On 31 May, U.S. Senator Richard Durbin, accompanied by the U.S. Ambassador to Georgia, John Bass, visited the HQ of the EU Monitoring Mission in Tbilisi. Senator Durbin, the second-highest ranking member of the United States Senate, is currently on a working trip to Georgia.
The Senator was welcomed to the EUMM by the Head of the Mission, Ambassador Tyszkiewicz, after which he received a briefing on the role and work of the Mission, including past progress and future challenges. Senator Durbin was interested in the overall security situation on the ground, and how the position had changed since the start of the Mission in October 2008. He was also informed about the benefits of the Mission having staff with a mixed range of backgrounds and experience to deal with the challenges of working in a post-conflict environment.