Georgian president inaugurated for 2nd term(1)

Mikhail Saakashvili attends inauguration for a second five-year term as Georgian president in Tbilisi, capital of Georgia, Jan. 20, 2008. Mikhail Saakashvili won at Jan. 5 presidential election with a final tally of 53.47 percent of the votes. (Xinhua Photo)
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    MOSCOW, Jan. 20 (Xinhua) -- Mikhail Saakashvili was sworn-in on Sunday for a second five-year term as the president of Georgia, saying he would work to improve relations with Russia.

    Saakashvili, speaking after taking the oath of office in front of parliament in the center of the Georgian capital Tbilisi, pledged to defend Georgia's constitution and work for Georgians' well-being.

    "I will work to ensure the security of our people and to provide for their well-being. I will fulfill my presidential duties to the end," he was quoted by the Interfax news agency as saying.

Former Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili attends a religious ceremony celebrating Eastern Orthodox Christmas in Tbilisi, capital of Georgia, Jan. 6, 2007. The Central Election Commission Chairman Levan Tarkhnishvili announced Sunday that Saakashvili won 52.8 percent of ballots in preliminary results from about 3,400 polling stations. (Xinhua File Photo)
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    Saakashvili, the U.S.-educated lawyer-turned-president, won the Jan. 5 snap election with 53 percent of the vote. His investiture ceremony was attended by foreign dignitaries including Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, U.S. Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez and the presidents of Poland, Romania and the Baltic states.

    The ceremony was followed by a military parade that featured soldiers and heavy weaponry rolling down Tbilisi's main boulevard and fighter jets roaring overhead.

    In his speech, Saakashvili said he wants better relations with Moscow, which have remained tense due to disputes over Georgia's breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, its bid for NATO membership and Russia's economic embargo.

    "We are extending a friendly hand to all our neighbors, especially to Russia," he told Georgians and the foreign guests who gathered for the ceremony.

    Saakashvili, who has pledged to relieve poverty and focus on social projects during his second term, said after winning the snap presidential election on Jan. 5 that he was ready to stretch out a hand to Russia in a bid to improve relations.

    Russian President Vladimir Putin has sent a message to Saakashvili to congratulate him on his re-election.

    "Georgia and Russia must have friendly relations, draw closer together and stand side by side," said Saakashvili, who has also set the goals of joining NATO and the European Union.

    Saakashvili later met with Lavrov for talks and repeated his pledge to improve bilateral relations, while Lavrov urged action in this regard, according to Interfax.