US warship visits ex-Soviet Georgia

A United States warship today made a port call in Georgia for joint training with the coastguard of the Caucasus nation, which is keen to join NATO.
The USS Porter, a guided-missile destroyer from the US Navy's 6th Fleet, arrived in Georgia's Black Sea port of Batumi for a three-day visit, the US embassy said in a statement.
"The Porter's visit reaffirms the United States' commitment to strengthening ties with NATO allies and partners like Georgia, while working toward mutual goals of promoting security and stability in the Black Sea region," it said.
The US Navy delivered humanitarian aid to ex-Soviet Georgia in the wake of Russia's brief war with the country in 2008, and has since then regularly operated warships in Georgian waters.

Moscow criticised then-US president George W Bush's decision to dispatch the sophisticated warships to deliver the aid, saying they were unsuitable for humanitarian missions.
Georgia's bid to join NATO and the European Union infuriated its former imperial master Russia, which bitterly opposes the alliance's expansion into former Soviet republics.