On December 12, Preston Lindler, Director at PMCG, delivered a presentation on Georgia-US relations during 2015–2023, based on our corresponding report, at the American-Georgian Business Council (AGBC) Annual Conference in Washington, DC.
In the course of the conference, Lindler outlined the strong historical ties between Georgia and the United States. In particular, he highlighted key areas such as trade growth, foreign direct investment (FDI) in the ICT sector, migration trends, and international assistance. In addition, he also emphasized the importance of addressing current challenges to restore collaboration and unlock mutual growth opportunities.
Under the “Georgia in the Context of the Strategic Geoeconomic Environment” panel, he presented alongside Alejandro Hajdenberg, Mission Chief for Georgia at the IMF.
Economic and Developmental Georgia-US Ties Strengthened from 2015 to 2023
Specifically, he highlighted the substantial support provided by USAID and the Millennium Challenge Corporation, in addition to FDI, which by 2023 had contributed to the US ranking as Georgia’s third largest trading partner.
During that time, as Lindler’s presentation illustrated, Georgia’s trade turnover with the US increased approximately six-fold from US$360 million in 2015, to US$2.1 billion in 2023.
Investment in Georgia from the US grew between 2015 and 2023, nearing a 10% contribution toward total FDI
In terms of FDI, he pinpointed that, aside from COVID-affected years, such investment into Georgia from the US had grown every year between 2015 and 2023, nearing a 10% contribution toward total FDI in Georgia.
Briefly overviewing the US’s international assistance to Georgia, he outlined that this primarily relates to peace and security, economic development, as well as democracy, human rights, and governance.
Furthermore, centering on the economic development area, Lindler explained that such assistance from the US had been roughly divided in half between private sector competitiveness on one hand, and agriculture and infrastructure on the other.
More Recent Georgia-US Developments: Remittances Soar but Strategic Partnership Suspended
Toward the end of the presentation, he touched on migration trends, noting that a recent surge in the level of remittances from the US to Georgia was likely attributable to a reportedly sharp increase in the volume of unauthorized Georgian immigrants in the US, especially since 2021.
Even though the covered period concluded in 2023, Lindler took time to reflect on current Georgia-US relations, which he described as “at the lowest point we have seen in several decades” in the wake of the Government of Georgia’s suspension of EU accession talks in November 2024.
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