Biden Arrives in Tbilisi

U.S. Vice Resident, Joe Biden, arrived in Tbilisi on Wednesday evening after visiting Ukraine.

Georgian PM Nika Gilauri; Deputy Foreign Minister Giga Bokeria and Georgia’s Ambassador to the U.S. Batu Kutelia, as well as U.S. Ambassador to Georgia, John Tefft welcomed Vice President Biden in the Tbilisi airport.

The streets and main thoroughfares in downtown Tbilisi are shut down for security reasons, including those in vicinity of the presidential residence in the Avlabari district of the capital city. Police removed part of mocked-up prison cells from part of Rustaveli Avenue, which were installed there by the opposition as part of their street protest rallies over three months ago. The removal took place without the opposition’s resistance, which said recently that it planned to scrap that form of protest.

The Georgian television stations and newspapers are extensively covering the visit, with TV networks’ reports also including stories on the Vice President’s personal and political background. Imedi TV set up a studio for a special coverage of the visit.

The Georgian daily, Rezonansi, runs an appeal of a group of Georgian journalists to the Vice President on its front page on July 22 and another daily 24 Saati had a front page article on Biden’s visit to Ukraine and a separate article on his trip to Tbilisi.

Politicians from both the opposition and the ruling party are making comments for media all underlining importance of the visit for Georgia, especially in the light of recent trip of President Obama to Moscow. While the ruling party officials tend to focus in their comments on importance of the visit in the context of Georgia’s security issues, opposition politicians are more focusing on importance of the visit in the context of democratic reforms.

After the arrival in Tbilisi the Vice President will be hosted by President Saakashvili at an official dinner, followed by an outdoor concert of Georgian performers at the presidential residence. On Thursday the Vice President will hold an official meeting with President Saakashvili and then with civil society representatives and opposition leaders, including with Irakli Alasania, leader of Alliance for Georgia; Nino Burjanadze, leader of Democratic Movement-United Georgia; Levan Gachechiladze, an individual opposition politician and MP Giorgi Targamadze, leader of Christian-Democratic Movement.

After meeting with Parliamentary Chairman, Davit Bakradze, Biden will deliver a speech in the Parliament chamber.

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