His Royal Highness The Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex KG KCVO visited Georgia 4-5 November 2010. On 4 November he officially opened the new British Embassy premises in Krtsanisi, Tbilisi, GHN was informed about this in Georgia by the Embassy of UK.
Her Majesty's Ambassador to Georgia, Judith Gough, hosted a reception in the new building to mark the occasion. During the event, His Royal Highness was able to meet members of the Georgian Government including Foreign Minister, Grigol Vashadze. He spoke with the Mayor of Tbilisi, Gigi Ugulava, as well as representatives of British and Georgian businesses, members of the diplomatic corps, representatives of the British community including secondees to EUMM, and other key Embassy partners.
While in Georgia, His Royal Highness met the President of Georgia, Mikheil Saakashvili. He visited BP's Pumping Station 1 at Gardabani, and met representatives of civil society organisations. He visited a Georgian checkpoint with the EU Monitoring Mission, and laid a wreath at the Commonwealth War Graves site in Tbilisi. His Royal Highness toured the British Council's "Seeing in Colour" exhibition at the Georgian Academy of Arts.
Ambassador Gough commented:
"It is both a great pleasure and honour to host the first ever Royal visit to Georgia. I am delighted that His Royal Highness was able to open the British Embassy's new permanent premises in Tbilisi. Our move to this striking new building demonstrates the importance we place in our bilateral relationship with Georgia. We look forward with Georgia to a more stable and prosperous future founded on cooperation and mutual understanding."
