Georgia calls for reset in ties after US vice-president skips Tbilisi in South Caucasus tour

Tbilisi reacts to Vance’s South Caucasus visit

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze has said Tbilisi is ready to resume its strategic partnership with the United States and expects “steps” from Washington in response.

He made the remarks when asked about US Vice-President JD Vance’s visit to the South Caucasus, during which he travelled to Yerevan and Baku but not to Tbilisi.

Mr Kobakhidze said the Georgian authorities had already expressed full readiness for a “reset” in relations with the US, and that further progress now largely depended on Washington.

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Mr Kobakhidze said Georgia’s position on the issue was “clear” — the country was ready to resume the strategic partnership “from a clean slate”.

“We have expressed our position to the United States — we are ready to resume the strategic partnership. This is our clear position, and we are waiting for further steps. We will wait as long as necessary,” he said.

He added that the Georgian government had предложed to discuss all issues with Washington without preconditions and on the basis of a joint “roadmap” that would take into account the interests of both sides.

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“We have taken the main step — we have openly expressed our position on resuming the strategic partnership. We said we were ready to discuss all the details without any conditions,” Mr Kobakhidze said.

He added that recent statements from the American side gave him grounds for optimism, though he did not specify what he meant.

“Recent messages coming from the American side give us optimism. We will wait to see how events develop. Our wish is to restore the strategic partnership. We will wait for steps from the American side in this direction.”

The prime minister was also asked whether he shared the view expressed by one of the government’s main propaganda voices, philosopher Zaza Shatirishvili, about the current US administration. In an open letter, Mr Shatirishvili wrote that Donald Trump was “controlled by the deep state”.

Mr Kobakhidze said Mr Shatirishvili’s comments were his personal opinion.

новоTbilisi reacts to Vance’s South Caucasus visit