January 2010

Quarterly Newsletter
(3rd edition)
The British Embassy,Tbilisi

Happy New Year to all our readers and welcome to our first Newsletter of 2010.

The last quarter of 2009 was busy with work on some of our key projects. First of all, we welcomed the Westminster Foundation for Democracy, who signed an agreement with the Georgian Parliament
to run a long-term programme to help strengthen parliament and party politics. And we moved on to the second phase of the British Council's Euroskills project, designed to help Georgian institutions
work with the European Union. In their different ways, these will help with Georgia's modernisation and democratic reform.

On conflicts, our other main area of work, we were glad to see HALO Trust successfully complete their clearing of explosives from the area south of Tskhinvali. We are proud to have supported this valuable work. I was very pleased to be able toattend a ceremony where HALO Trust handed a cleared area back to the local people who farm it - and
just as pleased to take part in the Conflict Journalism School's training for journalists in how to work in dangerous circumstances.

We remembered older conflicts too. In November I laid a wreath as usual at the British War Graves in Tbilisi - and for the first time in 90 years, I was able to do the same in Batumi. Just a few people were there, from the Embassy and the small local British community, but it was very moving to be there with them at the small, neat memorial.

The British Community has been active in other ways too. The Tbilisi Players' production of the pantomime "Cinderella" drew on the talents of a wide range of people - including many Georgians, Americans - and one New Zealander. But for the first British pantomime in Georgia, it was only natural that the British Ambassador should be on stage. I hope the audience enjoyed it as much as I did!

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