US, Georgia stress 25-year ‘partnership’ in security
High ranking officials from the United States and Georgia have discussed partnership in the “defense and security area” over the next 25 years.
Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili met Tuesday with US Vice President Joe Biden to talk about the issues amid Russia’s concerns over a military build-up on its backdoor.
"We had a very useful and interesting dialogue," Kvirikashvili was quoted by Interfax as telling journalists after the meeting.
"We have had very important partnership in all areas with the US, and we also talked about partnership in the next 25 years, about how we will develop it, and expand our cooperation in the defense and security area."
The Georgian premier, who has visited several US officials on his four-day visit, added that the two also discussed broader economic ties.
His visit comes during a time that Washington-Moscow ties are in tatters over the crisis in eastern Ukraine.
In an interview with AP, the prime minister said Monday that Tbilisi is clearly “pro-Western, pro-European.”
"The sovereign decision of (the) Georgian people is to be pro-European," he said yet, noting that "This does not mean that we do not need to try to normalize relations with Russia, with our neighbor, but not at the expense of Georgia's territorial integrity and sovereign decisions."
Georgia and Russia got engaged in a five-day war in 2008, which led to partial recognition of South Ossetia as an independent state along with Abkhazia.
Russia is now blamed for “aggression” by the West due to the reunification of Crimea in 2014 and alleged support for pro-Russian forces in the east of Ukraine.
The Kremlin, however, categorically rejects the allegations.
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