"The international community very strongly and firmly supports the territorial integrity and sovereignty. The statements that were recently released once again reiterated the support of our partners". In such way the State Minister for Reconciliation and Civic Equality Ketevan Tsikhelashvili responded the statement of the U.S. Department of State dedicated to the 11th anniversary of Russian invasion. 

According to the State Minister, the statement has great importance for the purposes to which Georgia aspires peacefully and consistently.

"The statement of the U.S. Department of State contains very important messages, also about current situation, about the consequences of the 2008 intervention and the ongoing occupation. I think the most important message is that they have once again pledged their full support to the Georgia's territorial integrity and sovereignty.

“We present this process as uniquely peaceful. Georgia does not take a single step in order to irritate anyone. We, as a country, as a state, as a society, are not against anyone, not even Russia, of course. Every aspiration is the choice of society and the way to ensure our freedom and sovereignty. That's all. I think this should be well understood. I would like to emphasize once again that we understand good neighborly relations and respect as respect for the sovereignty and freedom of the neighbors, and of course in the future we will consider this principle as basic.

“As for the Georgian-Ossetian and Georgian-Abkhaz relations, we have not only readiness and suggestions here, obviously apolitical, but also specific areas around which the Georgian-Abkhaz, Georgian-Ossetian dialogue can be conducted. We will continue to work in this direction in the future. The main thing is not to interfere this”, - said Ketevan Tsikhelashvili.

The spokesman of the U.S. Department of State Morgan Ortagus made the support statement at a briefing.

"We urge the Russian Federation to reverse its recognition of the so-called independence of Georgia’s occupied Abkhazia and South Ossetia regions. We call upon the Russian Federation to implement in full the EU-mediated August 2008 ceasefire agreement to withdraw its forces from the occupied territories of Georgia and to affirm and to implement a commitment not to use force against Georgia.

"We will not stop working until Russia ends its occupation of sovereign Georgian territory. We support the right of hundreds of thousands of IDPs and refugees to return to their home safely and with dignity.

Finally, we stand with the Georgian people and welcome the day we can commemorate the end of Russia’s occupation of their territory", - said Ortagus.