Georgian Prime Minister, U.S. Secretary of State Hold Phone Talk

Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia and U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo held a telephone conversation on July 27.

The U.S. Secretary of State highlighted “the importance of holding free, fair, and transparent elections in Georgia this October,” noting that “a level playing field is integral to democratic elections.”

Secretary Pompeo hailed Georgia’s passage of constitutional amendments establishing a largely proportional electoral system and “stressed the importance of rigorous implementation of recently passed electoral reforms.”

The top U.S. diplomat then “urged continued efforts to strengthen the independence of Georgia’s judiciary as an essential step for attracting foreign investment and cautioned against politicization of Georgia’s judicial and electoral processes.”

Pompeo also highlighted that the United States will “always support” Georgia’s sovereignty in the face of Russian occupation.

On its part, the press office of the Georgian Government noted that PM Gakharia and Secretary Pompeo spoke of the main areas of the U.S.-Georgian strategic partnership.

The Georgian Prime Minister paid particular attention to the need for deepening security cooperation between the two nations, said the Georgian Government’s Press Office.

In this context, PM Gakharia informed Secretary Pompeo of “Russia’s continued aggressive actions, in particular, kidnappings and detentions of ethnic Georgians” by the Russian occupation forces.

Speaking of Georgia’s European and Euro-Atlantic integration, Gakharia highlighted that Georgia remains a reliable partner for the U.S., NATO and the European Union.

The Georgian Prime Minister tweeted that he “underscored our commitment to an independent judiciary and holding free and fair elections this fall.”

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