First MBE Awardee Presented with Medal

GEORGIA TODAY would like to once again congratulate Marina Tsitsishvili, President of the Georgian Branch of the English Speaking Union, who was awarded an honorary Member of the Order of British Empire (MBE) in the Queen’s New Year Honors List for services to UK-Georgian cultural and educational relations. She is the first ever Georgian recipient of a British honorary award.

MBEs are given in recognition of exceptional achievement and service in the promotion of friendship and understanding between the UK and foreign countries.

Her Excellency, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the UK, Alexandra Hall Hall, presented Marina with the medal and certificate, signed personally by HM Queen Elizabeth II, at a celebration ceremony in Marina’s own language center, The British Corner, in Vake Park this Tuesday.

The award is a recognition of Marina’s work to promote English culture and language in Georgia, including through establishing and becoming President of the Georgian Branch of the English Speaking Union; organizing an annual English language Public Speaking Competition; founding a non-profit International Center for Cultural and Business Relations to facilitate exchanges of students, statesmen and journalists between the UK and Georgia; supporting medical exchanges; and last year opening a school, performing arts center and cafe in in Vake Park, Tbilisi (The British Corner) to promote the English language, British culture and cuisine.

Katie Ruth Davies