25-year-old model Lara Yan, who is of Armenian descent, will represent Georgia in the Miss Universe 2018 beauty pageant in Thailand on December 17.

"I have been living in Tbilisi for three years. I have always traveled a lot, but I tried to return to my homeland, because I really love Georgia. We lived mainly in Russia. My mother is Georgian and my father is Armenian, who was born and raised in Georgia,” Lara said.

According to her, representing Georgia in such a competition is not only a great joy, but also a responsibility for her.

The model says she has been preparing throughout the year to adequately represent Georgia in Thailand.

Miss Universe is an annual international beauty pageant that is run by the Miss Universe Organization. It airs in more than 190 countries worldwide and seen by more than half a billion people annually. Along with Miss World, Miss International, and Miss Earth, Miss Universe is one of the Big Four international beauty pageants.