U.S. Department of State: Pankisi “No Longer a Haven for Terrorists.”

Richard Boucher, a spokesman of the U.S. State Department said in a statement issued on September 13, that Georgia?s Pankisi gorge was “no longer a haven for terrorists.”

This announcement followed the statement made by U.S. Ambassador to Georgia Richard Miles, who said earlier on September 13 that ?there are few international terrorists in the vicinity of Pankisi gorge.?

Spokesman of the U.S. State Department also said that Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage spoke with Georgian Prime Minister Zurab Zhvania on September 13 to discuss counter-terrorism cooperation between the United States and Georgia.

?The United States reaffirmed its commitment to working with the governments of Georgia and Russia to combat terrorism in the region. The United States is proud to have been part of the Train and Equip Program. We have also contributed $47 million over the past three years to the Georgian Border Guard and Coast Guard in support of Georgian border security and law enforcement. As a result of programs like these, the Pankisi Gorge is no longer a haven for terrorists,? Richard Boucher said.