Shalva Papuashvili stated that the fact a conversation took place between the Secretary of State and the Prime Minister is an indication that relations between the countries and governments have reached a high political level. He added that they expect further steps toward resetting relations in April as a result of this conversation.

According to him, the Georgian side’s desire is to establish a new strategic partnership.

Papuashvili said that the government’s proposal is to create a substantive framework based on the interests of both nations, where expectations and goals of the partnership would be clearly defined.

“We were one of the most distinguished partners of the United States, which we have confirmed more than once. Unfortunately, the previous administration damaged these relations to a level that is absolutely unacceptable for us. The new administration now has the opportunity to fix this. We are ready for that. One of the main indicators we have mentioned is the formation of a new strategic partnership.

The fact that a conversation took place between the Secretary of State and the Prime Minister is precisely an indication that relations between the countries and governments have reached a high political level. We expect that a concrete solution will now be found regarding what the partnership between the United States and Georgia should look like. In April, we expect that as a result of this conversation, further steps will be taken toward resetting relations.

The goal is not simply to restore strategic partnership, but to establish a partnership between Georgia and the United States based on mutual interests. Strategic partnership is an indicator that clearly shows we are achieving this goal. Of course, we do not need strategic partnership merely as a formal label. Previously, the strategic partnership between the United States and Georgia was, to some extent, only symbolic, as it was not substantively developed as it should have been.

Now what we want is a new strategic partnership — a framework enriched with substance, where, based on the interests of both nations, we agree on what expectations we have from this partnership and what its goals are. We are open to this dialogue. The fact that a conversation took place between the Secretary of State and the Prime Minister shows that the new U.S. administration is also willing to engage. This gives us reason for optimism. Of course, things have taken some time, but better late than never. This depends on the new U.S. administration. On our side, we have expressed readiness for over a year. Our readiness is reflected in our willingness to present our interests and, taking into account the interests of the American people, agree on a framework for strategic partnership,” Papuashvili said.