In a speech at the joint session of Georgia’s parliamentary committees, the candidate for Minister of Foreign Affairs, Maka Botchorishvili, shared a bold vision for how Georgia will take on an even greater leadership role on the global stage in the coming years. According to Botchorishvili, some of Georgia’s top goals are to further deepen bilateral relations with the United States, complete Georgia’s European Union accession, and promote regional peace and security.
Speaking on Georgia’s relationship with the United States, Botchorishvili said, “our goal is to re-energize relations with the United States, which involves restoring equal, justice-based relations that reflect the interests of both parties, while renewing and developing cooperation in all areas. And this, of course, will remain a priority for the next four years.” Georgia’s relationship with the U.S. has generated significant benefits for both nations over the years, and as Botchorishvili suggested, Georgia remains committed to strengthening this friendship in the coming years.
In addition to strengthening relations with the U.S., Botchorishvili also re-stated Georgia’s longstanding goal of integrating with Europe and achieving membership in the European Union. She praised Georgia’s recent achievement of EU Candidate Status, saying “this is a significant achievement, based on the progress our country has made over the past ten years on the path of European integration, our tireless efforts to secure political support from our partners, and, of course, the unwavering will of the Georgian people. If the European Union expands by 2030, Georgia will be the best-prepared among the candidate countries for EU membership.”
She also discussed various steps that the Government has done to bring Georgia in-line with EU standards, and noted that progress will continue during the next four years.
Botchorishvili also spoke about Georgia’s commitment to support dialogue and constructive cooperation between neighboring countries, as this aligns with the interests of the entire region. She noted that “strengthening peace and stability is the best opportunity for fully harnessing the unique potential of our region.”
Expounding on this, Botchorishvili declared that Georgia will continue to engage in cooperation within the frameworks of its strategic partnerships with Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia – among others – to ensure all nations in the region maintain peaceful and mutually beneficial relationships. She noted that regional dialogue and cooperation among these nations, in particular, is already at its highest levels in recent memory and that Georgia will do everything it can to further deepen these relations.