Georgia’s US Ambassador, State Department official review cooperation, security matters

The “difficult” situation in the Russian-occupied territories of Georgia amid the war in Ukraine and the security situation in the Black Sea region were discussed on Monday in a meeting between David Zalkaliani, the Georgian Ambassador to the United States and Louis Bono, the Senior Advisor for Caucasus Negotiations of the US Department of State.

Zalkaliani noted the importance of peaceful resolution of conflicts on the territory of Georgia and highlighted the “key role” of the Geneva International Discussions in the process, the Georgian foreign office said.

In his turn, Bono reiterated the “unwavering support” of the United States for Georgia's territorial integrity and sovereignty.

The officials also reviewed Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili's Peaceful Neighbourhood Initiative for the South Caucasus region and emphasised the importance of “effectively” implementing it with US engagement.

Zalkaliani also highlighted the “critical” role of Georgia in regional connectivity projects and noted the significance of the Black Sea submarine cable project - signed between Azerbaijan, Georgia, Hungary and Romania in December and intended to connect power systems of the South Caucasus and Europe - in this context.