Obama vows support for troubled Saakashvili

[The Northerner]

US President Barack Obama has assured his Georgian counterpart Mikhail Saakashvili that Washington supports the pro-Western country's independence.

In a telephone conversation with Saakashvili on Tuesday, Obama "relayed the strong support of the United States for Georgia's sovereignty and territorial integrity," the White House said in a statement.

They two leaders also "discussed the importance of all sides avoiding provocative actions to build stability" in the Balkan region.

The gesture of support comes only days before Obama's planned meeting with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev in Prague, where the two leaders will sign a nuclear arms reduction treaty.

The Georgian president's popularity has been declining since he launched an offensive on South Ossetia, which resulted in brief conflict with Russia.

Read more: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=122700§ionid=351020606