“Strategic partnership with the United States must be founded on a new agreement, one that is acceptable and mutually beneficial to both sides. I am convinced that America, too, is interested in restoring the relationship,” said MP Tengiz Sharmanashvili, a member of the parliamentary majority, speaking to GPB First Channel.

Sharmanashvili offered his assessment of the Georgian parliamentary delegation’s visit and meetings in the United States.

“Following the meeting at the State Department, a further meeting took place at the White House with the Deputy National Security Adviser, which speaks volumes. When the head of a Georgian delegation is invited to the White House, it signals that the United States is giving serious thought to restoring its relationship with Georgia. I am confident this will prove fruitful, as no one anticipated that a delegation ostensibly there to attend a conference would also secure meetings at both the State Department and the White House.

The reset of Georgian-American relations will not be pushed into the distant future, because genuinely everything is to be started afresh right now. The strategic partnership must be grounded in a new agreement, one that is acceptable and advantageous to both parties. I am convinced that America is also interested in restoring the relationship in this region,” said Tengiz Sharmanashvili.

Georgia’s parliamentary delegation is currently on a visit to Washington, DC. The delegation comprises members of the parliamentary majority: Nikoloz Samkharadze, Mariam Lashkhi, and Lika Shartava.

As part of the visit, Nikoloz Samkharadze met with Brendan Hanrahan at the U.S. Department of State, where, as Samkharadze stated, he confirmed Georgia’s readiness to begin work on a new strategic partnership agreement.

Samkharadze also held a meeting with Andrew Baker, Deputy Assistant to the President and Senior Director of the National Security Council. According to Samkharadze, the primary focus of the meeting was on repairing and strengthening Georgian-American relations, as well as restoring the strategic partnership between the two countries.