250 years of America, 34 years of partnership: Interview with U.S. Chargé d’Affaires to Georgia Alan Purcell

Congratulations on this momentous anniversary! As the United States celebrates 250 years of independence, what aspects of the American story do you believe continue to resonate most strongly with partners and friends around the world, including Georgia?

At the heart of the American story is the idea that individuals have the power to shape their own future and make a difference in their communities and beyond.  America’s history of freedom, opportunity, and innovation continues to resonate strongly with our partners today—including here in Georgia.  

As we celebrate 250 years of independence, the American story is still being written. Looking ahead, together with our friends in Georgia, we will continue to work together to forge new relationships, meet shared challenges, and seize new opportunities.

The United States has been one of Georgia’s closest partners since OUR independence. Looking back over more than three decades of cooperation, what accomplishments in the bilateral relationship stand out most to you?

The United States was one of the first countries to recognize Georgia’s independence, and since then the relationship has been grounded in the deep and enduring friendship between our peoples and strong support for Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. 

Over more than three decades, we have worked together on a number of key issues important to both our countries. To highlight a few that stand out to me:

Our military cooperation has grown steadily since the 1990s. The United States has trained alongside the Georgian Defense Forces and the Georgian Coast Guard, and has sent Georgian officers, soldiers, and civilians to more than 16,000 courses since 1992. Over the years, that cooperation has deepened through many joint activities. Georgian troops served shoulder to shoulder with American forces in combat missions and demonstrated exceptional courage and dedication. We honor those who gave their lives and all who were wounded. Their service and sacrifice remain a lasting bond between our two nations.

Our partnerships in education continue to foster exchanges of experience and help Georgia’s rising leaders build skills needed to succeed across a wide range of sectors. Our law enforcement cooperation has strengthened both countries’ security.

On the health front, we have partnered to strengthen the health security of Georgia, the region, and the United States. Efforts like the Georgia Hepatitis C elimination program and the training of disease detectives to respond to disease outbreaks make the world a safer place. 

Our economic ties continue to expand, with growing interest from Georgian companies and investors in opportunities in the United States—including through the premier SelectUSA investment summit. 

And one of the most long-lasting partnerships is the Americans who spend every day working together with Georgians through the Peace Corps. The Government of Georgia invited the Peace Corps to establish a program in Georgia in the 1990s.  In 2001, the first group of 21 volunteers arrived to teach English alongside Georgian English teachers. In 2004, the program was expanded to support organizational development. Today, more than 900 Americans have served in Georgia, exchanging skills with their Georgian counterparts, supervisors, and community members, sharing American culture, and bringing Georgian culture back home with them to the United States. 

What qualities or values do you believe Georgians and Americans share that have helped sustain such a strong partnership over the years? Are there lessons that Georgia should learn from America’s 250-year journey? Do you think that there are lessons that America can learn from Georgia?

Americans continue to be inspired by the Georgian people’s love of freedom and independence, one of the aspects that has fueled our friendship. 

At the same time, Americans admire Georgians’ entrepreneurial and innovative spirit—qualities that Americans are proud of cultivating in the United States. Figures such as George Matchabeli, Alexander Kartveli, and George Balanchine embody the idea that with creativity, determination, and hard work, individuals can shape entire industries and cultural spheres—whether in business, aviation, or the arts.

The U.S. Embassy in Tbilisi has long supported initiatives aimed at improving Georgia’s business climate, promoting entrepreneurship, and encouraging investment. What are some examples of these efforts that you believe have had a lasting impact?

In June, I was honored to participate in the groundbreaking of PACE Group’s second berth at Poti New Sea Port; the latest in over $800 million in U.S. Development Finance Corporation’s investments in Georgia in a range of sectors, including hospitality, health, agriculture, finance, small and medium sized enterprise development, and ports. Over the past three years, we have supported entrepreneurship through a tech pitch competition, where the winner and other tech companies traveled to the SelectUSA Investment Summit in Maryland. And our border security team worked with Georgia to implement a Maritime Single Window, strengthening trade security and maritime governance in Georgia.

Looking ahead, what gives you the greatest optimism about the future of U.S.-Georgia relations, particularly in the areas of trade, investment, innovation, and people-to-people ties?

The strong bonds between Georgians and Americans that I have witnessed during my time here.  We have had a partnership for many years—even before we established diplomatic relations 34 years ago—grounded in our people-to-people ties.  These ties continue to grow through businesses, entrepreneurs, innovators, students, and communities working together.  I’m confident that these enduring relationships will continue to create opportunities and contribute to greater prosperity for our countries.

Do you have a favorite founding father—and, if so, why?

Some of my early memories are of the celebration of the Bicentennial in 1976, and maybe that is why I have been fascinated by the founding period my whole life.  My kids will tell you how many historic sites I’ve dragged them to! If I had to choose only one figure who stands out to me, it would be Washington. From what I’ve read about his military career, he had the surprisingly rare ability to learn from his own mistakes. This was the source of the steady leadership that was needed for victory. After the war, he had unmatched moral authority, which he threw behind the new Constitution and the key decisions he made as the first President, which set the precedents for our system of government. Maybe his greatest gift was the last: stepping aside after his second term, which established the principle that the presidency was not for life.

Sadly, you will be exiting Georgia soon. Do you have any particular experience that you think will stay with you longest?

There have been so many that I will remember for my whole life, and it is hard to choose just one.  But I think I would single out an experience that happened this year and that I shared with millions of Georgians: paying respects and honoring the memory of His Holiness, the late Catholicos-Patriarch Ilia II. I represented the United States at the funeral, and I will never forget the sight of the streets and bridges of Tbilisi packed with people who had come out to pay their respects and to participate in the procession. When I thought about the religious persecution that existed at the time he became Patriarch, seeing this really brought home to me how much Georgia and Georgians have endured and overcome, how they came out of the Soviet period determined to build a future on the foundations that no occupation was able to erase. It is not an accident, I think, that Georgians’ most popular slogan—Sakartvelos gaumarjos—is about Georgia’s victory.  I believe in it.