Military

06 May 2004

U.S. Welcomes Peaceful Resolution of Ajara Crisis in Georgia

May 5: Boucher says U.S. looks forward to more close cooperation with Tbilisi

The United States welcomed the peaceful restoration of national authority in Georgia's Autonomous Republic of Ajara, which State Department Spokesman Richard Boucher called "an important step toward restoring the rule of law and democratic governance" there.

Following is his statement of May 5:

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Department of State
Washington, D.C.

Press Statement by Richard Boucher, Spokesman

May 5, 2004

DEPARTURE OF AJARAN LEADER ASLAN ABASHIDZE

The United States notes the departure of Aslan Abashidze and welcomes the peaceful restoration of Tbilisi's authority in the Autonomous Republic of Ajara. We view this as an important step toward restoring the rule of law and democratic governance in Ajara. This is an historic day for all the people of Georgia. We look forward to continuing our close cooperation with Georgia on democratic and economic reform.

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(Distributed by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)