Georgia’s Foreign Minister Maka Botchorishvili has announced that representatives of the United States Department of State are expected to visit Georgia in May. The minister made the statement during an appearance on GPB First Channel’s programme Topic of the Day.

According to Botchorishvili, Georgia has already seen concrete steps from Washington, with a series of consultations and meetings having taken place.

“In May, there will be a visit by U.S. State Department representatives to Georgia. Meetings are being arranged not only with me, but with various representatives of the Georgian government. We have seen concrete steps from the United States. Several consultations have taken place, including a call with the Prime Minister, and visits to Washington and to Tbilisi.

In May, we expect further steps and consultations to continue. This can, in a sense, be considered the initial stage of consultations, the first meetings of this kind conducted under the Trump administration with the State Department. A great deal, of course, depends on how events unfold and the outcome of these consultations. At this stage, we can assess the communications and meetings that have taken place with the American side positively and as productive, for it is precisely as a result of those efforts that the already-planned visits have been arranged,” Maka Botchorishvili said.

The minister noted that April had also seen a visit from a State Department representative, during which she herself had held talks, as had other members of the Georgian government. She described the outcome of that visit as the telephone call between Georgia’s Prime Minister and the U.S. Secretary of State.

“This is the progress we have made in our relations with the United States. We have observed on multiple occasions, and the Secretary of State himself acknowledged during a conversation with me, that the legacy the Trump administration inherited in its relationship with Georgia was complex and not straightforward. It was no small matter to have taken even the steps that brought us to this point and allowed us to begin talking. I am glad that this has come to pass, that it has become possible to return to the table and resume the conversation on Georgia-U.S. relations, which is of the utmost importance,” the Foreign Minister added.

Botchorishvili went on to say that the desire to reset relations is being expressed at the highest levels from the American side.

“Communication with the United States is taking place daily. Our embassy in Washington is working continuously, and we are seeing the results of those messages, as echoed in the Prime Minister’s telephone conversation, which affirmed that we must work to restore relations. The possibility of resuming strategic cooperation most certainly exists, and we must steer this process in the right direction. Much depends on the American side itself, on the strength of its desire to reset relations with Georgia. Judging by the calls, meetings, and communications that have taken place thus far, we can say that this desire does exist, and we are hopeful that the dynamic in our relations will become increasingly positive,” Botchorishvili said.