On December 11 the Prime Minister of Georgia Zurab Noghaideli continued his visit to Washington in frames of his trip to the USA. The Washington program was full of many significant meetings.
The Prime Minister of Georgia held the first meeting with the high level interagency group for energy at the US State Department. At this meeting the functions of the coordinator were entrusted on the US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Matthew Bryza. At the meeting were discussed the progress attained by Georgia in the energy sphere and energy security of Europe and Euro-Atlantic cooperation.
Today the Prime Minister of Georgia met the chairman of the Export-Import Bank of America Mr. James Lambright and with whom he discussed the possible participation of the Bank in the financing of priority projects of the Georgian energy sphere as well as the perspective of execution of the free trade agreement between Georgia and the USA. The parties decided that in the beginning of the next year a group of American experts will visit Georgia to study the issue of free trade with Georgia.
Out of the meetings held on the Capitol Hill noteworthy is the meeting with the democrat-congressman Robert Wexler who is a member of the international relations committee of the House of Representatives. At the meeting were discussed the current political and economic reforms, USA-Georgia relations, including the perspective of free trade between the two countries and settlement of conflicts. The congressman Wexler expressed the full support of course of the Government of Georgia. This course is prolongation of the reforms, and it implies institutionalization of democracy and integration of the country in the European and Euro-Atlantic structure.
Zurab Noghaideli and the US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice during their meeting discussed the wide range of issues regarding the bilateral and multilateral relations. The Prime Minister of Georgia focused attention on the self-government. Law and current reforms in the economic sphere as well as on the issues of energy security of Europe and Euro-Atlantic community in respect of Georgia. The parties underscored the process of settlement of conflicts in Georgia and participation of the USA in this process. The US Secretary of State backed the political course of Georgia on the domestic and international scenes and stated that Georgia could still enjoy the friendship and support of the USA.
After the US Secretary of State the Prime Minister of Georgia went to the White House where he discussed the course of reforms in Georgia, issues of energy security, settlement of conflicts and perspectives of free trade with the USA with the U.S. Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs Steven Hadley. Steven Hadley underlined that the US Administration supports the efforts of the Georgian Government aimed at the intensification of institutionalization reforms and peaceful resolution of conflicts.
The Prime Minister of Georgia Zurab Noghaideli also met Robert Kimmitt, Deputy Secretary of the Department of the Treasury with whom he discussed the course of economic reforms in Georgia.
In the evening Zurab Noghaideli produced a speech at the presentation of Georgian wines held in Washington where representatives of diplomatic and business circles were invited.
Press Center of the Chancellery of the Government of Georgia