TBILISI, August 2. /TASS/. Georgia’s authorities maintain contacts with the American side and are optimistic about the restoration of strategic partnership with the United States, Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze said.

"We remain optimistic that the strategic partnership between Georgia and the United States will be restored. We are maintaining communication with our American partners. We hope to see reciprocal steps that will ultimately lead to the restoration of the strategic partnership. This is our goal, and we are patiently awaiting reciprocal steps from the American side," he told reporters.

Relations between Tbilisi and Washington became strained in 2024 after Georgia passed a law on foreign agents. Following the Georgian prime minister’s November 28, 2024 statement on freezing the process of launching accession talks with the European Union, the US Department of State suspended strategic partnership with the country. Before Donald Trump took office as president of the United States, Georgia’s authorities had been saying that they were hoping for a change of power in the United States and a reset in relations with Washington. The Georgian leadership has also been saying that it is awaiting reciprocal steps from the United States. Contacts between the Georgian and US leadership have intensified in recent time.