After two decades of Georgians and Americans fighting shoulder-to-shoulder in one of the world’s most hostile environments, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken thanked Georgian Foreign Minister David Zalkaliani for Georgia’s contributions to the peacekeeping missions in Afghanistan and its vital role in the evacuation of thousands of individuals from the country.
Foreign Minister Zalkaliani shared the U.S. Secretary’s letter in a tweet, stating that he is “Immensely grateful to @SecBlinken for the appraisal of the 🇬🇪-🇺🇸 strategic partnership, recognition of our country’s role in maintaining global security, as well as expressing hope for enhancing existing excellent cooperation between our countries!”
In the letter, the U.S. Secretary of State writes that Georgia “was one of the top troop contributors to the Resolute Support Mission from 2015 to 2021 and to the International Security Assistance Force Mission,” with Georgia having been the largest non-NATO and the largest per capita troop in the conflict. The Secretary then went on to thank Georgia for its “role in evacuating more than 2,500 individuals” from Afghanistan, aiding various NGOs in evacuating their staffs and providing a temporary refuge in Georgia.
Secretary Blinken also reaffirmed the strength of the U.S.-Georgia partnership, writing that “The United States greatly values our strategic partnership with Georgia and appreciates Georgia’s leadership in addressing global and regional security.” This statement follows U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin’s first visit to Georgia in October, where he signed the U.S.-Georgia Defense and Deterrence Enhancement Initiative, highlighting the U.S.’s commitment to bilateral security cooperation and the further integration of Washington and Tbilisi.