The Georgian prime minister brief conversations with the US president and secretary of state in New York, with the restoration of the countries’ strategic partnership at the center of his message.

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze held conversations with US President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio during his visit to New York for the 81st UN General Assembly, according to remarks following his return to Georgia. Kobakhidze described the exchanges as positive and reiterated Georgia’s interest in restoring the US-Georgia strategic partnership.

According to Kobakhidze, his conversation with Trump took place at a reception for heads of UN delegations. No official account or photograph of the exchange with Trump had been made public at the time of the report. Georgian Prime Minister also met Rubio during the reception. “Our desire is to restore the strategic partnership,” Kobakhidze added, highlighting that Georgia had already taken steps toward that goal and was waiting for reciprocal action from Washington.

The issue of relations with Washington also featured in Kobakhidze’s September 24 UN General Assembly address, where he identified peace and international cooperation among Georgia’s priorities and called for dialogue and mutual respect as the basis for lasting peace.