Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia

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Otar Shamugia met with Erin Elizabeth McKee, Assistant Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development for Europe and Eurasia in Washington, D.C.

Within the framework of a working visit to the United States of America,  the Minister of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia, Mr Otar Shamugia met Mrs. Erin Elizabeth McKee, Assistant Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development for Europe and Eurasia.

According to Mr. Shamugia, the support of the United States as a strategic partner of Georgia is critical in implementing agricultural, rural development, and environmental protection initiatives.

Many years of successful cooperation with USAID have yielded fruitful results in several important areas, such as water resource management, development of protected areas, support provided in the food safety and phytosanitary fields, promotion of the hazelnut sector, and several other projects that have been implemented and are still in progress.

"I am pleased that the issues discussed during my previous visit to the United States, which were related to the promotion of wine and the promotion of awareness, have already been reflected in USAID projects. We are actively collaborating with the project implementation team and anticipate tangible progress. We are also actively cooperating with the USAID local team in Georgia, led by Mr. John Pennell, and we believe we will have more visible examples of success, both in terms of increasing competitiveness in the industry and expanding exports of products, mainly to markets in the United States and other strategic partner countries.- said Mr. Otar Shamugia.

According to Erin Elizabeth McKees, 30 years of U.S. partnership with Georgia has been particularly fruitful in agricultural and environmental protection areas.

"We will continue to support and cooperate with you because your strength means our strength. We will advocate for Georgia's economic strength and integration into Euro-Atlantic structures," Mrs. Erin Elizabeth McKees stated.

The discussion focused on initiatives encouraging organic farming production, assisting farmers with adopting contemporary technology, supporting rational use and management of natural resources, and the need to invest in ecotourism.

It should be noted that, with the support of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), more than 23.7 million U.S. dollars will be used to improve the socioeconomic condition of the population of the villages adjacent to the occupation line under the new large-scale program – "Resilient Communities Program" (2022-2027).

The Minister of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia paid a visit to Washington at the official invitation of the Secretary of Agriculture of the United States of America.

 Minister Otar Shamugia, Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of Georgia to the United States of America Mr. Davit Zalkaliani, and First Deputy Minister of Environment Protection and Agriculture Mrs. Nino Tandilashvili attended the meeting with Erin Elizabeth McKee.