Former US envoy: Georgia’s government no longer a reliable partner for Washington
Deterioration of Georgia–US relations
Former US ambassador to Georgia Ian Kelly has commented on Vice-President JD Vance’s visit to the South Caucasus, which did not include a stop in Georgia.
Kelly said there was nothing surprising about the vice-president’s decision not to travel to Tbilisi. He explained that the US still considers the Southern Gas Corridor important for trade between East and West, but not via Georgia.
JD Vance’s tour of the South Caucasus began on 9 February. The US vice-president first travelled to Armenia on an official visit with his wife Usha Vance and their children. On 10 February, he went on to Azerbaijan. Vance is the highest-ranking US official ever to visit Armenia. The previous visit by a senior American figure took place in September 2022, when then House Speaker Nancy Pelosi travelled to the country.
Ian Kelly: “A Georgian journalist asked why Vice-President Vance did not visit Tbilisi during his recent trip. My answer was this:
The Georgian Dream government has chosen to turn away from the West. During Trump’s first presidency, Secretary of State Pompeo urged Tbilisi to continue building the Anaklia deep-water port in partnership with a Western consortium, noting that China ‘does not care about Georgia’s interests’. What did Tbilisi do? It cancelled the Western contract and handed it to a consortium that included a Chinese side.
Prime Minister Kobakhidze also signed a strategic partnership agreement with China, while calling the United States ‘supporters of a global war’ and China ‘a model of peace and progress’.”
“This is not the only example of a foreign policy shift. The government has also begun building ties with Iran. Kobakhidze and other officials visited Tehran, and Georgian representatives signed a condolence book for victims of what was described as ‘American aggression’.
It is no surprise that the vice-president avoided Tbilisi. The US still considers the Southern Corridor important for trade between East and West, but not through Tbilisi. Georgia’s government is no longer a reliable partner for Washington. Georgian Dream has made its choice, and now it will have to face the consequences.”
Deterioration of Georgia–US relations
