Page 10 - bne IntelliNews George country report Sept 2017

increase in crime, including a substantial amount targeted at tourists. D emands for his resignation have multiplied in recent months, after a referendum last year calling for early presidential elections was so poorly organised that it was declared invalid.
According to RFE/RL, after the talks Putin said that he was considering easing controls and customs procedures at the Abkhaz border to encourage more tourism and bilateral trade.
2.3 US VP reassures Georgia of continued support during state visit
US Vice President Mike Pence has reiterated his country's support for Georgia during his two-day visit to the small country in the South Caucasus, civil.ge reported on August 1.
In Tbilisi, Pence met with Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikasvhili, Georgian President Giorgi Margvelashvili, representatives of opposition parties and the Christian Orthodox Patriarch Ilia II. He also attended joint US-Georgia military exercises that are currently taking place south of Tbilisi.
During a press conference on August 1, Pence said that discussions touched upon bilateral security cooperation, calling Georgia a "key strategic partner of the United States of America" and recounting the instances of military collaboration between the two countries.
In his speech, he also expressed support for Georgia's territorial integrity, condemning Russia for occupying the regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. His statements are technically inaccurate, for the two breakaway regions have embraced Russian support and have been demanding their independence since the dissolution of the Soviet Union.
Pence also reiterated the fact that the US supports Georgia's bid for membership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (Nato), though he did not provide details about when the country could expect to join the military bloc.
Aspiring to membership in Nato, Georgia has bolstered its military capabilities since being invaded by Russia in 2008. The country is an active participant in Nato peacekeeping efforts and exercises, but the military organisation has been reluctant to extend Tbilisi an outright invitation to join because of Russia's opposition.
Georgia is the US and Nato's closest partner in the South Caucasus, a region that is divided by long-standing territorial conflicts and has been a battleground for the conflicting interests of larger neighbours Russia, Turkey and Iran.
Though bilateral commerce with the small country of just 3.7mn people is negligible by American standards, diplomatic ties between Tbilisi and Washington have remained strong, and Georgia has benefitted from US aid and development funding for healthcare, rural, infrastructure and financial development projects.
10 GEORGIA Country Report September 2017 www.intellinews.com