PM Garibashvili has intimate chat with President Obama

On Tuesday night, at an evening reception hosted by the US President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle, Garibashvili and his wife Nunuka Tamazashvili were able to enjoy a quiet, personal moment with the US couple. The event was attended by more than 200 delegation heads.

"This was not a bilateral meeting, however despite this, the Premier has enjoyed the opportunity to exchange a few words with the US leader,” Georgia’s Foreign Minister Maia Panjikidze told Georgian media.

Later Garibashvili spoke at the Open Government Partnership (OGP) conference within the UNGA. Transparency, accountability, citizens’ involvement, and technology and innovation were the main topics discussed at the event.

The OGP is a multilateral initiative in which 63 governments work together with citizens to promote transparency, fight corruption and use technology as an enabler of that openness. Georgia has recently been elected as an OGP Coordinate Committee member for the next two years.

"We consider this [Georgia being elected to this role] as your trust towards Georgia and its efforts to improve governance in the country,” Garibashvili addressed the conference.

"We are grateful for your trust and we are ready to do our bit in the working process of the Coordinate Committee.”

The Georgian PM provided the conference with information about Georgia’s recent decisions in the spheres of state procurement, publishing public financial information and providing public services.

"One of our most successful projects is a creating community centres. This is a creative way of village development, which aims to strengthen citizens in regions and provide them with state services with a single-window system,” the leader of the Georgian Government said.

Garibashvili said Georgia had already approved its second national action plan for open governance.