Georgian Prime Minister Writes Open Letter to Trump and Vence

The Prime Minister of Georgia, Irakli Kobakhidze, has expressed his bewilderment regarding the silence of the American side on the resumption of Georgian-American relations and the restoration of strategic partnership in an open letter addressed to President Donald Trump and Vice President Jay D. Vence. Kobakhidze published the letter on his social media page.

In the letter, Kobakhidze stated that he had already reached out to the American leadership a few weeks prior regarding bilateral relations and had previously expressed his willingness to restart them from scratch and according to a specific plan, yet no response was received. Moreover, according to the Prime Minister of Georgia, there has been “no communication at a high level” between the leaders of the two countries.

“This silence is surprising for the Georgian people and the Georgian authorities for several reasons. First, Georgia has been the most reliable partner of the United States in our most challenging region for many years, which holds strategic importance for the U.S. Georgia has supported the United States in the hottest spots, including Iraq and Afghanistan, where Georgia had the largest number of soldiers per capita. By participating in just these two missions, our small country saved the United States $2.5 billion, which is many times more than the actual aid provided to Georgia,” the letter states.

Furthermore, according to Kobakhidze, the public rhetoric of the Georgian government and the American administration aligns ideologically. “Considering this ideological compatibility, the Georgian people initially expected that Georgia would be one of the first countries to receive special interest from your administration. Despite the mounting questions, we continue to remain optimistic. The Government of Georgia patiently awaits the moment that should become the foundation for the resumption of Georgian-American relations and the restoration of our countries’ strategic partnership,” the letter adds.