Ambassador Hartzell visists Adjara region
On 19-21 May, Ambassador of the European Union to Georgia, Carl Hartzell visited Adjara to highlight EU support to the region.
Ambassador Hartzell met beneficiaries of EU-funded projects in the areas of economic and rural development, business, entrepreneurship support, environment and more, as well as representatives of government, NGOs, media.
"The EU believes in a strong and prosperous Georgia, and that means a strong and prosperous Adjara. To this end the EU is Georgia's strongest development partner, with over 200 development programmes across key areas such as economic development and education, institutional development, environment and people to people contacts across the country, including in Adjara. It is my pleasure to visit beautiful Adjara, from the green hills of Keda where we are supporting economic opportunities for the local population, to the busting streets of Batumi where we are supporting the maritime sector, business and helping modernize the city with clean electric buses. I look forward to meeting Adjarians and finding out more about this rich and fascinating region" said Ambassador Hartzell.
Ambassador Hartzell's visit started on Wednesday 19 May, with a meeting with Davit Gabaidze, Chairman of the Supreme Council of Adjara. The Supreme Council has received support by an EU funded, UNDP implemented project to develop and implement a multi-year Development Strategy and Action Plan and implement modern open governance principles.
On Thursday 20 May, Ambassador Hartzell visited Keda Municipality to see the results of the four-year, EU supported "Keda LEADER" project implemented by CENN. The project supported the local community to identify a local development strategy and provided funding to support local initiatives in line with the strategy. In total 97 development initiatives and helped create over 300 new jobs in the municipality of Keda. Ambassador Hartzell met the local community involved and visited six project sites in the municipality, including Dried fruit enterprise "Kerki", Family hotel and winery "Chateau Iveri", Luxury camping "Hill Inn", Town Keda Public School, Veterinary clinic, Tourist's cottages and winery "Shervashidzeebi's Winery". More information about the sites in a separate press release.
On Friday 21 May, Ambassador Hartzell held a series of visits in Batumi. These included:A working meeting with the Director of LEPL Maritime Transport Agency (Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia), Tamar Ioseliani. The EU provides long term support to Georgia's maritime sector, including assistance to develop Georgia's first maritime strategy to further develop this strategic sector;
A visit to the Batumi State Maritime Academy, to meet the rector, Irakli Sharabidze, and students. With EU support, the academy is training seafarers that can work under international flags, including EU member states ones – since 2014 40% more Georgian seafarers are working under international flagged vessels;
Ambassador Hartzell also attended the signing ceremony of a memorandum of understanding between the EU supported LINKS project implemented by UNAG, OSGF, IJH, and four vocational institutions in Adjara (Batumi State Maritime Academy, Batumi Shota Rustaveli State University, the vocational college 'New Wave' and the vocational college 'Black sea'). The project aims to help Georgians get the right skills for the labour market, and the signing of MoUs with the vocational institutions aims at strengthening cooperation between different stakeholders of the LINKS project and improving access to quality education and skills development services.
"Modern Buses for Modern Batumi" - At an event hosted by Tornike Rizhvadze, Chairman of the Government of Adjara; Archil Chiqovani, Batumi Mayor, Levan Lazariashvili, Head of Transport Company, Ambassador Hartzell examined electric green buses in Batumi purchased through the Environment Partnership (E5P) Fund, of which the European Union is the largest contributor. The low-floor buses facilitate easier access for passengers including those with limited movement, the elderly and disabled, as well as for parents with pushchairs. The vehicles also reflect the EU's commitment to environment friendly development, by improving the reliability, safety and efficiency of public transport while benefiting the environment by reducing emissions. Environment is one of the key development priorities of the EU in Georgia.
Ambassador Hartzell visited Dental Center ROGO in Batumi, which has benefitted from EU4Business support to set-up the largest and most technologically advanced dental service provider in Georgia. The center has invested in ultra-modern dental equipment, enabling the company to offer the highest standards in dental treatment services to its patients and enlarging the medical tourism industry of Georgia. Furthermore, the financial support helped ROGO adapt to Covid-19 needs, namely the center implemented strict hygiene regulations, as well as installed thermal screening equipment and modern ventilation system. The EU is the largest foreign supporter of private development in Georgia, with over 30,000 SMEs in Georgia receiving support in 2019.
Ambassador Hartzell also met with two civil society organisations supporting disabled communities, Coalition for Independent Living and Changes for Equal Rights. With EU support, the projects are managing Mobile Support Teams of professionals, who assist persons with disabilities on request. Initial support was provided as part of EU support against COVID-19 in Georgia, which amounts to over GEL 2 billion in the areas of health, social support and economic recovery.
