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  A renovated public library opened in Khashuri, Central Georgia, this Saturday. Lithuanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs allocated 22,000 litas (roughly 6,400 euro) under its Development Cooperation Program for the reconstruction works. A Lithuanian company ACME Group supported the project with a 20,000 litas (5,800 euro) grant; Khashuri municipality contributed another 20,000 litas. 3,000 litas (870 euro) was provided by a company Sweco Lithuania, which also signed a memorandum of understanding with the Khashuri municipality on Saturday.

"We are pleased that the ideas of Lithuanian diplomats help to attract not only public but also private money. This public-private partnership significantly increases the opportunities for our development cooperation policy," noted Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania Evaldas Ignatavičius at the opening ceremony.

Under the project, the library’s facade and the courtyard were refurbished, windows replaced and ground-floor area renovated. An internet center, which is part of another Lithuanian development cooperation project in Khashuri, has now moved to the library’s ground floor.

During one year, 1,720 visitors have used the services of the internet center; three-quarters of them are young people.

Altogether Lithuania implemented five small projects in Khashuri municipality in 2009. Thanks to them, a bus stop "Lithuania" was erected in Khashuri’s district of Surami and equipment for making handicrafts was purchased for the children's homes in Surami and Tashitskhari.

The student of Khashuri Youth Center Lika Abramašvili has become famous in Lithuania and such websites as YouTube after she sang a popular Lithuanian song "Tu numegzk man, mama, kelią" by Mindaugas Tamošiūnas and Marcelijus Martinaitis. Today the repertoire of Khashuri Youth Center already includes four Lithuanian pop songs.

Khashuri closely cooperates with the Radviliškis municipality in Lithuania and has invited Radviliškis to sign a twin-city agreement.