US Congress high officials visit Georgia
By Nika Gamtsemlidze
Tuesday, May 28
The officials from the US Congress visited Georgia on May 26; they will stay in the country until June 1. The officials will meet with the leaders of the country, as well as the NGOs and other groups. The visit is held within the USA-Georgia Educational and Cultural Exchange Program.
The officials have already met with the Chairman of the Parliament of Georgia, Irakli Kobakhidze, the First Deputy Chairperson of Parliament, Tamar Chugoshvili. During their stay, they will also meet with the members of the Foreign Relations Committee, as well as the representatives of 'European Georgia,' 'National Movement' and 'Patriots of Georgia' political parties. They will also have a meeting with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, David Zalkaniani and with the Deputy Head of EUMM, Kate Fearon.
The guests also plan to visit the Vaziani Military Base, as well as the Tserovani IDP Settlement and the administrative border in the village Didi Khurvaleti. The delegation will also visit the Richard Lugar Public Health Research Center and the National Center for Disease Control and Public Health.
During the meeting, Kobakhidze talked about the strategic relations between Georgia and the US, Georgia's foreign policy priorities, implemented and ongoing democratic reforms in the country. The conversation also focused on the challenges that the country faces and the situation in the occupied regions of Georgia and the government's peace policy.
They also discussed the agenda of the Parliament of Georgia, the new Rules of Parliament and the institutional strengthening reform of the country's highest legislative body.
As Tamar Chugoshvili said during her meeting with the high officials from the US Congress, visits like this are very important for Georgia, because they contribute to the proper communication between the two countries.
“These people helped us significantly with the Act supporting Georgia. Some of them worked directly on the text and helped us a lot. It is of utmost importance that we work not only with the politicians but also with those who play a large role in different committees of Congress. Today’s meeting was a very good opportunity for this,” noted the First Deputy Chairperson of the Parliament.
The purpose of the visit of US Congress officials is to take a close look at Georgia's policies, as well as to find new ways of deepening relations between Georgia and the US.
