On October 28-30, 2014 Chargé d’Affaires Scott Rauland visited Grodno. The trip—his second official travel to Belarusian regions–included meetings with a wide spectrum of Belarusians, from local authorities to NGO activists and private entrepreneurs.
Looking for ways to expand engagement with Belarus, the United States attaches great importance to cultural and educational ties, Chargé Rauland remarked at the meeting with oblispolkom chairman Vladimir Kravtsov. Thus, among the highlights of his visit were the opening of the traveling exhibit of U.S. comics at the Grodno Regional Scientific Library and his meeting with students and administrators of Grodno State University, where he spoke about educational opportunities in the U.S.
Chargé Rauland visited the Borisoglebskaya (Kolozhshkaya) church—a hallmark of early Christianity in Belarus. He also toured Tyzengauz farmstead, a participant in the UNDP/USAID program for local entrepreneurship and economic development, focusing specifically on agricultural and ecotourism.
See pictures from the trip on our Flickr page.