Agenda.ge
May 19, 2022

Georgian First Deputy FM, US State Dept Counselor discuss partnership, security matters

The United States-Georgia Strategic partnership and the difficult security environment in the Black Sea region amid the Russian aggression in Ukraine were discussed on Thursday in a meeting between the First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia Lasha Darsalia and Derek Chollet, the Counselor of the US Department of State.

The meeting focused on the importance of the cooperation between the two countries in terms of Georgia’s security and defense capabilities….

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The meeting also discussed the “difficult” situation in the Russian-occupied regions of Georgia, and ongoing US support for Georgia on its path to European and Euro-Atlantic integration.

The US delegation expressed its gratitude for Georgia’s “significant contribution” to strengthening international security. The officials agreed to continue the cooperation in order to “further deepen” partnership between the two states.

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Agenda.ge
May 19, 2022

Georgian Defence Minister hosts US State Dept Counselor

Georgian Defence Minister Juansher Burchuladze on Thursday hosted Derek Chollet, the Counselor of the United States Department of State, who is visiting Tbilisi on Wednesday and Thursday for consultations with Georgian partners about European security and democratic development.

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The sides discussed security challenges in the world and in the Black Sea region, noting that the Russian invasion of Ukraine had “sharply worsened” the security situation in the region and posed a threat to the Euro-Atlantic security architecture.

The high-ranking officials also reviewed reforms and future plans for strengthening Georgia’s defence capabilities. The new US-Georgia Defence and Detention Initiative was cited to mark a new stage of the partnership and serve as a basis for the “next ten years of dynamic cooperation” to further strengthen the country’s resilience within the framework of total defence.

The US official, flanked by an interagency delegation, also held a meeting with representatives of Georgian non-governmental organisations, the local opposition and civil society representatives for discussions on Russia’s continuing occupation of regions of Georgia and its war against Ukraine.