Senator Coons has discussed deploying American troops to Ukraine.

Civil Georgiaying
April 19, 2022

U.S. Congress Delegation to Visit Georgia

A delegation of the U.S. Congress will be led by the Chair of the Appropriations Subcommittee on State and Foreign Operations, Senator Chris Coons (D-DE), to Georgia this week.

The delegation will include Senators Gary Peters (D-MI), Chairman of the Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee, and Bob Casey (D-PA), as well as Representatives Stephanie Murphy (D-FL), Kathleen Rice (D-NY), David Cicilline (D-RI), and Ted Deutch (D-FL).

A press release carried by the U.S. Embassy in Tbilisi on April 19 said that the legislators will meet Georgian top government officials and civil society leaders “to discuss the importance of sustaining and strengthening the trans-Atlantic alliance, maintaining a forceful response against Russia’s war against Ukraine, and bolstering European security.”

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Besides Georgia, the delegation will be visiting France and Italy.

Senator Coons stressed the visit comes amid a “critical moment on the continent and for the trans-Atlantic alliance.”

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Representative Murphy on her part highlighted that the visit to “France and Italy, two of America’s strongest allies, and Georgia, one of NATO’s closest partners” comes as showing unity with and reassuring European allies has become critical for U.S. leaders amid the war in Ukraine.

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Civil Georgia
April 19, 2022

UNM Leaders, Ex-President Margvelashvili Visit Ukraine

United National Movement’s Chair Nika Melia, Political Council Chair, MP Koba Nakopia, lawmaker Eka Kherkheulidze and ex-President Giorgi Margvelashvili (2013-2018) are on a visit to Ukraine.

The delegation, which unexpectedly reported its arrival on April 15, has visited the town of Bucha, the site of alleged mass atrocities by Russia, as well as the capital, Kyiv to meet Verkhovna Rada members.

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The secretly conceived trip to Ukraine drew criticism from both UNM’s fellow opposition parties as well as government-critical TV Pirveli.

Chief of TV Pirveli’s News Service, Nodar Meladze said on April 16 that UNM leadership “hid” the visit from his network. “This is the first instance when the opposition withholds information from critical media, free of all political influences.”

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Meanwhile, opposition lawmakers slammed the UNM over its decision to turn down the opportunity to join the multipartisan delegation to Ukraine, instead opting to visit separately. Vice-Speaker Levan Ioseliani of the Citizens Party said the largest opposition group had chosen to pursue its “narrow party interests.”