Georgian Defence Minister hosts US State Dept Counselor

Georgian Defence Minister Juansher Burchuladze on Thursday hosted Derek Chollet, the Counselor of the United States Department of State, who is visiting Tbilisi on Wednesday and Thursday for consultations with Georgian partners about European security and democratic development.

At the meeting, the Georgian Minister emphasised the 30-year “successful cooperation” between the two countries and thanked the US Government and the American people for their “exemplary partnership,” Ministry of Defence said. 

The sides discussed security challenges in the world and in the Black Sea region,  noting that the Russian invasion of Ukraine had “sharply worsened” the security situation in the region and posed a threat to the Euro-Atlantic security architecture. 

The high-ranking officials also reviewed reforms and future plans for strengthening Georgia's defence capabilities. The new US-Georgia Defence and Detention Initiative was cited to mark a new stage of the partnership and serve as a basis for the “next ten years of dynamic cooperation” to further strengthen the country's resilience within the framework of total defence.

The US official, flanked by an interagency delegation, also held a meeting with representatives of Georgian non-governmental organisations, the local opposition and civil society representatives for discussions on Russia’s continuing occupation of regions of Georgia and its war against Ukraine.