Menarchik Visits Caucasus For First Overseas Mission
In February, USAID Acting Assistant Administrator for Europe & Eurasia Doug Menarchik embarked on his first visit to the field, traveling to Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkmenistan to meet with government representatives, USAID partner organizations and other international donors working in these countries. Menarchik also included site visits of USAID projects on his agenda, which provided him the opportunity to speak with implementers and beneficiaries. He was accompanied throughout his travels by State Department counterpart Tom Adams, who is the Coordinator for Assistance to Europe and Eurasia.
Finding ways to bolster economic growth through entrepreneurship was a key theme of Menarchik’s visit to Georgia. At EcoFoodi, a private dairy factory founded three years ago, Menarchik met with the general management who expressed the importance of being able to compete in the global market and requested USAID’s help with introducing ISO standards for food production. EcoFoodi owner Levan Alavidze discussed operations management with Menarchik, who offered words of encouragement and advice to the young capitalist. In building his business, Menarchik urged Alavidze to become a responsible steward of the environment and to take the lead in community development. For the duration of his travel in Georgia, Menarchik emphasized the important role of Georgia’s young capitalists in building viable businesses to fuel their country’s growth.
A groundbreaking session in Baku was among the many highlights of Menarchik’s comprehensive tour. On February 7, Menarchik participated in a meeting of the Economic Partnership Commission (EPC) which was convened to highlight important areas of cooperation and mutual interest between the US and Azerbaijan. The meeting concluded with the Government of Azerbaijan, through its ministries, and the US Government, through USAID, signing eight Memoranda of Understanding which demonstrate the countries mutual wish to continue their cooperation in strengthening the quality and cost-effectiveness of primary health care, emergency medicine, public investment policy, Treasury information management and Parliament projects that are currently being supported by the American people in Azerbaijan. Further, the Memoranda of Understanding outline the first steps in the progression toward complete co-financing of USAID activities in Azerbaijan. The event was highly publicized in the Azerbaijani and international press; Dr. Menarchik was interviewed by several media outlets, including BBC Radio.
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| Young capitalists, such as Levan Alavidze (left), are the foundation for Georgia’s future democratic development says USAID’s Menarchik (right) |
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| USAID’s Menarchik (left) and Samir Sharifov, Executive Director of the State Oil Fund of the Republic of Azerbaijan sign a Memorandum of Understanding, a first step toward co-financing of USAID activities in Azerbaijan |
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