USAID/Georgia Mission Director Peter Wiebler; Democracy, Human Rights, and Governance Office Director Adam Schmidt; and U.S. Embassy Tbilisi Political External Affairs and Political-Military Unit Chief Katie Nutt visited USAID-funded programs in Georgia’s Abkhazia region to demonstrate continued U.S. support for development and conflict resolution in Abkhazia, in the context of the U.S. Government’s wider support for Georgia’s development and territorial integrity.
The delegation visited sites highlighting the wide-ranging impact of USAID assistance, including medical facilities, higher and vocational education centers, and small businesses. It was the first U.S. Government visit to Georgia’s Abkhazia region since March 2019, providing a vital opportunity to demonstrate continued U.S. commitment for development in the region, and to counter the perception that people living in Abkhazia must depend on Russia for a stable and secure future.
The visit also reflected the development objectives set out in USAID/Georgia’s Country Development Cooperation Strategy for Georgia launched in 2020. One of the top priorities under the new five-year strategy is strengthening Georgia’s resilience to malign influence, with a major emphasis on supporting people-to-people contacts between residents of Abkhazia and those living in the rest of Georgia.
