04 September 2008
Cheney Condemns Russia's Invasion of Georgia
United States also pledges support for Georgia's NATO membership
Washington — Vice President Cheney called Russia's war against Georgia "an illegitimate, unilateral attempt" to re-draw Georgia's borders by force, which has been condemned by the free world.
"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 throughout the international system," Cheney said.
At a September 4 briefing in Tbilisi with Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili, Cheney also said the United States is fully committed to Georgia's membership in NATO. "America will do its duty to work with the governments of Georgia and our other friends and allies to protect our common interests and uphold our values," he said.
Saakashvili told reporters: "We feel that we are not alone. We feel that a great community of nations from the European Union, the United States, Japan, other responsible nations, China, are standing by Georgia, and I think we will endure, we will prosper, and we will succeed."
Cheney was visiting Georgia and two other former Soviet republics — Azerbaijan and Ukraine — before going to Italy to participate in the Ambrosetti forum at Lake Como, Italy. Ukraine is also being considered for NATO membership.
The states in the South Caucasus region have been badly shaken by Russia's invasion of Georgia August 7 in a thorny dispute with Georgia over two breakaway regions — South Ossetia and Abkhazia — which have sought and received Russian recognition of their independence.
The United States has maintained that Georgia's territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence have been violated by Russia's incursion into South Ossetia and Abkhazia, and into other portions of Georgian territory.
"For the sake of long-term security in this region, we call for the peaceful resolution of the dispute over the Georgian territories of Abkhazia and South Ossetia — based on the good faith discussions among the parties, and objective international mediation," Cheney said.
Saakashvili agreed with Cheney, saying: "We are committed to a peaceful resolution of all the issues. And we are committed to a dialogue with everybody, internally, and with all the nations in the neighborhood and worldwide."
The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) announced September 4 that for the first time since hostilities ended last month between Russia and Georgia, it has been able to get its military monitoring officers into some regions of Georgia that had been occupied by Russian forces. Russia had pledged to withdraw its forces to pre-August 6 positions once international military monitors were in place.
And Cheney rejected Russian claims that Saakashvili had become a "political corpse." "Americans are acutely conscious of the great trials your country has faced over the last four weeks, and we stand in solidarity with the people of Georgia," he said.
President Bush pledged $1 billion in humanitarian and economic assistance for Georgia September 3 to help with stabilization and reconstruction of areas badly damaged by the brief conflict with Russia. (See "United States Pledges $1 Billion to Rebuild Georgia.")
Before leaving Tbilisi for Ukraine, Cheney visited the military section of Tbilisi's international airport, where U.S. military personnel have been delivering humanitarian assistance.
"These funds will support reconstruction, humanitarian needs, the resettlement of displaced persons and other vital priorities," Cheney said. "President Bush has also directed a range of American government agencies to give additional support to Georgia's recovery by promoting greater international trade and investment in this country."
