GD Foreign Minister Meets State Department’s Senior Advisor
On June 16, Georgian Dream Foreign Minister Maka Botchorishvili met with U.S. Department of State Senior Advisor Wyatt Toehlke. U.S. Ambassador to Georgia Robin Dunnigan also attended the meeting.
The Georgian Foreign Ministry reported that the discussion focused on “U.S.-Georgia bilateral relations, prospects for future cooperation, and current developments in the region.”
“It was emphasized that Georgia is a key partner of the United States,” the MFA said in a press release, adding that Botchorisvhili reiterated “Georgia’s commitment to renewing the strategic partnership with the United States.”
“The two sides exchanged views on global and regional security challenges, highlighting Georgia’s important role in promoting peace and stability in the region,” the MFA statement reads.
The U.S. Embassy said that Ambassador Dunnigan and Senior Advisor Toehlke met with the GD Foreign Minister Botchorishvili to discuss the U.S.-Georgia relationship. “The United States continues to review its approach to Georgia to advance American interests,” the Embassy press release said, adding, “The United States has made clear the steps Georgia’s government can take to demonstrate it is serious about improving its relationship with the United States.”
The meeting comes amid Tbilisi’s stated efforts to reset relations with Washington under the new administration of Donald Trump. The disputed 2024 parliamentary vote and the non-stop protest wave that erupted late in November left the Georgian Dream government largely isolated from Western countries, including the U.S., which had suspended its strategic partnership with Georgia.
Despite earlier bets on the Republican President, with whom the Georgian Dream claims to have “shared values,” the silence from the Trump administration has frustrated those in the GD government. GD Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze, who called on Trump in an open letter to “break” the silence, said that Trump is in a “fight” against the “deep state,” and that the outcome will determine the future of relations.
During an earlier meeting with Botchorishvili in March, Ambassador Dunnigan conveyed “President Trump and Secretary Rubio’s top priorities and steps that Georgia can take to demonstrate its seriousness about improving its relationship with the United States.”
Ambassador Dunnigan also sought to meet with GD founder and honorary chairman Bidzina Ivanishvili to pass a message from the Trump administration regarding U.S.-Georgia relations. Ivanishvili declined, however, citing “personal complex” stemming from sanctions.
On June 5, Ambassador Dunnigan announced her retirement from diplomatic work, calling it a “personal decision” and stating that her government had not asked her to return. She plans to depart from the country in July.
On June 10, Tamar Taliashvili, a former GD lawmaker, was named Georgia’s next ambassador to the United States.
Note: This news article was updated on June 17 at 12:30 p.m. to include the U.S. Embassy’s press release about the meeting.
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