President Saakashvili met U.S. Vice President Joe Biden on April 26 at Sedona Forum, an annual event organized by the McCain Institute for International Leadership in Sedona, Arizona.

“I had a lengthy conversation with the U.S. Vice President Joe Biden on the issues related to acceleration of Georgia’s NATO integration, free trade agreement with the United States – these are the pledges and agreements that we had when I met President Obama last year; the Vice President reaffirmed that the United States has not abandoned [Georgia] and will continue supporting us; that’s very important for me,” President Saakashvili said.

“In overall I think that we are ready to continue working on these issues together with the Georgian government in order to help Georgia in my remaining presidential term [till October 2013 presidential elections] in advancing and accelerating these issues,” he said.

Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported, quoting a statement from the White House, that during the meeting with President Saakashvili, Vice President Joe Biden “encouraged Georgia's presidency, government, and parliament to work constructively together in the months ahead to maintain positive momentum on Georgia's path of progress.” He also “underscored the United States’ strong and enduring commitment to Georgia and its people, and that we look forward to deepening our partnership in the years to come.”