Georgian Parliament’s Foreign Relations Committee delegation reviews cooperation, reforms with IFES, USAID officials in Washington
Led by the Committee’s Chair Nikoloz Samkharadze, the delegation is on an official visit to Washington to discuss bilateral relations and cooperation with US officials. Photo: Parliament of Georgia
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Pre-election environment in Georgia and the domestic bill on transparency of foreign influence were discussed on Thursday in a meeting between a delegation of the Georgian Parliament’s Foreign Relations Committee, Anthony Banbury, the President of the International Foundation for Electoral Systems and Alexander Sokolowski, the Deputy Assistant Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development Bureau for Europe and Eurasia.
The meeting focused on USAID-backed projects in Georgia, the role of IFES in electoral reforms in the country, and prospects of the European Union opening accession talks with Georgia, the Georgian Parliament said.
Led by the Committee’s Chair Nikoloz Samkharadze, the delegation is on an official visit to Washington to discuss bilateral relations and cooperation with US officials.
Nikoloz Samkharadze, the Chair of the Foreign Relations Committee of the Georgian Parliament, on Thursday reviewed “latest developments” in the country in a meeting with United States senators Jeanne Shaheen and Pete Ricketts during his official visit to Washington, the Georgian Parliament said.
Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Friday said officials of the country holding a visit to the United States “with reservations” did “not fit into the spirit of the strategic partnership” with the country, in response to US Ambassador Robin Dunnigan on Thursday saying senior members of the Georgian Government had recently been invited to “engage directly with the most senior leaders” in the US to discuss the partnership and address “concerns”, before the Georgian side “chose not to accept this invitation”.
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze on Friday told Derek Chollet, the Counselor of the United States Department of State, he was “sincerely disappointed” with the former US Ambassador Kelly Degnan’s “support” for “two revolution attempts” in the country between 2020 and 2023, alleging the attempts had been carried out through domestic NGOs “financed from external sources”.
Georgian Foreign Minister Ilia Darchiashvili and Gert Jan Koopman, the Head of the Directorate General for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations of the European Commission, on Thursday discussed Georgia’s integration into the European Union and the country’s current agenda.