Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze has again urged Washington to relaunch its suspended strategic partnership with Georgia, describing the country as a "loyal, reliable and responsible partner". However, neither side has publicly outlined the terms for restoring ties.
Kobakhidze used a U.S. Embassy reception marking American Independence Day to repeat his call for a "relaunch" of the strategic partnership between Georgia and the United States.
It is a message he has repeated for months, but the actual terms for reviving the partnership remain notably absent from public statements by either side.
The U.S. suspended its strategic partnership with Georgia in November 2024 after Georgian Dream halted the country's EU accession process, triggering mass protests that were met with force. Washington said the move violated the partnership's core principles on democracy and human rights. Sanctions were subsequently imposed on Georgian Dream founder Bidzina Ivanishvili and remain in place.
In March, Kobakhidze and Secretary of State Marco Rubio held their first telephone conversation, marking the highest-level contact between Georgia and the U.S. in years. The two sides gave different accounts of the call. Kobakhidze described it as "productive" and said it focused on resetting the partnership, while the U.S. State Department said only that they had discussed "security in the Caucasus and Black Sea region". On the same day, Washington renewed sanctions against Ivanishvili for another year, a decision Georgian Dream described as unfair.
Kobakhidze has previously acknowledged that Washington has set out expectations, without explaining what they are. In March, he said: "the only concrete criterion for us, which will serve as proof that we are moving to a new stage in our relations, is the renewal of the strategic partnership" - describing the outcome he wants rather than the steps required to achieve it.
Since then, Kobakhidze has repeatedly referred to a "clean slate" and a "concrete roadmap" in public remarks, including during his annual parliamentary report on 26 June, without disclosing what conditions, if any, Washington has communicated privately.
Not everyone in Washington shares the optimism projected by Tbilisi. Republican Congressman Joe Wilson, co-sponsor of the bipartisan MEGOBARI Act, dismissed Georgian Dream's characterisation of the Rubio call as a "reset", arguing that U.S. engagement provides an opportunity to press for fair elections rather than endorse the status quo.
Wilson has also expressed concern over reported intelligence-sharing between Tbilisi and Tehran, and criticised the Georgian government's gesture of respect towards the late Iranian leader Ayatollah Khamenei.
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Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top news stories for the 22nd of July, covering the latest developments you need to know.
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