Washington  - The United States signed an agreement with Georgia on Friday designed to strengthen cooperation and further integrate the former Soviet republic with the West.

The pact outlines ways to deepen cooperation on defence, trade, energy and solidify democratic institutions, but also reaffirms the US commitment to bring Georgia into the NATO alliance.

Russia opposes stronger ties between Georgia and the West and has objected to plans to eventually bring the Caucasus state, along with Ukraine, into NATO.

"The United States supports and will always support Georgia's sovereignty and its territorial integrity, as well as its Euro- Atlantic aspirations and its integration into the institutions of the Euro-Atlantic," US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said at the signing ceremony with Georgian Foreign Minister Grigol Vashadze.

Vashadze said the agreement strengthens strategic relations between the two countries and brings Georgia closer to integrating with the West.

"This is something the Georgian nation has been aspiring to and this is the stepping stone, which will bring Georgia to Euro-Atlantic structures, to membership within NATO and to return to family of Western and civilized nations," he said.

Russia launched a massive military offensive into Georgia in August in a dispute over two Moscow-backed separatist regions, drawing sharp rebukes from the US and European Union.

Europe has been reluctant to embrace the US goal of setting Georgia and Ukraine on a quick path to join NATO, not wanting to provoke Russia.

Germany and other European allies rebuffed President George W Bush's effort to offer Georgia and Ukraine NATO membership action plans at its summit in April. (dpa)