Brown pledges finances for Georgia

Speaking after talks with Georgian Prime Minister Vladimir Gurgenidze, the Premier pledged financial support to the country and said he would be urging other European allies to do so.

His meeting followed comments by Nato Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, who reaffirmed his support for Georgia to become a full member, despite Russian opposition.

And in a speech highly critical of Russia, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said the West had to stand up to "bullying" by Moscow.

Standing alongside Mr Gurgenidze in Downing Street, Mr Brown said: "We are in full support of the territorial integrity of his country and we will be giving financial and economic support to Georgia and urging other countries to do so."

Mr Brown said Mr Gurgenidze would have meetings with Foreign Secretary David Miliband and Chancellor Alistair Darling.

He added: "We will be working with our European partners to ensure that there is sufficient support for the reconstruction of Georgia."

The Georgian Prime Minister praised the leadership of Mr Brown, adding: "We deeply appreciate the efforts of the British Government."

In his speech to the Royal United Services Institute, Mr Scheffer said: "Why is it that we should be the ones who deny a nation who has these aspirations to help them come true?"

At a summit in the Romanian capital, Bucharest, in April, Nato leaders agreed that both Georgia and Ukraine would become alliance members at an unspecified date in the future.