The official reason for Mikheil Saakashvili's visit to Washington was to attend commemoration ceremonies for Richard Holbrooke. The Georgian president has a special fondness for the late politician for his remarkable role in the Georgian-Russian war. Mr. Holbrooke was the first Western politician to visit Georgia during the war and contributed much to its media coverage.
During his visit President Saakashvili decorated Senator Joseph Lieberman with the Order of St. George. Saakashvili also met several representatives of both the Republican and Democratic Parties and delivered speeches at several scientific institutions.
Speaking about American support and the Georgian conflict with Russia, President Saakashvili underlined that Georgia is interested in economic support rather than military aid, since the country cannot fight with Russia even with the most modern kinds of weapon.
Addressing the audience gathered at the American Entrepreneurship Institution, the Georgian president stressed the point that, while 20 per cent of Georgian territory is occupied by Russia, the country's annual economic growth is 6.5 per cent. The World Bank has named Saakashvili the most active reformer in the world and Transparency International organization called him the best fighter against corruption.
The president paid special attention to the reforms of police, taxation, and the education system that have been undertaken. The president said that these initiatives should be supported by the USA.
This appeal will probably be heard. The Millennium Challenge organization has already announced that it's ready to grant Georgia 80 million rubles.
Georgy Kalatozishvili, Tbilisi. Exclusively for VK
