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Georgia’s Prime Minister meets US Deputy Secretary of State

Georgia’s Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili (R) and the United States Deputy Secretary of State Antony Blinken meet in New-York on Tuesday. Photo by the PM’s press office.
Agenda.ge, 21 Sep 2016 - 12:10, Tbilisi,Georgia

Georgia’s strategic partnership with the United States (US) was the focus of a meeting between Georgia’s Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili and US Deputy Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

The two high officials met last night at a side-line event of the United Nations General Assembly’s (UNGA) 71st Session in New York.

"The Georgian Government greatly values the support of the US,” Kvirikashvili told Blinken.

Georgia’s PM stressed the significance of the agreements that concluded in July during the Tbilisi visit of US Secretary of State John Kerry that were designed to deepen the US-Georgia partnership in defence and security, and cooperation to extend academic exchange programs under the Fulbright scholarship scheme.

Other topics discussed at the meeting included democratic reforms implemented in Georgia along with the country’s European and Euro-Atlantic integration efforts.

"The conversation focused on Georgia's recent consolidation of democracy and economic growth. The significance of the US engagement and support towards this end was also reiterated,” said the Georgian PM’s press office in a statement.

The pair also touched on the importance of a free, transparent and calm environment for the October Parliamentary Elections in Georgia.

Kvirikashvili said the Georgian Government was committed to guaranteeing the elections would be held in accordance with top democratic standards and had invited the largest number of international observers to ensure the highest degree of transparency.

Earlier yesterday Kvirikashvili met Executive Director of the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) Dana J. Hyde to discuss the agency’s continuing support for Georgia.

Kvirikashvili noted the significance of the Second Compact of MCC, which aimed to facilitate economic growth in Georgia through the advancement of the quality of general, tertiary and vocational education in Georgia, along with the attraction of foreign direct investments in the following sectors of fast growth:

  • energy
  • construction
  • agriculture
  • information and communication technologies
  • tourism
  • transport and logistics
"The MCC Compact, which aims to develop human capital in Georgia is fully consistent with the Economic Development Strategy of Georgia, therefore is of great importance,” Kvirikashvili told the MCC top official.

He also stressed the significance of US support towards the internationalisation of higher education in Georgia and said, among other things, the implementation of the San Diego State University project in Tbilisi was evidence of this strong partnership.

The Government’s Four Point Reform Agenda was also spoken about by Kvirikashvili and Hyde. The new reform plan covered economic development, spatial planning, education and governance system reforms in Georgia.