Friends of Georgia Hold Strategy Session in Lithuania

The New Friends of Georgia group of countries conferred in an enlarged and upgraded format on September 13-14 in Vilnius. This meeting shows that a strong nucleus of eight countries has developed within the European Union and NATO (alongside the United States in the latter case), supporting an active policy by the two organizations in Europe’s East generally and toward Georgia in particular.

Initiated in 2005 in Tbilisi by the three Baltic states, Poland, Ukraine, Romania, and Bulgaria, the New Friends’ group has matured this year. Georgia’s Black Sea neighbors Romania and Bulgaria joined the EU, while the Czech Republic and Sweden have joined the New Friends of Georgia group. The meeting in Vilnius was the first held at the level of ministers of foreign affairs in full format. The EU’s Special Representative for the South Caucasus, Peter Semneby, participated as an observer, while his Swedish compatriot, Minister of Foreign Affairs Carl Bildt, brought Sweden to the table for the first time. [More]

US Official Chastises Russia on South Ossetia, Kokoity Denies Corruption Charges

Russia is threatening Georgia's territorial integrity by "giving renewed support to separatist regimes and issuing veiled threats to recognize breakaway regions," says a top US official. Tbilisi agrees, unveiling its unilateral annulment of a Georgian-Russian treaty on South Ossetia in a denouncement of Russian investments in South Ossetia.

"…We want to work with Russia to help resolve these conflicts [in the breakaway provinces of Abkhazia and South Ossetia] peacefully. Russian-Georgian relations, after a period of extreme tension, have shown tentative signs of improvement, but we hope that Moscow does more to normalize relations. Russia should end the economic and transportation sanctions it imposed against Georgia last fall," declared Daniel Fried (pictured), US Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs on June 21. [More]

Economic Pacts with United States Reflect Progress in Georgia

A three-part package of economic cooperation initiatives signed recently by Georgia and the United States underscores the strong economic ties between the two countries and Georgia's steady economic progress since its "Rose Revolution" of 2003, US officials say.

On June 21, the United States and Georgia signed an "open skies" cooperation agreement expanding and liberalizing bilateral civil aviation relations. The same day, the US Trade and Development Agency granted Georgia almost half a million dollars to develop the Georgian tourism sector. On June 20, both countries signed a Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) that establishes a platform for expanding bilateral trade and investment relations. [More]

Open Skies Between Georgia and US

Georgia and the United States signed a comprehensive Open Skies agreement, expanding and liberalizing bilateral civil aviation relations between the two countries.

The agreement was signed by Georgian Economy Minister Giorgi Arveladze and Assistant Secretary for Economic, Energy and Business Affairs Daniel S. Sullivan in Washington on June 21. [More]

US grant will help develop tourism in Georgia

The US government agreed Wednesday to give the Republic of Georgia a grant to promote tourism there. The grant was confirmed in a signing ceremony held at the US Trade and Development Agency offices in Arlington, Va.

This grant will be used for the country's Tourism Development and Investment Plan technical assistance project. [More]

US, Republic of Georgia sign economic agreement

The Republic of Georgia and the United States agreed Wednesday to establish a forum aimed at boosting trade and investment. The deal sets up a council for the two countries to discuss ways to make it easier to do business. Deputy US Trade Representative John Veroneau and Georgian Minister of Economic Development George Arveladze signed the agreement at a ceremony in Washington.

The U.S. says the trade and investment framework agreement will help bolster a close ally in the Caucasus that has been praised for implementing democratic and economic change since the Rose Revolution in 2003. [More]

Nations seek to offset Russia's clout

Leaders of four ex-Soviet nations on Tuesday met to discuss ways to counter balance Russia's influence in the Caspian and Black Sea basins. The summit is the first for the organisation called GUAM Organisation for Democracy and Economic Development, since its four members Georgia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan and Moldova, agreed last year to deepen ties and cooperation.

Over the past few years, Russia has cut energy supplies to Ukraine and Belarus over price disputes, temporarily halting supplies to Europe. The US And European Union officials have spoken of the need to reduce dependence on Russia's energy exports and publicly backed GUAM. Officials from GUAM member states have denied that the organisation is anti-Russian, but three of the four members have had serious trade or other disputes with Moscow, and Russia is deeply enmeshed in unresolved separatist conflicts in Georgia and Moldova. [More]