Georgia and the United States will sign a strategic agreement on January 4 in Washington, announced on Thursday the spokesperson for the Georgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. “Georgian Foreign Minister Grigol Vashadze and U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will sign the strategic partnership agreement on January 4 in Washington,” said spokesperson Katuna Josava.
Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili stated on Monday that negotiations between the two countries are ongoing, which was confirmed the next day in a statement by the U.S. State Department. The Bush administration, which will hand over power to Barack Obama’s administration in less than a month, aims to “assist Georgia in advancing its security, democratic, and economic reforms to strengthen it, provide impetus for our partnership, and accelerate its Euro-Atlantic integration,” the statement adds. An agreement similar to the strategic agreement signed last week by the USA and Ukraine could heighten tensions with Russia. NATO announced earlier this month that it will expand cooperation with Ukraine and Georgia, and for this purpose, it will strengthen two existing negotiation mechanisms to support them on their path to closer ties with the Alliance. (H)
