US to allocate $500,000 to help new enterprises in Georgian villages along occupation line
The US embassy says that the people living along the occupation line are in need of special care. Photo: US Embassy Tbilisi.
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The US Government has plans to provide $500,000 to fund new enterprises in the Georgian villages along the Russian-occupied territories, the US embassy to Georgia has reported.
Residents along the occupation line need special support,” the embassy said.
The project will be implemented through cooperation between the Partnership Fund and USAID/Georgia's Zrda activity.
The presentation of the project has already taken place in the village of Rukhi, Samegrelo municipality, near the Russian-occupied Abkhazia region, the Georgian Reconciliation Ministry reports.
The project presentation in the village of Rukhi earlier of September 19. Photo: Ministry of Reconciliation and Civil Equality press office.
Winners will be revealed by Start-up Georgia (a daughter company of the Partnership Fund). Applications will also be submitted on the webpage of Start-up Georgia.
Abkhazia and Tskhinvali regions of Georgia have only been recognised as independent states by Russia, Venezuela, Nikaragua, Nauru and Syria since the Russia-Georgia 2008 war.
The rest of the international community is unanimous in that the regions are occupied by Russia and the country must withdraw its troops from Georgian territory.
The US Department of State Spokesperson Morgan Ortagus called on Russia on September 12 to suspend its illegal occupation of Georgian territories, adding that “for the last decade, Russia’s illegal, malign behavior has undermined stability and peace in the region”.
The US is concerned by the current tension at the Tskhinvali occupation line and the closure of so-called borders which further complicates the situation on the ground and creates serious humanitarian problems, Acting US Ambassador to Georgia Elisabeth Rood said.
The US Department of State Spokesperson Morgan Ortagus has responded to Russia’s most recent illegal activities at the occupation line in Georgia and called on the country to suspend its illegal occupation of Georgian territories.
The Georgian State Security (SSS) says that the occupying forces are carrying out illegal works at two locations within Tbilisi-administered territory, near the village of Chorchana, in the Khashuri municipality. "The actions are destructive and carry high threats, making the situation tense on the ground and complicating the lives of locals,” SSS told the IPN news agency.
Foreign diplomats and experts, attending the fifth Tbilisi International Conference- Now What?, have visited the occupation line in the village of Odzisi before the opening of the two-day conference earlier today.It is possible to see the Russian base located in the village of Akhmaji from Odzisi.
A snail farm has opened in the western Georgian region of Samegrelo within the the state-run United Agro Project. A total of 200 new enterprises have been financed in Georgia within the United Agro Project, including 25 in Samegrelo.
The US Government will allocate funds for two new, “large-scale” projects in Georgia and the donation for both projects will amount to $1.2 million, the government of Georgia press office has reported.The Georgian government says that the US will provide $500,000 to support entrepreneurs in the villages at the occupation line in Georgia and $700,000 for the construction of a children’s hematology-oncology center in Tbilisi.
A mother living in Georgia’s Russian-occupied Akhalgori district was not allowed to leave the territory for several days to mourn her son who died in the Tserovani settlement, on Tbilisi-administered territory. The story caused public turmoil on social media, with the mother permitted to leave Akhalgori only late yesterday [while the young man died on September 22], Radio Liberty reports.
Civic activist Tamar Mearakishvili, who lives in Georgia’s Russian-occupied Akhalgori district, says that up to 10 people in the area have died due to delayed medical aid or other reasons related to the illegal closure of crossing points between breakaway Tskhinvali and the rest of Georgia 131 days ago.
The US Agency for International Development (USAID) has allocated seven million USD for a five-year education project in Georgia, the government of Georgia reports.
The Georgian parliament has ratified amendments to the USAID Development Assistance Agreements with the government of Georgia which allows USAID/Georgia to move forward with more than $64 million in funding to strengthen Georgia's self-reliance and Euro-Atlantic aspirations, USAID in Georgia reported earlier today.
US President Donald Trump has proposed a $4.8 trillion budget for the 2021 fiscal year, which offers $0.7 billion aid for the US allies in Europe, Eurasia and Central Asia to counter Russian influence. The budget also provides $24 million for the Global Engagement Center to counter Russian propaganda and disinformation.