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Georgian President Meets Biden in Kiev

U.S. Vice President Joe Biden met Georgian President Giorgi Margvelashvili in Kiev on the sideline of inauguration ceremony of Ukraine’s new President Petro Poroshenko.

The White House said that in his meeting with Margvelashvili, the U.S. Vice President announced about “an additional $5 million in assistance to Georgia, pending consultations with the U.S. Congress.”

“The United States is a strong supporter of Georgia’s democratic and economic development, as well as of its efforts to enhance security and resist external pressure,” the White House said on June 7.

Georgian president’s office said that Margvelashvili spoke about “security issues and situation in the region.”

Part of the new assistance package will be directed towards supporting individuals along the administrative boundary lines with breakaway regions, affected by “borderization” process involving erecting fences and other obstacles by the Russian troops.

The White House said that the assistance will support about 40 small infrastructure projects that will rehabilitate potable water systems, irrigation channels, drainage and village roads, benefiting up to 4,000 households in the areas adjacent to the administrative boundary lines. The aid will also be directed towards measures to support new means of income generation for at least 2,000 vulnerable households along the administrative borders through vocational training, access to finance, and microenterprise assistance.

This assistance is on top of USD 1.5 million funding, which the U.S. has already announced for the areas adjacent to administrative borders earlier this year.

According to the White House part of the assistance will go to help implementation of anti-discrimination law and monitoring of compliance with this law, adopted by the Parliament in May. The part of the assistance will also be allocated for promoting tolerance and diversity.

When added to funds previously budgeted, the United States is now providing approximately USD 65 million in assistance to Georgia this year, according to the White House.

Vice President Biden met in Kiev with President of Moldova Nicolae Timofti and announced about an additional USD 8 million in assistance to Chisinau, also pending consultations with the U.S. Congress. The U.S. is providing about USD 31 million in assistance to Moldova this year, according to White House.

In Kiev President Margvelashvili also met Ukraine’s new President Petro Poroshenko.

The two president’s discussed issues related to deepening of bilateral cooperation, according to the Georgian president’s office, which also said that Margvelashvili invited his Ukrainian counterpart to visit Georgia.

On the sidelines of the inauguration ceremonies, the Georgian President also met his Moldovan and Slovenian counterparts, Nicolae Timofti and Borut Pahor, respectively.

Georgia’s former President Mikheil Saakashvili was also among the guest invited at Poroshenko’s inauguration ceremony. Saakashvili said last month that Poroshenko is his “friend with whom I studied together, I know him very well; I campaigned for him in this elections.” UNM parliamentary minority leader, MP Davit Bakradze, was also attending the inauguration ceremonies in Kiev.

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