U.S.-Georgia Strategic Partnership Commission working groups issue joint statement

All the working groups congratulated Georgia on its well-administered presidential election and initialing an Association Agreement with the European Union that includes a Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area, which represent significant signs of Georgia's progress towards European and Euro-Atlantic integration, the U.S. Department of State statement reads issued after the working group meetings of the U.S.-Georgia Strategic Partnership Commission December 9 13 in Washington.

The Defense and Security working group once more expressed continuing U.S. support for Georgia's sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders and joint non-recognition efforts.

"The United States restated its continued support for Georgias membership in NATO. Both parties underscored Georgias contributions to the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan, where Georgia remains the largest non-NATO contributor, serves without national caveats in Helmand Province, and stands ready to contribute to the Alliances post-2014 mission in Afghanistan, reads the statement.

In the framework of the U.S.-Georgia Strategic Partnership People-to-People and Cultural Exchanges working group voiced support for Georgias efforts to reach out to the people of its occupied Abkhazia and Tskhinvali/South Ossetia regions and U.S. and international efforts to support people-to-people engagement in the occupied territories.

"The United States rejected borderization activity along the Administrative Boundary Lines of Georgias occupied territories as inconsistent with Russias international commitments, reads the statement.

Moreover, the Economic Working Group discussed Georgias growing economic role in the region and bilateral cooperation in agriculture, intellectual property rights, public-private sector engagement, energy security and supply diversification, and infrastructure development.

The strength of U.S.-Georgia relations is affirmed in the U.S.-Georgia Charter on Strategic Partnership, signed by then-U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia Grigol Vashadze in Washington, DC, on January 9, 2009.

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