Georgia: The Georgian Deputy Minister of Environment and Agriculture, Solomon Pavliashvili, leads the Georgian interagency delegation’s visit to the United States State Department. The working visit aims to identify the needs and capabilities of supporting Georgia in safely managing chemicals and to plan the next steps.
The delegation comprises representatives of the Ministry of Environment and Agriculture, Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, State Security Service and the Caucasus Regional Center for Environmental Protection.
During the visit, a meeting was held with Catherine Insley, Deputy Secretary of State for International Security.
“Georgia has made significant progress regarding chemical safety in the country. “The United States plans to continue supporting risk mitigation in this direction, which has never been more important than today,” Catherine Inslee said.
Solomon Pavliashvili said, “The United States of America is a strategic partner of Georgia. Our government, within the framework of compliance with the criteria of EU membership, with the support of the State Department, continues to work actively to bring the framework of chemical substances closer to the systems of the EU and the United States of America.”
Members of the delegation discussed the current situation in the field of chemical, biological, radiation and nuclear threats with representatives of the State Department agencies working on the issues of chemical, radiation and nuclear hazards. Discussion was held on Georgia’s challenges, joint initiatives and plans.
During the visit, a meeting was held with the US Environmental Protection Agency representative, Deputy Assistant Head of Administration Clifford Villa.
“For Georgia, as an active party in multilateral environmental agreements, it is essential, in the process of negotiations, to approach the position of the United States to support our country’s initiatives related to safe management of chemicals and waste,” – said Solomon Pavliashvili.
“The United States has extensive experience and guidelines for preventing risks of chemical contamination and responding to such incidents, which the Georgian side can use to strengthen planned legislative and institutional capabilities in terms of preparedness and timely response to chemical hazards. The agency is ready to support Georgia’s Ministry of Environment and Agriculture in this direction,” Clifford Villa noted.
US Environmental Protection representatives shared American experience with Georgian colleagues on reducing the risk of environmental pollution with chemicals and restoring polluted areas and agreed on deepening cooperation.
