TIBILISI–The US Embassy in Georgia reported that an Embassy delegation led by Deputy Chief of Mission Patricia Moller visited the Samtskhe-Javakheti Region of southwestern Georgia July 21-23. The Delegation was composed of DCM Moller–USAID Humanitarian Response Chief Kent Larson–Defense Attach Mitchel Jackson–Assistant Public Affairs Officer Burke O’Connor–Political/Economic Affairs Assistants John Conlon and Mako Ghoghoberidze–Public Affairs Assistant Dali Homeriki–and USAID Humanitarian Affairs Assistant Pavle Basiladze.
On July 21–Moller and the delegation met with the President’s Representative in the region Teimuraz Mosiashvili–and visited a USAID/Eurasia grantee Union of Democrat Meskhetians–the IFES Civic Education Project "Active Schools Bring Change," the Merci Corps community mobilization initiative to rehabilitate local irrigation and water distribution systems–a Democracy Commission grantee TV station Lomsia–and the Akhaltsikhe English Teachers Association of Georgia.
The group met with the head of the Akhalkalak City Council on July 22–held a round table discussion with several community leaders–visited the Tbilisi Ombudsman’s representative for the region–a Merci Corps-funded Center for Democratic Reforms and internet center–and Georgian Border Guards and Customs Offices on the Armenian border.
On July 23–Moller and the group visited a Merci Corps community mobilization initiative center for rehabilitating a local school in Akhalkalak and a volunteer community TV station whose reporters have received free training in news reporting and production from Internews.
