U.S backs Georgia's aspirations for European integration
By Mushvig Mehdiyev
U.S. Ambassador to Georgia Richard Norland said the U.S. has always supported Georgia's aspirations for European integration.
Norland noted that Georgia's new foreign minister Tamar Beruchashvili has accurate imagination and position in respect to the foreign policy course of the country.
"That was my first meeting with Beruchashvili and we talked on several issues, challenges to overcome, as well as the situation in Abkhazia, South Ossetia and Ukraine. The U.S. authorities permanently support the European integration course of Georgia," Norland said after his meeting with the newly-appointed minister.
The United States and Georgia established diplomatic relations in 1992 following Georgia’s independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. Since then, Georgia has made impressive progress fighting corruption, developing modern state institutions, and enhancing global security.
The U.S. helps Georgia to deepen Euro-Atlantic ties and strengthen its democratic institutions. It supports Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders and does not recognize the separatist Abkhazia and South Ossetia regions. As a participant of the Geneva International Discussions on the conflict in Georgia, the U.S. keeps its active involvement in support of these principles.