I think we should have high hopes for both Joe Biden and Tony Blinken

British researcher Daniel Hamilton expressed his expectations in the program "Guest of the Day" that the new U.S. administration would bring Georgia back onto the international agenda.

As a confirmation, Hamilton quoted a statement by the U.S. secretary of state mentioning the Georgia issue.

"I think it's very encouraging that Georgia was mentioned in one of Tony Blinken's first talks. He has made it clear in all of his public speeches that he considers Georgia to be a country firmly committed to NATO. As for the new U.S. president, we should not be surprised that he spoke with the Russian president, and at the same time, we should not doubt his intentions. When Russia annexed Crimea, Biden was among those calling for sanctions against Moscow. He was very active in supporting Georgia during the 2008 war. I think we have high hopes for both Joe Biden and Secretary of State Tony Blinken", Hamilton said.

The British researcher also noted that under Donald Trump's administration, there had been little progress in terms of Georgia's integration into NATO.

"I think obviously under the Trump administration very little progress has been made regarding Georgia's Euro-Atlantic integration. No serious steps have been taken in that direction. Of course, it is unfortunate that the number of Russian troops in the region has increased since the Karabakh war, and Turkey is no longer the reliable partner of the West that it used to be, but Washington has made very clear statements in support of Georgia. It has always been a supporter of Georgia's Euro-Atlantic integration.So I think there is reason for optimism", Hamilton said.

When asked if Toomas Hendrik Ilves, known for his friendly statements towards Georgia, would become NATO Secretary General, the British researcher said it would be "very good for Georgia."

"I think it would be very good for Georgia if he became Secretary General of NATO. When he was a member of the European Parliament, he openly supported the EU's Eastern Partnership policy and supported not only Georgia, but also Ukraine and Moldova joining the EU. So I think it would be a big step forward if the alliance was led by someone who knows the region well and knows the damage that Russia has done to the region, both in terms of cyber attacks and in terms of occupation of two regions.Georgia, Abkhazia and Samachablo", said Hamilton.

The host of the show also asked Daniel Hamilton about the political background, which is perceived as a pressure on the free media, in particular, whether the reaction of the partners should be expected with respect to the fact that one of the founders of the "Mtavari Channel" Giorgi Rurua was in prison, and the authorities resumed the lawsuits against the General Director of the channel Nika Gvaramia. In response to the question, the British researcher answered that independent media was the achievement of Georgia and Georgia had taken important steps in this regard.

"Any channel, no matter what direction it is in, must operate freely. Its owners must be free. This is something that the international community respects," Hamilton said.