Azernews.Az

By Sabina Idayatova

Georgia`s Foreign Minister Maia Panjikidze, Chief Prosecutor Archil Kbilashvili and MPs will visit the United States on July 16.

Georgian Deputy Foreign Minister David Zalkaliani said at a press conference on July 15 that Panjikidze will take part in several high-level meetings and deliver speeches in various NGOs and research centers.

According to Zalkaliani, the Georgian delegation will provide the U.S. side with comprehensive information on the current political processes in the country and Georgia's contribution to overall security.

Panjikidze will also participate in several events at the Atlantic Council, the United States Institute of Peace and other organizations.

Georgia and the U.S. continue to be very close and cooperate in multiple areas. As a key U.S. ally in the war on terror, Georgia was the third largest troop contributor in the Iraq War and is currently the largest per-capita contributor to the US-led mission in Afghanistan. The U.S. for its part is actively assisting Georgia in strengthening its state institutions and has provided the country with financial assistance in excess of $3 billion since 1991.

The strength of U.S.-Georgia relations is reflected in the U.S.-Georgia Charter on Strategic Partnership, which was signed in January 2009 in the priority areas of democracy; defense and security; economic, trade and energy issues; people-to-people contacts and cultural exchanges.

Since the signing of the Charter, the United States and Georgia have strengthened their cooperation based on US support for Georgia's territorial integrity and sovereignty, and its commitment to further democratic reform.

Georgia routinely cooperates with US forces including under various mobile training team programs; participating in the exercises Immediate Response, Rapid Trident and Agile Spirit; through defense cooperation, strategic partnership agreements, etc.

Georgia is currently a candidate for NATO membership and the U.S. is actively supporting its membership bid. Accession to NATO is one of the top foreign policy priorities of Georgia. Soon after the declaration of independence, Georgia joined the North Atlantic Cooperation Council.

Georgia's bilateral relations with NATO were established in 1994 when the country joined the Partnership for Peace program (PfP). At the informal meeting of NATO foreign ministers in 2006 it was decided to launch Intensified Dialogue on Membership Issues with the South Caucasus republic.