Lelo’s Japaridze: Restoring Georgia-US strategic partnership is top priority

Restoring the suspended strategic partnership agreement between Georgia and the United States is our key objective, said Badri Japaridze, one of the leaders of Lelo – Strong Georgia, following a meeting with a delegation of U.S. congressional staff.

According to Japaridze, rebuilding relations with the United States is in the fundamental interests of both the Georgian people and the Georgian state.

“To achieve this, appropriate conditions must be created. The United States can take steps that would help establish those conditions and allow for the renewal of a strategic agreement between the United States and Georgia. This is of paramount importance for Georgia’s security and for the well-being of its citizens. These were the issues we discussed,” Japaridze said.

He also emphasized the importance of ensuring that Georgia is not excluded from one of the most significant regional initiatives—U.S. involvement in the security and development of transport corridors in the South Caucasus.

“Today, we see the rapid development of a transport corridor through Armenia and Azerbaijan, where the United States plays a key role in guaranteeing the security of the route and the sovereignty of the countries involved. The same approach should apply to Georgia. The United States should be involved in the development of critical infrastructure in our country, particularly in the construction and operation of a deep-sea port,” Japaridze stated.

According to him, U.S. involvement is essential to ensuring that the transport corridor through Georgia remains secure and that Georgia’s sovereignty is protected.

“Only the United States has the capacity to serve as a true guarantor of Georgia’s sovereignty,” Japaridze said.