“Engaging in dialogue with our key partners and revitalizing relationships is of utmost importance to us because, frankly, our ties with the U.S. were not at the desired level—particularly during the final period of the previous administration,” stated GD First Vice Prime Minister Levan Davitashvili during a briefing following a government meeting, where he discussed his recent visit to the United States.
Davitashvili emphasized the need to change and improve this situation. He highlighted that both Georgia and the U.S. are pragmatically committed to developing closer, mutually beneficial relations.
“This has been our primary focus. We are actively engaging in discussions with our partners to make cooperation more mutually advantageous. This rational and pragmatic approach is entirely acceptable to the new U.S. administration. During our visit, our delegation—comprising the economic bloc—held meetings primarily with international financial institutions. We, together with the National Bank, participated in insightful discussions with our partners. These spring sessions, much like annual meetings, are invaluable because they provide insight into the main trends shaping the international financial system for the year. They also offer a clearer understanding of the priorities of international financial organizations. High-level decision-makers from Georgia share objective information about our country’s economic processes, which helps deepen cooperation with these organizations and ensures it becomes even more effective.”
The First Vice Prime Minister elaborated that maintaining high economic growth and positive momentum in Georgia’s economy depends heavily on this continuous exchange of information.
“We need consistent and predictable sources of financing for our priority projects. Throughout the week, extensive discussions took place. When visiting the U.S., bilateral meetings with Georgian government representatives are crucial, and we held such meetings with the economic sector. We met at the Department of Commerce, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, the Treasury Department, as well as at the White House and the State Department. Despite some speculation, this dialogue has been very positive.
There is alignment on many issues with the new administration, and I am optimistic about the prospects for cooperation. We discussed specific economic initiatives that could be mutually beneficial, emphasizing the importance of closer collaboration based on shared Georgian and American economic interests,” Davitashvili explained.
Davitashvili further noted that Georgia’s strategic interests in developing key projects and positioning itself as a regional hub for trade, transportation, and services align directly with America’s broader global interests. He added that a new formal agreement could be established to clearly define the scope of cooperation.
“Regarding alignment with the new administration’s economic policies, Georgia’s focus on developing strategic projects that enhance its role as a regional centre closely corresponds with U.S. interests. This creates promising opportunities for very close collaboration. We had detailed discussions on this issue at the Department of Commerce, and I expressed our views.
We believe that a new formal agreement might be drafted to specify the directions of our cooperation. We could outline concrete action plans for developing specific areas as work progresses. There is complete alignment here,” Davitashvili concluded.
