USA/Georgia

US promises a billion dollars to Georgia

Article published on the 2008-09-04 Latest update 2008-09-04 12:38 TU

Dick Cheney greets Mikheil Saakashvili.
(Photo: Reuters)

The US pledged one billion dollar (690 million euro) in aid to Georgia Thursday as Vice-President Dick Cheney was in Tbilisi to meet with his Georgian counterpart. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who announced the aid package in Washington, said that Georgia “will survive, will rebuild and will thrive.”

Meanwhile Cheney denounced Russia’s military action last month after his meeting with Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili, calling it “an invasion” and saying that it called Russia’s international credibility into question.

"Russia's actions have cast grave doubt on Russia's intentions and on its reliability as an international partner, not just in Georgia but across this region and indeed across the international system," he said.

Russia was able to claim a small victory Thursday when Nicaragua became the first country to follow Russia’s lead and recognise the independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

Cheney pledged renewed American support to Georgia.

"After your nation won its freedom in the Rose Revolution, America came to the aid of this courageous young democracy," said Cheney, referring to the 2003 movement that brought Saakashvili to power.

"We are doing so again as you work to overcome an invasion of your sovereign territory and an illegitimate, unilateral attempt to change your country's borders by force that has been universally condemned by the free world."

The European Union is also planning a donors' conference for Georgia later this month and the International Monetary Fund announced 517 million euros to help offset the estimated 1.9 billion euros Georgia spent on the war.

EU foreign ministers are meeting today in Avignon, France, to forge a consensus on Georgia ahead of a key meeting between Russian President Dimitri Medvedev and French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who currently holding the presidency of the EU.