Georgian PM Kvirikashvili Receives “Strong Assurances” From US While In Washington

Georgia’s Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili wrapped up a four-day visit to Washington on Thursday, after a week of meetings with top American leaders, including President Donald Trump, to discuss matters related to defense, security, culture and the economy. 

“We received strong assurances of a positive partnership from the US, in every direction. We discussed every field of our relations, including cooperation in the areas of defense, security, culture, development of democratic institutions, and deeper economic ties,” Kvirikiashvili said.

Kvirikashvili characterized his meeting with Trump as serving to “deepen an already strong partnership” between Georgia and the US. Trump announced via his Twitter account that it was an “honor” for him to receive Kvirikashvili, the head of government of what is a small, post-Soviet country in the South Caucasus and the Black Sea regions but one of geopolitical significance, as support for the West in Georgia runs very high both with the public and in government. 

“Georgia is an important ally and a strategic partner of the USA,” Trump said, according to a statement released by Kvirikiashvili’s press office. 

Early in the week, Kvirikashvili held meetings with Trump, Vice President Mike Pence, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, Chairman of the US Senate Armed Services Committee John McCain, and other US Senators.

At the White House on Tuesday Kvirikashvili and Pence discussed the bilateral strategic partnership, emphasizing regional challenges and global security concerns.

“It was an important conversation. Overall, we believe these meetings to be of paramount importance for Georgia's development and stability. The US, as Georgia's major strategic partner, will continue supporting Georgia, and these relations will only grow stronger." 

Pence reaffirmed the US’ full support for Georgia's sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders, vowing to continue supporting Georgia's European and Euro-Atlantic integration.

Joseph Larsen, an analyst at the Georgian Institute of Politics in Tbilisi, said the Trump administration will continue US policy of cooperation with Georgia.

“There are wide dimensions of security and diplomatic relations between the US and Georgia,” Larsen told Caspian News.

Georgia has had full American support for its claims to the breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, as Moscow continues to assert its influence in the South Caucasus, also known as Transcaucasia. The Russo-Georgian War, fought between Georgia, Russia and the Russian-backed self-proclaimed republics of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, in August 2008 and considered the first European war of the 21st century, cemented any lingering hostilities between Tbilisi and Moscow.

Washington is also committed to helping Georgia deepen Euro-Atlantic ties and strengthen its democratic institutions.

Kvirikashvili and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson signed a General Security of Information Agreement on Tuesday at the Department of State, establishing a legal foundation for bilateral intelligence sharing and meant to strengthen counterterrorism cooperation.

Kvirikashvili said the agreement, which is also meant to enhance the Georgian military’s interoperability with the armed services of NATO member states, signals that Georgia is a reliable partner for the US.

"We have 25 years of important cooperation to back it up," Kvirikashvili said, noting that the two countries have been allies since post-Soviet Georgia was created after the collapse of the USSR in 1991.

Georgia, a country of nearly four million, is the US’ second largest market in the South Caucasus. American exports to the country were over $66 million in the first quarter of 2017, while imports to the US from Georgia were over $17 million. In 2016, total trade turnover between the two countries was above $324 million, according to the US Census Bureau. The US market accounts for 4.7 percent of Georgia’s overall exports, coming in at number seven among the country’s main export destinations. US foreign direct investment (FDI) in Georgia stood at $45 million in 2016, accounting for nearly 2.7 percent of overall FDI in the country, according to the National Statistics Office of Georgia. 

Kvirikashvili’s visit to the US wrapped up on Thursday, at which time he invited President Trump to visit Georgia. The last time a sitting US president visited the country was in May 2005, when George W. Bush visited Tbilisi to show his support for the country’s tilt towards the west and signal to Moscow that the US supports Georgia’s territorial integrity.