US Ambassador: Our troops in Georgia forever
TBILISI - US troops in Georgia will remain there forever, said US Ambassador to Georgia Richard Miles, Channel One reported.
According to Mr. Miles, the presence of American troops is necessary to provide security for the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline project. At the same time, Mr. Miles expressed regret that Russia created obstacles to an American presence in Georgia.
However, this contradicts the statement made by the newly-elected Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili. Mr. Saakashvili said at a press conference on January 12 that Georgia would not allow the United States to build military bases in Georgia.
Perhaps, Georgia’s policy change was due to Washington’s readiness to allocate $164m in aid to the country. The news was announced by Georgian Foreign Minister Tedo Dzhaparidze last week. He said the US aid would not be limited to this package, as several private American funds also expressed readiness to help Georgia.
US Ambassador: Our troops in Georgia forever