U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke on the phone with Georgian Dream Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze about “areas of mutual interest including security in the Caucasus and Black Sea region,” according to the information published by the State Department on March 30.
“Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke with Georgia Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze today. They discussed areas of mutual interest including security in the Caucasus and Black Sea region,” reads the statement, attributable to Principal Deputy Spokesperson Tommy Pigott.
Kobakhidze wrote in an X post on March 30 that he had a “productive phone conversation” with Rubio. “We [emphasized] the importance of resetting our partnership and reinforcing Georgia’s role as a strong partner in the South Caucasus. Committed to strengthening Georgia–U.S. ties and advancing regional stability and connectivity,” Kobakhidze wrote.
The call comes amid a continued freeze in bilateral relations, with the United States, a traditional ally, having suspended its strategic partnership with Georgia in November 2024 under the Joe Biden administration. Ties have remained frozen since, despite repeated appeals from Tbilisi to reset relations, with Georgian Dream officials frequently pointing to what they see as ideological alignment with the Donald Trump administration.
The call also follows a recent visit by Peter Andreoli, a representative of the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs, who met with Georgian officials and opposition members in Tbilisi and visited the Anaklia Deep Sea Port construction site, among other engagements. The controversial port project, initially slated for development by a Georgian-American venture, was later awarded to a Sino-Singaporean consortium but is said to have stalled since.
More to follow…