Georgia, Tbilisi, Feb.18 / Trend N. Kirtskhalia /
Ways to accelerate Georgia's entry into NATO and the concrete steps in this direction were discussed in Washington during the Georgian Foreign Minister Grigol Vashadze's meeting with the U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Georgian Foreign Minister Vashadze told journalists after the meeting.
According to the Georgian Foreign Ministry, the meeting was held for over an hour behind closed doors and was attended by Deputy Secretary of State Philip Gordon and Georgia's ambassador to the United States Temur Yakobashvili.
"It was not just talk about the prospects for Georgia's entry into NATO, but identified concrete actions were also outlined. I can not speak about details of the plan, but believe me, the conversation in this direction was too serious," Vashadze stressed.
Before the meeting Hillary Clinton said she is glad to receive the Georgian Foreign Minister in the State Department. "The U.S. has a desire to establish closer relations with Georgia. We have common interests, a lot of common values and I'm glad for your visit," she stressed.
In turn, Vashadze emphasized that it is a "great privilege" for Georgia to be a strategic partner of the U.S. "The year has begun and we need to decide on joint plans, and that's why this meeting is held," he said.
Vashadze said that the stability and security in South Caucasus, Russia's acts in the occupied territories, the military contingent's actions in Afghanistan, as well as cooperation within the framework of bilateral cooperation Charter were discussed during the meetings with Clinton and Gordon. "We reviewed the issues how the work within the framework of the Charter should continue and what we must achieve before the end of the year," the minister said.
Vashadze said that the schedule of visits at the highest level was discussed at the meeting, although he did not specify the details of the schedule.