[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 41, Number 19 (Monday, May 16, 2005)]
[Pages 786-787]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks With President Mikheil Saakashvili of Georgia in a Discussion 
With Civil Society Leaders in Tbilisi

May 10, 2005

    President Bush. Thank you for having me. I'm anxious to hear from 
you. There is--one of the great things about--and one of the most 
important things about democracy is to honor minority rights, is to 
recognize the rights of minorities. In my own country, we have struggled 
with this issue throughout our history, and yet, we're constantly 
reminding ourselves of the need to respect minorities.
    And I want to thank you for giving me the chance to come and visit 
with you. You've got a great country. It's a hopeful example, and to the 
extent that--as you move forward, I know you will honor your country 
but, at the same time, the heritage of those who live in the country.
    So thank you for giving me a chance to come by and visit with you. I 
look forward to hearing from you. I'm honored to be here. It's an 
exciting moment for me and my wife, Laura, to be in this--in this 
beautiful country. Thank you.
    President Saakashvili. Well, I'll just say maybe one or two words. 
You know, we are--I've always been impressed and excited to see how 
people of all different ethnic origins, Hispanics and Russians and all 
the others, speaking to American system of democracy and rule of law and 
how all of them are proud to be Americans by also preserving their 
identity.
    And we strongly believe that Georgia is not weak because it's 
diverse. On the contrary, our diversities are our strength. So this is 
our firm belief. You see all different people here, Mr. President. In 
fact, you saw yesterday comprised elements of all different ethnic 
groups. You went to the area where all the different ethnic groups have 
lived for generations and for thousands of years.

[[Page 787]]

    And again, thank you very much for coming. And thank you for sharing 
this conversation with all of us.
    President Bush. Okay, thanks.

Note: The President spoke at 10:50 a.m. at the Parliament Building. A 
tape was not available for verification of the content of these remarks.