Dick Lugar: “Today I offer a resolution commemorating the life of the late Zurab Zhvania, former Prime Minister of the Republic of…”

“Today I offer a resolution commemorating the life of the late Zurab Zhvania, former Prime Minister of the Republic of Georgia. At the request of President Bush, I was honored to lead a delegation last weekend to represent the United States at Prime Minister Zhvania's funeral. Prime Minister Zhvania was a prominent leader in Georgia's Rose Revolution. He was a true reformer, lauded for his intellectual acuity, and a friend of America. I was fortunate to meet with Zhvania last December. We had an extensive discussion about Georgia's promising future and vigorous agenda to transform it into a regional model of political and economic progress. The U.S.-Georgia relationship is strong. I am grateful to Georgia's recent decision to increase its troop level in Iraq. I am also grateful for its partnership in the War on Terror, including its troop commitment in Afghanistan and to the peacekeeping mission in Kosovo. The death of Prime Minister Zhvania is a loss for Georgia, for the United States, and for the community of democratic nations.”