<!-- IMAGE -->The United States is committed to helping the Republic of
Georgia recover from its August invasion by Russia. In early September,
President George Bush announced that in addition to the approximately
one-hundred million dollars of economic aid it had already arranged to
provide over the next two years the U.S. would send an additional one
billion dollars' worth of economic assistance to meet Georgia's
humanitarian needs and support its economic recovery. "Georgia has a
strong economic foundation and leaders with an impressive record of
reform," said Mr. Bush, adding that such economic assistance will help
the people of Georgia continue to build a prosperous and competitive
country.
But such emergency funding is just a start. On October 27, U.S.
Deputy Secretary of Commerce John Sullivan, along with executive
officers of nineteen major U.S. companies, arrived in Tbilisi for a
two-day business summit. "Georgia is an important ally and a strategic
partner of the United States," said Deputy Secretary Sullivan. "As
Georgia rebuilds its infrastructure, the United States and American
business will help to grow the economy." The U.S. will explore ways to
increase bilateral trade and investment, and find ways to give
Georgia's exporters improved access to U.S. markets, said Mr. Sullivan.
Earlier this month, the U.S. had promised that it would open its market
to 3,500 products, shipped duty free from Georgia, to help support its
economy.
In addition, the U.S. Department of Commerce will extend its
Commercial Law Development Program to Georgia, and so help Georgia
modernize its commercial, technology transfer and intellectual property
laws, and build the capacity of Georgia's judiciary in commercial
dispute settlement.
Deputy Secretary Sullivan reaffirmed America's commitment to
Georgia's democracy, its territorial integrity, and its security. "This
summit is about. . .the unbreakable ties between two countries," said
Mr. Sullivan. "It is about our faith in Georgia's commitment to reform,
to free markets and to ensuring the prosperity and security of its
people."
