Bonnie Jenkins, the United States Undersecretary of State for Arms Control and International Security, on Thursday, said the United States enjoys “productive collaboration” with Georgia across a wide range of areas, including continued democratic development and needed reforms, economic growth and diversification, and defense and security cooperation.

Jenkins thanked partners in the Georgian government, the Biosafety Association for Central Asia and the Caucasus, and “above all, the citizens of Georgia, who for more than 30 years since regaining independence, have chosen a Euro-Atlantic path.”

At the Biosafety Regional Conference, Jenkins emphasized that “we must take the lessons we have learned from the pandemic and apply them to our future global health, security, and pandemic preparedness and response efforts.”

“This is a vital area of cooperation between the United States and Georgia; one driven by the excellent leadership at Georgia’s National Center for Disease Control, a ready and willing partner who has become a regional leader in the field of public health. From Hepatitis C elimination to Covid 19 monitoring and treatment, their work is truly valuable. I am here to stress that this cooperation will continue far into the future.

One of my priorities, as the United States under Secretary for Arms Control and International Security, is to enhance biosafety and biosecurity norms, practices, tools, and resources to bolster cooperation in forums such as the Biological Weapons Convention, the Global Partnership, and the Global Health Security Agenda. My team will work to ensure the tools needed to address these challenges get the attention and resources required,” Jenkins stated.

Thanks to the Biosafety Association for Central Asia and Caucasus, the International Science and Tech Center, and the Government of Georgia 🇬🇪 for the chance to discuss lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic and how we respond to biological threats. Remarks⬇️ https://t.co/IpazWSucie

— U/S of State for Arms Control & Int’l Security (@UnderSecT) October 6, 2022