"Georgia is an example of democracy and reforms in whole Caucasus region," Barack Obama, US President thus evaluated the progress reached by Georgia through having carried out various reforms during a meeting with Georgia's President Mikheil Saakashvili. The scheduled meeting between Georgian and US Presidents took place on January 30 in Oval Office of the White House.
The meeting lasted during more than one hour. The two presidents discussed new format of cooperation in defense and economic spheres, perspectives of free trade relations between Georgia and US and all the important issues as envisaged by the Georgia-US Strategic Charter.
President Obama stressed on the importance of cooperation in defense sphere and Georgia's role in peacekeeping operations in Afghanistan. Obama once again pledged support to Georgia's territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders and Georgia's state sovereignty.
Georgian delegation members and American experts evaluated the meeting as yet another confirmation of US' being a strategic partner to Georgia. They underlined on support of the US to Georgia's aspiration to become a member of the North-Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) AND European structures.
The meeting was dedicated to the 20th anniversary of establishment of diplomatic relations between Georgia and the US. This was the fifth face-to-face meeting between Georgian and US Presidents.
Saakashvili met with Joseph Biden, US Vice-President at a dinner before holding a face-to-face meeting with US President. Biden and Saakashvili considered bilateral cooperation issues.
