Tbilisi, 06 July 2016 - Prime Minister of Georgia Giorgi Kvirikashvili today met with United States Secretary of State John Kerry for bilateral discussions on a range of issues, including US support for Georgia's Euro-Atlantic aspirations and successful elections in October.
"The visit of the US State Secretary to Georgia is yet another clear demonstration of the active top-level strategic cooperation and partnership between the two countries," said Prime Minister Kvirikashvili.
Secretary Kerry congratulated Georgia on its demonstrated democratic progress over the last 25 years of independence and applauded the Georgian government's commitment to ensuring free and fair elections. "We respect the reforms that you have been instituting, the efforts you are making to make sure your election is as fair and accountable and transparent as possible," he said.
Secretary Kerry also co-chaired a plenary meeting of the US-Georgia Strategic Partnership Commission.
The meeting addressed the work being done to enhance bilateral trade, support democratic consolidation in Georgia, and solidify US-Georgia security cooperation.
Prime Minister Kvirikashvili and Secretary Kerry also formalised a memorandum of understanding on defence and security cooperation between the two countries.
"This memorandum provides a new framework for deeper partnership and covers fields of cooperation that are critically important for strengthening Georgia's security and enhancing its defense capabilities," said Prime Minister Kvirikashvili. "Georgia-US strategic partnership focuses on strengthening security and promoting peaceful and democratic development in Georgia, also regionally and worldwide alike. We are committed to deepening our partnership in these directions."
On this occasion the two sides also signed a document designed to boost Georgia-US cooperation in the field of education by enhancing the Fulbright Student Program, and Growth, a new USAID project, which seeks to promote economic growth in Georgia's regions especially along the occupation line. The Growth project is expected to create up to 2,000 new workplaces in five regions.
The trip comes just ahead of the July 8 NATO Summit in Warsaw, which Secretary Kerry will attend.
The US-Georgia Strategic Partnership Commission is the primary mechanism for organising and prioritising the broad and deepening cooperation between the United States and Georgia. The Commission includes four bilateral working groups on priority areas identified in the Charter on Strategic Partnership: democracy and governance; defence and security; economics, trade, and energy; and people-to-people and cultural exchanges.