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Vice President Dick Cheney and his wife, Lynne Cheney, upon arrival in Tbilisi. Photo: InterPressNews
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U.S. Vice-President Dick Cheney reassured President Saakashvili of Washington’s unwavering support in the face of, as he put it, invasion and an illegitimate, unilateral attempt by Russia to change Georgia’s borders by force.
This attempt, he said, “has been universally condemned by the free world.” “Russia’s actions have cast great doubt on Russia’s intentions and on its reliability as an international partner,” Cheney added.
In a statement read out for the press after talks with President Saakashvili in Tbilisi on September 4, Cheney mentioned several times that Washington was firm in its support for President Saakashvili and his “democratically elected government.”
“I have assured President Saakashvili today, America will help Georgia to rebuild and regain its position of one of the world’s fastest growing economies,” Cheney said. “He and his democratically elected government can count on the continued support and assistance of the United States.”
He then continued to praise President Saakashvili, saying: “Mr. President, you’ve been fearless in your response to the occupation of your territory and steadfast in your principles.”
The U.S. vice-president pointed out that Georgian troops were in Iraq before Tbilisi recalled them after conflict erupted with Russia. “Now it is the responsibility of the free world to rally to the side of Georgia,” Cheney added.
“America will do its duty to work with the government of Georgia and with other friends and allies to protect our common interests,” he said.
Cheney also reiterated U.S. support for Georgia’s territorial integrity, adding that a peaceful resolution to the Abkhaz and South Ossetian conflicts was needed “for the sake of long-term security in this region.”
He said that the U.S. also remained committed to Georgia’s NATO bid.
"America is fully committed to Georgia’s Membership Action Plan for NATO and to its eventual membership in the alliance," Cheney said.
"The United States is very pleased with the recent establishment of the NATO-Georgia Commission. As the current members of NATO declared at the summit in Bucharest, Georgia will be in our Alliance. NATO is a defensive alliance."
In his statement, Cheney also mentioned the huge rally in Tbilisi and across Georgia on September 1, saying that “more than one hundred thousand” people came out to demonstrate their support for Georgia’s independence; President Saakashvili, however, interrupted him, saying the number was “actually 1.5 million.”
“Oh, that’s much more than one hundred thousand,” Cheney responded.
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