USAID Deputy Administrator Visits Georgia

USAID Deputy Administrator for Policy and Programming, Isobel Coleman has paid a visit to Georgia on March 23-24, where she met with President Salome Zurabishvili, Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili and Parliamentary Chairperson Shalva Papuashvili.

“I was very pleased to thank Georgia’s President [Salome Zurabishvili] for her outspoken support of Ukraine,” Amb. Coleman tweeted today after her meeting with President Zurabishvili.

“We cannot forget that Georgians understand firsthand the threat of Russia’s aggression and the need for a strong, unified western response.”

Speaking of the meeting in the Georgian Parliament on March 23, Isabel Coleman tweeted that with Chairman Papuashvili they discussed “how our countries can stand together in opposition to Russia’s brutality and support democracy in Ukraine and here in Georgia.”

“The outpouring of support in Georgia for Ukraine is deeply moving,” she added.

On his part, Parliamentary Chairperson Papuashvili wrote that “as Georgia makes progressive steps towards European and Euro-Atlantic integration amid ever-growing security challenges, USAID’s support in further consolidating democracy, strengthening institutions and [Georgia’s] resilience is valuable.”

As for the meeting in the Government Chancellery on March 23, the USAID Deputy Administrator thanked PM Irakli Garibashvili “for a meaningful discussion on Georgia’s support for Ukraine [and] its own democratic future.”

The press service of the Georgian Government Administration, on its part, said the Prime Minister “underlined Georgia as America’s closest and most reliable partner in the region committed to furthering strategic partnership in every area of cooperation.”

“Special emphasis was placed on the invaluable contributions of USAID to strengthening Georgia’s democratic institutions, and the organization’s support for the country’s economic growth and Euro-Atlantic aspirations,” as per the same report.

“The meeting also discussed the military action in Ukraine and its consequent dire security situation in the region,” it added.

As part of her visit to Tbilisi, Amb. Coleman on behalf of USAID also signed a memorandum of understanding with TBC Bank, aiming to “further diversify the economy, advance climate-smart solutions, [and] create high-value jobs for Georgians.”

Also today, she has attended the reception hosted by the Georgian authorities to mark 30 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

Prior to Tbilisi, the USAID official traveled to Brussels, Belgium, where she met with European Union and Belgian officials and participated in the European Union Humanitarian Forum.

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