TBILISI. July 28 (Interfax) - Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia held a phone conversation with United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Monday.
Gakharia and Pompeo discussed a wide range of issues concerning cooperation between Georgia and the U.S., including security, common challenges related to the Covid-19 pandemic, the situation in Abkhazia and South Ossetia, and regional security problems, the Georgian prime minister's press service said.
Gakharia and Pompeo expressed hope that a plenary session of the United States-Georgia Charter on Strategic Partnership, which was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic, will take place before the end of this year, the press service said.
The Georgian prime minister also thanked the U.S. secretary of state for the assistance extended over the past few years to help Georgia strengthen its healthcare system, including the establishment of the Richard Lugar Center for Public Health Research near Tbilisi, it said.
Gakharia invited Pompeo to pay an official visit to Georgia when it is convenient for him, the press service said.
During the phone call, Pompeo, for his part, confirmed Washington's strong support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Georgia, the press service said.
The parties also discussed the issue of Georgia's European and Euro-Atlantic integration, it said.
"The prime minister noted that Georgia is a reliable partner for the U.S., NATO, and the European Union in the Black Sea region," it said.
Gakharia assured Pompeo during the phone call that Georgia's upcoming parliamentary election in October will be as transparent, free, and fair as possible.
The U.S.-Georgia Charter on Strategic Partnership, which was signed in 2009, determines priority avenues of the two countries' cooperation coordinated by four bilateral interdepartmental groups on democracy and governance, defense and security, the economy, trade, and energy, and people-to-people relations and cultural exchanges.