The representatives of civil society organizations and Local Government from Armenia will arrive in Georgia on a study tour on May 2-4 to meet with their Georgian counterparts and exchange information and experiences. The members of the Armenian delegation will meet with the Georgian government officials and partner civil society organizations, attend Tbilisi Economic Forum organized by Tbilisi City Hall, visit food processing and cheese factories in Marneuli (Kvemo Kartli) and in Tsnisi (Samtskhe-Javakheti), a rural advisory service centre established with the support of CARE in Aspindza (Samtskhe-Javakheti), a bio-farm of project target association in Akhalkalaki(Samtskhe-Javakheti). Mayor of Rustavi City Mr. Zakaria Darchiashvili and Advisor to the President of Georgia Mr. Van Baiburt will meet study tour participants and discuss issues of civic integration of minorities in Georgian society and prospects of cross-border cooperation between Georgia and Armenia. Moreover, a meeting will be held in Tbilisi on May 3 with donor organizations, partner NGOs and other stakeholders, which will address opportunities for cooperation across the Georgia-Armenia border. The study tour is conducted under the project titled Poverty Reduction and Confidence-building in Border Areas of Georgia and Armenia by Strengthening Civil Societies in Sustainable Rural Development" (STAGE II). The project is financed by the “Austrian Development Cooperation and Cooperation with Eastern Europe” (ADC), implemented by CARE Austria and CARE International in the Caucasus, along with two partner organizations – Civil Development Agency (CiDA) in Georgia and Center for Agribusiness and Rural Development (CARD) in Armenia. The tour is the second such event organized in the framework of the STAGE II project, and was designed with the active participation of target organizations from the regions along the Georgia-Armenia border. The first such tour was organized in Armenia in March 2010. About CARE CARE is a leading humanitarian organization fighting global poverty. In 2010 CARE worked in 87 countries, supporting 905 projects that reached more than 82 million people. CARE has been working in the South Caucasus for over 20 years. Its programmatic approach aims to reduce rural poverty, vulnerability and social injustice in the South Caucasus and improve conditions for sustainable development, thereby contributing to stability and peace in the region. For more information about CARE, please visit: www.care-caucasus.org.ge About ADC Austrian Development Cooperation and Cooperation with Eastern Europe (ADC) focuses on South Eastern and Eastern Europe. It supports these countries in their social, economic and democratic development and helps them prepare for their accession to the European Union. The main priorities of cooperation with Eastern Europe lie in the fields of business and employment, education, the environment and the rule of law. ADC’s programmes and projects are implemented by the Austrian Development Agency (ADA) in close cooperation with development organizations and businesses. Please see more at the ADC web-sites: www.mfa.at/adc, www.ada.gv.at Ketevan Khachidze PR and Communications Officer

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