New US Ambassador meets Prime Minister of Georgia
By Tea Mariamidze
Monday, September 21
The United States will be supporting Georgia’s territorial integrity and helping Georgia to attain its Euro-Atlantic aspirations, said the new US ambassador to Georgia, Ian Kelly after meeting with the Prime Minister of Georgia, Irakli Garibashvili.
The meeting was held on September 18 at the Government Administration building in Tbilisi; it lasted nearly an hour.
According to the Ambassador, they spoke about bilateral relationships between Georgia and the USA and also about deepening relations in the areas of economy and trade.
“We have also talked about how we can expand our trade relationship to make it more diverse and also a relationship that looks to the future,” Kelly said after the meeting.
Before meeting with the PM, Ian Kelly handed over his credentials to Georgia’s President Giorgi Margvelashvili, signalling his commitment to serving American-Georgian relations.
He also met with the Foreign Minister, Giorgi Kvirikashvili.
“I am stunned with the warm welcome in Tbilisi as well as quick the receptions from the President, PM and Foreign Minister,” noted Kelly.
Ian Kelly, who has been in the Foreign Service for about 30 years, was confirmed by the U.S. Senate as the ambassador to Georgia on June 25, after he was nominated to the post by US President Barack Obama.
On September 11, Kelly swore an oath as the new Ambassador, replacing his predecessor Richard Norland.
