Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said at the joint press briefing with Georgian Defense Minister Juansher Burchuladze that Georgia is a critical region to the United States.
"This is a critical region to us, and we have many shared interests, and of course, shared values, and we see a number of opportunities for security cooperation. Again, I'm here to reassure and recognize the tremendous value of our partnership," Austin stressed.
"I served in Iraq with them, as well as in Afghanistan, and I can tell you they're incredible soldiers, and Georgia has every right to be proud of that contribution and the way they continue to operate," he said.
Austin noted that Washington and Tbilisi will continue to work on and strengthen their partnership as we go forward. "Again, I'm here to reassure Georgia and work to strengthen the great relationship that we already have," the Pentagon chief added.
