U.S. "will not waver" in its support for Georgia, Clinton says

PanARMENIAN.Net - At the opening session of the second U.S.-Georgia Strategic Partnership dialogue, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the United States "will not waver" in its support for Georgia's sovereignty and territorial integrity, and said support is a core principle of the 2009 partnership accord and "fundamental" to the bilateral relationship.

"We continue to call on Russia to end its occupation of Georgian territory, withdraw its forces and abide by its other commitments under the 2008 cease-fire agreements," said Clinton. "Georgia has taken a constructive approach in our common efforts to address this challenge through the talks in Geneva. We support the objective of Georgia's state strategy on occupied territories, and we are prepared to undertake activities that reinforce these important objectives."

In her remarks, Clinton reaffirmed U.S. support for Georgia's bid for NATO membership.

She said Georgia has made tangible progress on political reforms, but said "a lot of work" remains before parliamentary elections in 2012 and presidential voting the following year, VOA News reported.