The Prime Minister of Georgia and U.S. Secretary of State held a telephone conversation.

Mike Pompeo 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”.

He 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”.

Pompeo “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”. He highlighted that the U.S. will “always support” Georgia’s sovereignty in the face of Russian occupation.

Giorgi Gakharia and U.S. Secretary of State talked about the main areas of the U.S.-Georgian strategic partnership. The Head of the Government paid particular attention to the need for deepening security cooperation between the two nations.

The Prime Minister informed Mike 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.