PGBFA Co-Chairman Levan Akhvlediani (center, in blue coat and light blue shirt), representing the Georgian consulate, on a tour of the Rustavi Metallurgical Plant with delegates to the city’s anniversary celebration

The Consulate of Georgia in the Philippines, led by Consul (a.h.) Thelmo Cunanan Jr., was represented at the anniversary celebration of Rustavi City in Georgia last October 18 – 19 , 2014. Consul Cunanan was invited to attend the celebration by Rustavi City Mayor Davit Jikia, in an official letter dated October 2, 2014.

Consul Cunanan has been integral in the development of Rustavi’s ties with the Philippines. Last June, he witnessed the signing ceremony in Rustavi City Hall of a tripartite friendship and cooperation agreement between the metropolis and its counterparts in the Philippines, the agro-industrial centers of Cauayan and Santiago cities, located in the province of Isabela in the northern Philippines. This project, an initiative of Consul Cunanan, is the first sister-city agreement between local government units of Georgia and the Philippines and Georgia and Southeast Asia. Under the framework of cooperation, the cities have agreed to work together to promote, among others, trade and commerce, tourism, cultural and educational exchanges, sports, and environmental protection.

Present during the ceremonies were representatives from Rustavi’s sister cities in Azerbaijan, Lithuania, and Poland. Representing Cauayan and Santiago cities and the Consulate of Georgia in the Philippines was Mr. Levan Akhvlediani, President of the Sports Development Fund and, together with Consul Cunanan, Co-Chairman of the Philippines – Georgia Business and Friendship Association, Inc. (PGBFA). The latter is the consulate’s strategic partner in developing ties economic and cultural relations between the Philippines and Georgia. Mr. Akhvlediani attended the official dinners on October 18 and October 19, as well as the tour for the delegates to the Rustavi Metallurgical Plant.

Also in attendance were other distinguished guests like Vice Speaker of Parliament Zviad Dzidziguri, Mayor of Tbilisi Davit Narmania, and Former Governor of Kvemo Kartli and current Minister of Corrections Giorgi Mgebrishvili.