Andreas Kiefer, former Secretary General of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, visited Georgia with the support of the National Association of Local Authorities of Georgia.
During the visit, Andreas Kiefer met with young people living in the municipalities of Tbilisi, Rustavi, Ozurgeti, and Telavi.
As NALAG’s executive director, Nino Rukhadze, noted, the purpose of the meetings was to arouse young people’s interest in local self-government. According to her, organizing such meetings and providing young people with complete information about the role of local self-government is of utmost importance.
The former president of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, Anders Knape, was also present at the Tbilisi meeting, which took place within the framework of the Monitoring Committee of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe.
The foreign guests, deeply appreciative of NALAG’s invitation, shared their knowledge of European traditions of self-government and the European Charter of Local Self-Government with Georgian students.
The meeting, in a bid to foster active participation, continued in a question-and-answer mode. Foreign guests, NALAG representatives, and Tbilisi City Council members actively engaged with the students, answering their questions and ensuring their active involvement in the discussion.
During his visit, Kiefer also visited the municipalities of Rustavi, Ozurgeti, and Telavi, where he discussed the importance of self-government, the specifics of the work of European self-governments, and the role of local self-governments in developing democracy while engaging with the young people through questions and discussions.
“My visit to the mentioned municipalities is an excellent example of the long-term relations that connect me with Georgia. I had the opportunity to meet young people, where an interesting dialogue took place on European values, expectations and the important role of the next generation in developing democracy”, Andreas Kiefer noted.
The former Secretary General of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe left Georgia today.

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