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The Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) and the U.S. Embassy provide personal protective equipment and laboratory testing supplies to the State Laboratory of Agriculture
The U.S. Embassy’s Defense Threat Reduction Office (DTRA) delivered personal protective equipment and laboratory testing supplies to the State Laboratory of Agriculture. Deputy Chief of Mission, Rian Harris, Senior Defense Official Colonel Stephanie Bagley and Deputy Chief of the DTRA Major Margo Shields joined the First Deputy Minister Giorgi Khanishvili of the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture and Head of the State Laboratory of Agriculture, Mr Irakli Guledani at the handover event.
At the State Laboratory of Agriculture, stakeholders assessed efforts, which had been deployed jointly with the Lugar Laboratory during the pandemic. The First Deputy Minister Giorgi Khanishvili thanked U.S. Government for continues and outstanding assistance and stressed out importance of support provided amid the pandemic.
“Aspirations of the Euro-Atlantic integration path of Georgia, it is of utmost importance to have support from such an outstanding partner, as the U.S. The U.S. supports Georgia in strengthening industrial and laboratory potential, as well as developing agriculture in order to timely address economic challenges of the country. In early 2020, Georgia, as well as the whole world, had been affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, which posed numerous challenges to the country. U.S. Government instantly allocated laboratory capacity. Together with the National Center for Disease Control & Public Health, the State Laboratory of Agriculture is an important resource, which is deployed for covid-19 diagnostic” – the first Deputy Minister of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia, Mr Giorgi Khanishvili stated.
Deputy Chief of Mission, Rian Harris positively assessed timely and effective preventive methods deployed by the Georgia’s Government against spread of Covid-19; he also stressed out the role of the State Laboratory of Agriculture in the respective process. Mr Harris also expressed willingness for future cooperation.
Head of the State Laboratory of Agriculture, Mr Irakli Guledani stressed out how vital the U.S.-provided personal protective equipment and laboratory testing supplies will be for veterinary, especially for a timely diagnostic of harmful diseases, apart from fighting the pandemic.