A top defense official hailed the U.S. relationship with the country of Georgia, saying it is an “incredibly important strategic partnership” with a nation that shares values and interests with the United States.

The U.S.-Georgia defense relationship is “important and blossoming,” Robert S. Karem, the assistant secretary of defense for international security affairs, said today.

Karem spoke at the United States Institute of Peace, at the second annual U.S.-Georgia Strategic Partnership Conference. He was part of a panel discussion, Geopolitics and Security: U.S.-Georgia Strategic Alliance in Making, as reported by www.defense.gov.

The principles enshrined in the U.S.-Georgia Charter — the rule of law, territorial integrity and sovereignty — are all under assault today, Karem said. Russia and China are seeking to undermine the rules-based international order that helped create the conditions for  peace and prosperity, he said.

“That peace and prosperity will only last if we can defend it, and it’s very important for the United States to have partners like Georgia who are so willing to contribute to our common security,” he said.

He highlighted U.S. efforts to support Georgia, including the Georgia Defense Readiness Program, which is a training initiative to enhance combat readiness and institutional capacity of Georgia’s armed forces.