Georgian PM - Gov’t has “utmost desire” to deepen strategic partnership with both US and China

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze on Friday said his Government had “utmost desire” to maintain strategic partnership with both the United States and China.

On our part, there is utmost desire to deepen the strategic partnership both with the United States of America and China. The rest depends on the respective countries. Relationships are not one-way, but two-way issues", he said.

The Government head emphasised deepening the strategic partnerships in political and economical directions was “very important” for the Georgian Government, adding the ties with the countries were a “mutual affair [and] therefore the priorities are [also] determined mutually”.

Of course, we have a long history of partnership with the United States, and strategic partnership was established with China last year, when a relevant agreement was signed last year. But I will repeat it again - in both cases we have a strategic partnership, and we want to deepen these relations even more”, he said.

The PM added China had “great interest” in deepening  relations with Georgia, which he said was also expressed in “concrete steps and very active trade and economic bilateral relations”. Kobakhidze noted Chinese companies were “very actively involved” in “mutually important” economic projects.

We have a free trade agreement signed with China, which has facilitated the development of these trade and economic relations. We have direct flights with China, these direct flights were restored very soon after the Coronavirus pandemic, by the decision of the Chinese side. You also saw that when Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili arrived in China, he was welcomed at the highest level", Kobakhidze said.

The official said over the years there had been a “certain manifestation of the weakening of interest in strategic partnership” between Georgia and the US, which he called an “unfortunate development”.

This was also expressed in concrete details - for example, there have been no high-level visits between the countries for many years, [for] about six, seven years. This is manifested, among other things, in protocol issues [as well] - for example, if we take [formal messages of] congratulations, probably for the eighth year at the highest level, none of the presidents or the prime minister received congratulations from the United States”, he said.

“In terms of trade and economic relations, we still do not have a good situation, we do not have direct flights, we do not have visa-free travel”, Kobakhidze pointed out, adding “of course, all these issues need to be improved”.

He also mentioned his “frank conversation” with Robin Dunnigan, the Ambassador of the US to the country, earlier during the day, adding the diplomat had expressed the desire to have a “more intensive strategic partnership” between the countries.