USAID Mission Director for Ukraine, Belarus and Moldova Mr. Jed Barton meets interns of the Verkhovna Rada of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea

Jed Barton, met with 10 young Crimeans serving internships in the Verkhovna Rada of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea on November 15, 2012. The interns were part of a cooperative project between the Verkhovna Rada and the USAID Parliamentary Development Project (PDP II), which marked its third year in 2012. During the meeting, Mr. Barton shared his impressions of his two-day visit to Crimea, which included visits to USAID projects in Evpatoria and Simferopol. The interns engaged in an open dialogue with Mr. Barton, asking questions about his work with USAID and seeking his opinions on current events in Ukraine and various personal issues. One intern inquired about Mr. Barton's perspective on children's education, demonstrating the interns' interest in diverse topics. The conversation also focused on the interns' experiences and aspirations. Mr. Barton expressed interest in learning about their goals and plans for the next 10 years, as well as the skills and knowledge they acquired through the internship program. The interns expressed hope that Mr. Barton would return to Simferopol in May to mark the successful completion of the program. Following the meeting with the interns, Mr. Barton paid a courtesy visit to the Verkhovna Rada of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea. He met with Deputy Speaker Hrihoriy Ioffe, Chair of the Commission on Rules and Organization of the Work of the VR ARC Konstantyn Bakharyev, and Deputy Head of the Secretariat Oleksandr Ovdienko. This visit highlighted the ongoing cooperation between USAID and the Verkhovna Rada in promoting parliamentary development in Ukraine.