TBILISI, July 23 (RIA Novosti) - Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili said on Thursday his country was under threat and its security could only be ensured through cooperation with the United States.

In his opening remarks at an official meeting with visiting U.S. Vice President Joe Biden, he thanked the United States for assistance provided to his country after the August 2008 war with Russia, including $1 billion that was disbursed on Biden's initiative.

Saakashvili said Georgia was a developing democracy, built on freedom of expression and the struggle for independence and sovereignty.

"However, we are a state that is continuously under threat," he said in a thinly veiled reference to Russia, which regards Georgia and former Soviet states as part of its sphere of influence.

He added that Georgia was working hard to overcome its challenges and become a part of the democratic world.

Moscow has been angered by Georgia's desire to join NATO, which has been central to Saakashvili's foreign policy since he came to power in 2004. The bloc put Georgia and Ukraine's bids on hold last April, although it promised to revisit the decision in the future.

Russia and Georgia fought a five-day war after Tbilisi attempted to regain control of breakaway South Ossetia. Moscow subsequently recognized Ossetia and Abkhazia as independent states.