2017: A Year of Accelerated Georgia-U.S. Cooperation
2017 witnessed unprecedentedly close cooperation between the governments of Georgia and the United States that resulted in a number of strategically important decisions, statements and visits.
One of the major events was Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili’s visit to Washington and his meetings with the U.S. President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence, who also visited Georgia later in the year.
In addition to the Prime Minister’s visit, high-profile bilateral meetings were held with U.S. National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster and six Cabinet members: the Secretaries of State, Defense, Treasury, Trade, Education, and Health.
Throughout 2017, under the framework of the U.S.-Georgia Strategic Partnership Charter, four working groups convened to discuss the ongoing process and propose further steps in boosting bilateral cooperation in the four major directions:
- Defense and Security;
- Democracy and Governance;
- Economic, Trade and Energy;
- People-to-People and Cultural Exchanges;
Additionally, 2017 was marked by bilateral bipartisan cooperation at the legislators’ level. Over 100 meetings were organized between Georgian officials and distinguished U.S. Senators and Congressional Representatives.
Georgia also enjoyed unprecedented support from the United States Government, specifically Congress, on a number of strategically important bills and resolutions, including:
- For the first time the language on occupation of the Georgian territories — “Occupation of the Georgian Territories of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali Region/South Ossetia” — was included in a passage added to the U.S. Consolidated Appropriations Act 2017;
- Support for Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity was stressed in the newest U.S. National Security Strategy and the National Defense Authorization Act;
- The U.S. Department of State supported the sale of a man-portable anti-tank Javelin system to Georgia in order to boost the country’s defense capabilities; and
- The United States and Georgia signed the agreements on U.S.-Georgia General Security of Information Agreement (GSOIA) and on Exchange of Terrorist Screening Information, both of which represent which represents the major milestone in security cooperation between the United States and Georgia.
By the end of 2017, United States had reconfirmed its strong political support for — and its committed partnership with — Georgia.