Vice President Biden Travels to Ukraine and Georgia

Washington, DC – Vice President Biden is traveling to the Ukraine and Georgia this week. In each country, the Vice President will demonstrate U.S. support for continued democratic and economic reforms and discuss steps to deepen our partnerships with both Ukraine and Georgia. The Vice President arrived in Kyiv, Ukraine, today.  On Tuesday, the Vice President will meet with President Yushchenko as well as Prime Minister Tymoshenko, Speaker Lytvyn, Party of Regions leader Victor Yanukovych and opposition leader Arseniy Yatsenyuk. He and President Yushchenko will also visit the Holodomor Memorial, a memorial to the victims of the Ukrainian famine. On Wednesday, the Vice President will deliver a speech about U.S.-Ukraine relations hosted by the American Chamber of Commerce. He will then depart Ukraine for Georgia. On Wednesday evening in Georgia, the Vice President will be hosted for an official dinner by President Saakashvili. On Thursday, the Vice President will hold a bilateral meeting with President Saakashvili, meet with the leading NGOs working in Georgia and several opposition leaders including Irakli Alasania, Nino Burjanadze, and Levan Gachechiladze. Afterward, he will head to Parliament to meet with Speaker David Bakradze and with opposition leaders in Parliament. He will then deliver a speech to the Parliament in Georgia. After the speech, the Vice President will meet with internally displaced schoolchildren from Tserovani and Abkhazia who are participating in a summer educational program, focused on developing math and English skills, funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). The Vice President then returns to Washington, DC.

*Notes:  AP Television is traveling with Vice President Biden in both Ukraine and Georgia

Kyiv, Ukraine, for Tuesday, July 21

1:00 PM local/            MEETING WITH PRESIDENT VIKTOR YUSHCHENKO
6:00 AM EDT               Location:  House with Chimeras, Kyiv, Ukraine
                                    Press:  Pool Spray at the Top

2:30 PM local/            STATEMENT TO THE PRESS WITH PRESIDENT YUSHCHENKO
7:30 AM EDT               Location: Press Briefing Room, House with Chimeras, Kyiv, Ukraine
                                    Press:  Open

3:35 PM local/            CEREMONY AT THE HOLODOMOR MEMORIAL WITH PRESIDENT
8:35 AM EDT               YUSHCHENKO
                                    Location: Holodomor Memorial, Kyiv, Ukraine
                                    Press:  Open

4:30 PM local/            MEETING WITH PRIME MINISTER YULIYA TYMOSHENKO
9:30 AM EDT               Location:  Large Hall, Minister's Club, Kyiv, Ukraine
                                    Press:  Pool Spray at the Top

6:15 PM local/            MEETING WITH SPEAKER VOLODYMYR LYTVYN
11:15 AM EDT             Location: Verkhovna Rada, Kyiv, Ukraine
                                    Press: Pool Spray at the Top

7:00 PM local/            MEETING WITH PARTY OF REGIONS LEADER VIKTOR YANUKOVYCH
12 NOON EDT             Location:  Hyatt Hotel, Kyiv, Ukraine
                                    Press:  Pool Spray at the Top

7:45 PM local/            MEETING WITH ARSENIY YATSENYUK
12:45 PM EDT             Location:  Hyatt Hotel, Kyiv, Ukraine
                                    Press:  Pool Spray at the Top

Kyiv, Ukraine and Tbilisi, Georgia, for Wednesday July 22

11:30 AM local/          REMARKS BY VICE PRESIDENT BIDEN
4:30 AM EDT               Location: Ukraine House, Kyiv, Ukraine
                                    Press:  Open

3:00 PM local/            AIRPORT DEPARTURE
8:00 AM EDT               Location:  Boryspil International Airport, Kyiv, Ukraine
                                    Press: Open

6:15 PM local/            AIRPORT ARRIVAL
10:15 AM EDT             Location: Tbilisi International Airport, Tbilisi, Georgia
                                    Press:  Open

8:00 PM local/            OFFICIAL DINNER HOSTED BY PRESIDENT MIKHEIL SAAKASHVILI
12:00 NOON EDT              Location: The Presidency, Tbilisi, Georgia
                                                Press:  Pool Spray at the Top

9:35 PM local/            OUTDOOR CONCERT AT THE PRESIDENCY WITH PRESIDENT
1:35 PM EDT               SAAKASHVILI
                                    Location: Outdoor courtyard, The Presidency, Tbilisi, Georgia
                                    Press:  Pool Spray at the Top

Tbilisi, Georgia, for Thursday, July 23

11:10 AM local/          ARRIVAL CEREMONY AT THE PRESIDENCY WITH PRESIDENT MIKHEIL
3:10 AM EDT               SAAKASHVILI
Location: Outdoor courtyard, The Presidency, Tbilisi, Georgia
Press: Open

11:30 AM local/          BILATERAL MEETING WITH PRESIDENT SAAKASHVILI
3:30 AM EDT               Location: The President’s Office, The Presidency, Tbilisi, Georgia
                                    Press:  Pool Spray at the Top

1:35 PM local/            MEETING WITH NGO REPRESENTATIVES AND OPPOSITION LEADERS
5:35 AM EDT               Location:  Ballroom, Marriott Hotel, Tbilisi, Georgia
                                    Press:  Pool Spray at the Top

2:50 PM local/            ARRVIAL CEREMONY AT PARLIAMENT WITH SPEAKER DAVID BAKRADZE
6:50 AM EDT               Location:  Outdoor courtyard, Parliament, Tbilisi, Georgia
                                    Press: Open

3:05 PM local/            BILATERAL MEETING WITH SPEAKER OF THE PARLIAMENT DAVID
7:05 AM EDT               BAKRADZE
                                    Location:  Speaker’s Meeting Room, Parliament, Tbilisi, Georgia
                                    Press:  Pool Spray at the Top

4:30 PM local/            VICE PRESIDENT BIDEN ADDRESSES PARLIAMENT
8:30 AM EDT               Location:  Plenary Hall, Parliament, Tbilisi, Georgia
                                    Press:  Open

6:15 PM local/            EVENT AT YOUTH PALACE
10:15 AM EDT             Location:  Youth Palace, Tbilisi, Georgia
                                    Press: Pool Spray at the Top

7:40 PM local/            AIRPORT DEPARTURE
11:40 AM EDT             Location: Tbilisi International Airport, Tbilisi, Georgia
                                    Press:  Open