On December 27, 2016 the Georgian Foundation for Strategic and International Studies hosted the panel discussion “US-Georgia Relations –origins and development”.
The discussion was moderated by Irakli Menagarishvili, the Chairman of the Strategic Research Centre, the former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia, who introduced the speakers and the aim of the panel discussion to the audience.
The speakers – Amb. Tedo Japaridze, Advisor to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs and Amb. Archil Gegeshidze, the Director of the Levan Mikeladze Foundation discussed the historical background of US-Georgia cooperation. Amb. Japaridze and Irakli Menagarishvili made a brief overview of the first steps taken in the US-Georgia diplomatic relations in early 90-ies.
The speakers emphasized the importance of numerous programs the US government has implemented in Georgia, which have contributed to strengthening the democratic institutions and enhanced the security sector of the country. They also discussed the current state of play in the United States and shared their views on the future prospects of US-Georgia cooperation.
The representatives of expert community, governmental and non-governmental organizations attended the event. The presentations were followed by an engaging discussion between the audience and the speakers.
The panel discussion was the first event conducted in the framework of series of presentations on US-Georgia partnership.