US Senate delegation spends the first days of the New Year in Georgia
A US Senate bipartisan delegation made up of Senator McCain (R-AZ), Senator Graham (R-SC) and Senator Klobuchar (D-MN) started their two-day tour of Georgia with a visit to the occupation line in v. Khurvaleti, east Georgia.
“I am deeply convinced that the US Congress and the administration will continue to support Georgia`s independence and freedom”- said Senator McCain during the visit to Tbilisi.
The Senators traveled to Tbilisi on January 1–2nd and were hosted by the Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili. Senator Graham praised Prime Minister Kvirikashvili for his work on reforms in the country as he visited the brand-new Tbilisi Technology Park, a center designed to promote scientific research and innovative ideas in the country.
“Without freedom, there is no innovation, so here is my advice. When business grows, so does your country. Democracy requires people to participate. I am very impressed by the Prime Minister’s effort to reform your country,” noted Senator Graham.
In his own address, Prime Minister Kvirikashvili thanked the US politicians for visiting the country during the festive New Year period while also stressing the role of US Ambassador Ian Kelly in the ongoing US support for Georgia.
“I would like to thank the United States as well as your ambassador and my friend Ian Kelly for vital and significant support for Georgia,” stated Prime Minister Kvirikashvili.
The Senators travelled to Georgia following a stop in Ukraine. Their trip to Georgia also included a visit to the Joint Training and Evaluation Centre (JTEC), the joint NATO-Georgia defence training venue outside of Tbilisi.
Shortly after the Senators’ visit, while still serving in his role as US Secretary of State, Secretary John Kerry stressed the impressive progress Georgia has achieved in the process of democratic, political and economic development while at a technical stop-over in Tbilisi en route to Vietnam on January 12th.
“The US Secretary of State reconfirmed the importance of Georgia’s role in the region. He wished success for the Government of Georgia and personally for Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili, who, he said, is playing an important role in Georgia’s development in the right direction,” affirmed Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister David Zalkaliani.
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