgia’s NATO aspirations and the country is already an important partner of the alliance, Ned Price, the Spokesperson for the Department of State, said in a press briefing on Tuesday.