President Saakashvili has left for the United States during which he will also visit Chicago, which is hosting NATO summit on May 20-21, President’s spokesperson, Manana Manjgaladze, said on Tuesday.

She said that in the United States, Saakashvili would also visit New York and Los Angeles and meet “representatives of the U.S. political and business circles.”

On May 17 Saakashvili is scheduled to address an audience at the Woodrow Wilson School at Princeton University to talk about “Georgian Democratic Transformation: A Test Case for the Post-Soviet World.”

Before departure to the United States, Saakashvili was in Bratislava on May 13 where he arrived from Tbilisi after visiting the flood-hit district of the Georgian capital. In Bratislava he attended UEFA European Under-17 Championship semi-final between Georgia and the Netherlands.

On May 15 the Georgian tabloid, Alia, which President Saakashvili has recently described as “Fascist-like newspaper”, published photos of casually-dressed Georgian President in Milan with a headline: “Scandalous Photos. A day after death of 5 people [in Tbilisi flooding] Saakashvili is shopping in Milan”. In one of the photos Saakashvili is seen in high-end watch maker Officine Panerai’s boutique.

President’s spokesperson, Manana Manjgaladze, confirmed on May 15, that Saakashvili was in Milan, saying that it was “a stopover for a few hours” on the way to the United States. Asked about reported shopping, Manjgaladze responded: “Please, let’s be more correct while asking questions.”