Azernews.Az

By Sabina Idayatova

Georgian Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili discussed deepening of bilateral relations with US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Eric Rubin in Tbilisi on Tuesday, according to the prime minister's press-service.

The working luncheon during which the discussions took place was attended by Georgian Foreign Minister Maia Panjikidze and US Ambassador Richard Norland.

The sides discussed the deepening of relations in the framework of the two countries' Charter on Strategic Partnership.

Referring to the U.S. embassy in Tbilisi, civil.ge website reported that a meeting of the bilateral working group on democracy in the frames of U.S.-Georgia Strategic Partnership Charter will be held on April 12. It is one of the four inter-agency bilateral groups, which were established to address priority areas of the Strategic Partnership Charter, which was signed in January 2009. The charter further covers defense and security, economic and people-to-people relations.

After meeting with the Georgian foreign minister, Deputy Assistant Secretary Rubin said he had discussed "many areas" of bilateral relations, as well as Georgia's contribution to the mission in Afghanistan and the Geneva talks.

Georgia's incoming ambassador to the United States, Archil Gegeshidze, also attended the meeting. Panjikidze said that the new ambassador would present credentials to President Barack Obama on April 15.

The U.S. established diplomatic relations with Georgia in 1992 following the republic's independence from the Soviet Union a year earlier. The US assistance in various areas has been increased since the Rose Revolution in November 2003.

Furthermore, the US administration has designed the Millennium Challenge program aimed at investing US capital in the Georgian economy, thus reducing poverty through economic growth. This effort, totaling $295 million, was focused on different projects for rehabilitating regional infrastructure and promoting private sector development.