February 28, 2018 — Tbilisi, Georgia
An AJC leadership delegation just concluded a two-day visit to Georgia’s capital. The mission was highlighted by a 70-minute meeting with the Prime Minister of Georgia, Giorgi Kvirikashvili.
The seven-member group, led by AJC President John Shapiro and CEO David Harris, also saw Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Vakhtang Makharoblishvili; Political Advisor to the Prime Minister and former Georgian Ambassador to the U.S. Tedo Japaridze; U.S. Ambassador to Georgia Ian C. Kelly; Majority Leader in Parliament Archil Talakvadze and two members of his Georgia Dream parliamentary faction; and officials at the Israeli Embassy.
Among the principal topics discussed at the meetings were: (i) U.S.-Georgian bilateral relations in the era of the Trump administration; (ii) ties between Tbilisi and Jerusalem; (iii) regional security in the Black Sea and Caucasus areas; (iv) Georgia’s relationship with Russia, against the backdrop of the 2008 Russian occupation of 18 percent of Georgian territory; and (v) Georgia’s pursuit of Western integration, particularly its determined quest for both EU and NATO membership.
During the trip, David Harris addressed students and faculty at the highly-ranked Tbilisi State University, where he spoke about U.S. foreign policy and global diplomacy in the new political era.
The group also met with leaders from the Jewish community and had the opportunity to hear from two dozen young Jewish leaders at the Jewish Community Center.
“As Americans, Jews, and friends of Israel, Georgia is a very significant country for us,” said Harris “It is a post-Soviet nation that has embraced democracy and a pro-Western orientation. It has contributed its soldiers to the common struggle in Afghanistan, some of whom made the ultimate sacrifice. It has a venerable Jewish community that, amazingly, dates its origin there back 2,600 years and feels fully at home and embraced by Georgian society. And Georgia describes its relationships with Israel as a ‘strategic partnership,’ which says it all.”
In addition to Shapiro and Harris, the delegation included Gail Binderman, a member of AJC's Board of Governors; Nancy Petschek-Kohn of Westchester County, New York; Shonni Silverberg of New York; Sam Kliger, AJC's Director of Russian Affairs; and Charlotte Bilski, Deputy Chief of Staff to the AJC CEO.
