Saakashvili Says Obama Supports Georgia's NATO Aspirations
TBILISI. Nov 20 (Interfax) - Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili is happy about the outcome of his meeting with U.S. President Barack Obama on the sidelines of the ongoing NATO summit in Lisbon.
"During our meeting, President Obama made an extremely important statement not only in support for Georgia's territorial integrity, but also saying that they are working on this (Georgia joining NATO)," Saakashvili told Georgian journalists in Lisbon.
The U.S. president is "quite informed about Georgian issues," he said.
"President Obama has supported Georgia's course that will lead it to joining NATO," Saakashvili said.
NATO members, including the U.S., currently support Georgia's accession to NATO not along with Ukraine, as before, but separately, as Kyiv has decided for the time being not to join the alliance, he said.
The U.S. administration press service reported earlier that "President Obama met with Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili in Lisbon today to discuss further strengthening bilateral relations and increasing our cooperation."
"President Obama reaffirmed U.S. support for Georgia's sovereignty and territorial integrity," it said.
The U.S. leader also thanked Georgia for its "significant contributions to the ISAF (International Security Assistance Force) mission in Afghanistan and for the service and sacrifice of its brave troops."
"The two leaders discussed the Georgian government's efforts to implement political, economic, and defense reforms and our shared interest in securing democracy, stability, and prosperity in Georgia," the White House press service said.
Keyword Tags:
Russia, NATO - Russia, Georgia - U.S.-Russian Relations - Russia News - Russia - Johnson's Russia List
