Clinton: U.S. has 'steadfast' commitment to Georgia's sovereignty

Posted By P.J. Aroon Tuesday, July 6, 2010 - 3:37 PM

Secretary Clinton said yesterday that the United States is "steadfast" in its commitment to Georgia's sovereignty and called on Russia to end its occupation of Georgia. In a news conference with Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili in Tbilisi she said:

The United States is steadfast in its commitment to Georgia's
sovereignty and territorial integrity. The United States does not
recognize spheres of influence.

"Spheres of influence" refers to Russian President Dmitry Medvedev's belief that Russia ought to have special influence in the former Soviet republics.

Clinton called on Russia to end the occupation, saying:

We continue to call for Russia to abide by the August 2008 cease-fire
commitment signed by President Saakashvili and President Medvedev,
including ending the occupation and withdrawing Russian troops from
South Ossetia and Abkhazia to their pre-conflict positions.

During Clinton's visit, she and Saakashvili appeared to get along quite well. The two took a stroll together, as seen below, and in the oldest section of Tbilisi, as soon above, they stopped at a cafe to toast with Georgian wine -- a Teliani Valley satrapezo.

(For some reason, the photo of the two strolling isn't showing up, but you can check it out by clicking here.)

Photos: IRAKLI GEDENIDZE/AFP/Getty Images

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Clinton spends July 4th in Armenia

Posted By P.J. Aroon Monday, July 5, 2010 - 5:03 PM

While Americans where celebrating Independence Day yesterday, Secretary Clinton was doing important diplomacy in Armenia, as seen above with President Serzh Sargsyan. There, she worked on efforts to help bring about a peaceful resolution to Armenia and Azerbaijan's long-running conflict over the breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh region. (You can read more about the conflict in FP's recent article, "Caucasian Standoff.")

SEDRAK MKRTCHYAN/AFP/Getty Images

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Clintons' longtime friend, confidant apparently targeted by alleged Russian spy

Posted By P.J. Aroon Wednesday, June 30, 2010 - 2:56 PM

In today's roundup of Clinton-related headlines:

Russian spy ring: A longtime friend and confidant of Hillary and Bill Clinton, Alan Patricof, was apparently targeted by Cynthia Murphy, a member of the alleged Russian spy ring.

"Clinton confidant believes he might have been spies' target" (Washington Post)
"Clinton friend was spy's target" (Politico)

Packing her bags: Clinton departs tomorrow for Poland, Ukraine, Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Georgia.

"Special Briefing on the Secretary's Upcoming Travel" (U.S. State Dept.)
"Clinton to Tackle Nagorno-Karabakh, Georgia Issues During Trip" (Voice of America)

Bill earns millions: Bill Clinton earned $7.5 million last year from 36 paid speeches, according to Hillary Clinton's annual financial disclosure report, released June 28. Since leaving the presidency in 2001, he has earned $65 million from speeches.

Saudi Arabia: Clinton spent yesterday afternoon with Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah and Saudi Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal, seen in the photo below.

Twitter trouble: Two State Department employees whom Clinton had praised for their use of e-diplomacy went a little overboard with Twitter when in Syria.

Party for Clinton's "body woman": Clinton hosted a party for her top aide/"body woman" Huma Abedin and her fiancé, U.S. Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y.), yesterday, if this New York Magazine post is right.

Space policy: Clinton remarked on Obama's national space policy on June 28.

U.S. State Dept./Flickr

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Clinton to visit Ukraine, Poland, Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia

Posted By P.J. Aroon Monday, June 28, 2010 - 3:53 PM

Secretary Clinton released her happy Fourth of July message to her fellow Americans quite early, on June 25. Turns out, she won't be in the country on America's Independence Day because she has important work to do in Eastern Europe and the Caucasus -- some of it related to advancing the freedoms and values Americans celebrate on July 4.

Clinton will be visiting Ukraine, Poland, Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia from July 1 to 5, the State Department announced Friday, June 25. In Ukraine, she'll meet President Viktor Yanukovych, who unlike his predecessor, does not support Ukraine joining NATO. In Poland, she'll celebrate the 10th anniversary of the founding of the Community of Democracies, a network of democracies dedicated to strengthening democratic norms worldwide.

In the Caucasus, Clinton will first visit Armenia and Azerbaijan, which have a long-running feud over Azerbaijan's breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh region. State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said during June 25's press briefing that the United States has "invested a great deal of energy" in improving relations among Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Turkey and that Clinton's visit is a "reflection of our commitment to work to resolve outstanding issues that have prevented normalized relations among those countries."

Clinton will conclude her trip in Georgia, which fought a war with Russia in August 2008 over the breakaway region of South Ossetia. Crowley said of the visit to Georgia, "[T]he secretary's trip there will be a tangible manifestation of our ongoing commitment to Georgia's territorial integrity."

SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images

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