SSSG Says Its Chief Mamuka Mdinaradze Visited U.S.

2026-02-11 - 08:57

The State Security Service of Georgia (SSSG) said on February 11 its chief, Mamuka Mdinaradze, made a working visit to the United States from February 7 to 10 at the invitation of U.S. counterparts. The agency provided no further details. The trip was Mdinaradze’s first publicly reported official visit to the U.S. since becoming SSSG chief in September 2025. The most recent publicly reported visit to the United States by a Georgian Dream official was Deputy Foreign Minister Lasha Darsalia’s trip in early February. In Washington, Darsalia met with State Department and Commerce Department officials. The visits come amid lingering uncertainty over bilateral relations. The U.S. under President Joe Biden suspended the strategic partnership with Georgia in November 2024 and sanctioned Georgian Dream founder and Honorary Chairman Bidzina Ivanishvili a month later. Since then, Washington under President Donald Trump has remained largely silent toward Tbilisi, despite Georgian Dream’s claims of “shared values” and stated efforts to reset relations “from a clean slate.” On February 6, Georgian Dream–elected President Mikheil Kavelashvili and Foreign Minister Maka Botchorishvili had what appeared to be a brief exchange with U.S. Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Milan during the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics. Kavelashvili later commented on the encounters, saying, among others, that Rubio told him the previous U.S. administration had left “clear negativity” toward Georgia and that the current administration under President Donald Trump is working to restart relations. Also Read: 06/11/2025 – U.S. Lawmakers Urge Secretary Rubio to Defend Former U.S.-Employed Personnel Amid GD Attacks 08/10/2025 – U.S. Confirms Requesting Meeting With Georgian Ambassador After Kobakhidze Denies Summoning 02/10/2025 – SSSG Chief Mdinaradze Talks October 4, ‘Radicals,’ Planned U.S. Visit in Interview With Imedi TV