US ambassador: direct flights “very important bridge” between US, Georgia
In her remarks at an American-Georgian Business Council event, Degnan noted that anyone who had flown from the United States to Georgia knew “how wonderful” it would be to have a “direct flight”. Photo: ministry of economy
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Kelly Degnan, the United States ambassador to Georgia, on Friday said the direct flights would be a “very important bridge" between the United States and Georgia.
In her remarks at an American-Georgian Business Council event, Degnan noted that anyone who had flown from the United States to Georgia knew “how wonderful” it would be to have a “direct flight”.
"It is something that’s been under discussion for some time. Before Covid-19, in particular, there was some progress, and I think the discussions are beginning again", she said.
"I have often said that sometimes it’s hard to convince people in the US to come to Georgia for the first time because it seems so far away. But you never have trouble getting them to come back the second time after they’ve experienced Georgian hospitality", Degnan continued.
The ambassador also reviewed the free trade agreement between the two countries and said "that’s an area that’s handled by the US Trade Representative, not the State Department".
"I know that this is something that has been raised with them frequently, that they have looked at as another important bridge between the United States and Georgia. There was a feasibility study done back in 2018, so there’s interest in pursuing it [...] we’re always looking for opportunities to build on the close partnership that Georgia and the United States have, and to expand the relationships that we’ve had, to bring more American businesses into Georgia, and more Georgian businesses into the United States", Degnan concluded in her comments.
Levan Davitashvili, the minister of economy of Georgia, on Friday praised the “fruitful business and economic cooperation” between his country and the United States at an annual conference dedicated to 25 years of the America-Georgia Business Council, a non-profit corporation working to promote trade, business and government relations between the two countries.
The Ministry of Economy of Georgia is working on an economic study to find a company that will launch flights between Georgia and the United States, says the Prime Minister of Georgia Mamuka Bakhtadze.
Georgia has begun talks with two leading US airlines, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines, to launch direct flights between the USA and Georgia.
Georgian Prime Minister Mamuka Bakhtadze says that Georgian and US officials are negotiating very intensively to allow direct flights between Georgia and the US.He said that several years ago Georgia had direct flights only several of the European states and this created a serious problem both for Georgian nationals and foreign visitors.
Issues concerning the strategic partnership between Georgia and the United States were discussed on Monday in a meeting between the Georgian foreign minister Ilia Darchiashvili and the United States ambassador to Georgia, Kelly Degnan.
Governor of the United States State of Georgia Brian Kemp and First Lady Marty Kemp will on Tuesday lead a delegation of state officials on an international mission beginning in Georgia’s capital city of Tbilisi and ending in Paris, the US Embassy in Tbilisi said.
The “strategic partnership” and the dynamics of fruitful cooperation between the Georgian and United States governments were discussed on Friday in a meeting between the Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili and Brian Kemp, the Governor of the US State of Georgia.
Georgian Deputy Economy Minister Mariam Kvrivishvili on Saturday said the Ministry was “using all tools” to attract American airlines to operate in Georgia, citing the “impressive” passenger flow figures between the two countries, which amounted to 75 thousand in 2023.