Nato Study Tour Takes Georgian Policy-Makers To Latvia And Belgium
During January 29-February 2, six Georgian government officials visited Latvia and Belgium on a NATO tour organized by the Public Affairs Office, U.S. Embassy in Tbilisi and the U.S. Mission to NATO in Brussels. The delegation included Lali Papiashvili and Ketevan Makharashvili, Members of Parliament; Eka Tkeshelashvili, Chair of Court of Appeals; Konstantin Korkelia, First Deputy Minister of Justice; Ruslan Abashidze, Deputy State Minister on Conflict Resolution; and George Amanatidze, Head of Legal Division, Department of Euro-Atlantic Integration, Ministry of Defense. Bridget Brink, Chief of Political and Economic Section, and Dali Homeriki, NATO tour coordinator from the U.S. Embassy accompanied the delegation throughout the trip.
The tour began with a two-day program in Riga, Latvia, arranged by the U.S Embassy in Latvia. The Georgian Delegation was warmly welcomed by the Minister of Integration and other senior officials at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Defense, the Latvian Parliament, and major NGOs. The Latvian officials reviewed Latvia’s major challenges and successes on its road to NATO and EU accession.
The tour continued in Brussels with a two-day program hosted by the U.S Mission to NATO. Briefings at the NATO HQ and SHAPE with high-ranking NATO political and military officials covered Intensified Dialogue and the Membership Action Plan process, Polish experience of accession the Alliance; NATO-Russia relations; NATO’s operation in Afganistan; regional relationships and conflict resolution. A highlight of the tour was a session with Ambassador Victoria Nuland, Permanent Representative, U.S. Mission to NATO. The session focused on U.S. perspectives on NATO’s future and USG support for Georgia’s NATO accession provided that Georgia continues to demonstrate commitment to Euro-Atlantic democratic values through a continuation of the historic political, economic and defense reforms underway in Georgia and its efforts to achieve a peaceful resolution of the separatist conflicts in Abkhazia and South Ossetia.
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