MONDAY, AUGUST 24, 2020 The Messenger P3 “Impartial, Informative, Insightful” GEL 3.00 The #154 (4711) Messenger MONDAY, AUGUST 24, 2020 WWW.MESSENGER.COM.GE Tbilisi Infectious Diseases Hospital Politics Lelo believes that suspends inpatient care due to ‘lack Georgian Dream will try of basic conditions’ to rig the election Pikria Chikhradze and Tazo Datunashvili spoke about the 2020 election. FULL STORY ON Page 2 Economics Lavrov: Russia plans to continue flights to Georgia in near future Russia puts a so-called tourism embargo on Georgia on July 8th. FULL STORY ON Page 3 Tengiz Tsertsvadze says that the hospital cannot offer safety to their patients at this point. BY NIKA GAMTSEMLIDZE to temporarily suspend reception of pa- sure the safety of their patients. Center for Infectious Diseases and AIDS tients infected with Covid-19 and HIV/ Tsertsvadze explained this after the state- wrong. engiz Tsertsvadze, Director General AIDS ‘because of obvious reasons.’ Accord- ment of the Chairman of the Parliamen- Tof the Center for Infectious Diseases ing to Tsertsvadze, the hospital does not tary Health Committee, Dimitri and AIDS, said that the center was forced have a good enough environment to en- Khundadze, who called the decision of the CONTINUED ON Page 2 The center was allowed to use 300,000 from its dividends for emergency work. P2 Politics The Messenger MONDAY, AUGUST 24, 2020 BY NIKA GAMTSEMLIDZE Lelo believes that Georgian Dream eaders of the party Lelo Lfor Georgia fear that will try to rig the election international observers may not be able to make it to Georgia for the 2020 elections due to the pandemic, and the Georgian Dream will use this opportunity to rig the election. According to Pikria Chikhradze, Samgori majoritarian MP candidate of Lelo, it will depend on the work of authoritative interna- tional observation missions, how peaceful and fair the elections will be. “For the 2020 election to take place in a fair, peaceful environment, international involvement as a part of the observation missions is also very important. This, however, Pikria Chikhradze is Samgori majoritarian MP candidate of Lelo. According to Lelo, for fair and safe elections, can be under danger because of international involvement is necessary. the current Covid-19 pan- demic. We think that a lot of organizations such as IRI, brought to the pre-election ers as possible arrive safely in New Rights Party and Pikria work needs to be done in this NDI, OSCE/ODIHR, the period in Georgia,” siad the country.” Chikhradze. regard, and without it, it will European Union and other Datunashvili. Lelo for Georgia is a political Lelo for Georgia is a centrist be difficult to imagine a fair missions in the process is very Archil Talakvadze, the party that was created at the and liberal party, which aims election,” said Pikria important for a successful Speaker of the Parliament, has end of 2019 by businessmen to transcend the dichotomy Chikhradze at a briefing on election. already responded to the issue Mamuka Khazaradze and between the Georgian Dream August 22nd. “I would like to ask every of timely deployment of ob- Badri Japaridze. The party has and the United National According to Tazo single partner of our country, server missions in the country, attracted several prominent Movement to “put an end to Datunashvili, a member of the including embassies and saying that the Georgian political figures and parties, the bipolar system running in Lelo Political Council, the international authorities to government will do its best to including David Usupashvili’s Georgia since 2012.” participation of observer ensure that missions are “ensure that as many observ- Development Movement, the Tbilisi Infectious Diseases Hospital suspends inpatient care due to ‘lack of basic conditions’ CONTINUED FROM Page 1 Tsertsvadze, “the cessation of ser- vices for this category of patients Tbilisi Infectious Diseases would cause great fluctuations.” Hospital is one of the main clin- “Covid-19 patients have noth- ics involved in the fight against ing to worry about,” said Covid-19 in Georgia. The facil- Tikaradze, the Minister of Health. ity has been receiving patients Also, according to her, in the case in a rented building, which, ac- of HIV infection, the cloning leav- cording to the representatives of ing the program is required to the hospital, cannot offer basic apply to the social agency two conditions to the patients. months in advance before doing In July 2020, the government so which, as Tikaradze said, “Mr. announced that it would build a Tsertsvadze did not do.” new, 40 million building for According to Tikaradze, the the Infectious Diseases Hospital. clinic may be fined “10% within the Until then, according to the head framework of the work done last of the center, it is impossible to year” for violating the law. Accord- work in the existing conditions. ing to Tsertsvadze, the statement The center continues to receive of the Minister is wrong. outpatients with HIV AIDS, be- The hospital was one of the main cause, according to Tengiz figures in the fight against the Covid-19. As the virus spread in the Weather country, the hospital was very ac- tively treating patients. As of today, Monday, August 24 there have been 1411 confirmed Covid-19 cases in Georgia, out of which, 1132 have already recovered. Day Partly Cloudy Health Minister Tikaradze said that the Hospital could be fined because of this decision. High: 24°C published by Night Partly Cloudy Nino Metreveli The Messenger welcomes your therefore, the opinions Commercial Director contributions. If you are expressed in some articles do Low: 16°C The Messenger 43, Chovelidze st., Tbilisi, interested in submitting an not necessarily coincide with article or news item please those of the newspaper. 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Low: 15°C http://www.messenger.com.ge/ MONDAY, AUGUST 24, 2020 The Messenger Economics P3 Exchange Rates: US Dollar - 3.0737; Euro - 3.6257; GBP - 4.0388; 100 Russian Ruble - 4.1282; Swiss Franc - 3.3718 Lavrov: Russia plans to continue flights to Georgia in near future government will consider it depending on “Georgia is also in favor of establish- the epidemiological situation. ing friendly and good-neighborly relations According to Natia Turnava, there with Russia, as well as with other neigh- have not been any official offerings from bors, but they should be based on respect the Russian side regarding resuming of for sovereignty and territorial integrity the flights. However, if there is, the gov- and other fundamental norms of UN ernment will make decisions according Charter and international law,” added to the Covid-19 situation. Abashidze. Zurab Abashidze, Special Representa- At this stage, for five months now, tive of the Prime Minister of Georgia for Georgia has suspended regular flights to Relations with Russia, said that the de- almost all countries. The restriction does cision to cancel the flight between the not apply only to three destinations: countries was made by the Russian side, Charles de Gaulle, Munich and Riga In- so they should be the ones who renew the ternational Airports. From Tbilisi to flights. However, according to him, the Munich, Lufthansa flies twice a week, in Georgian side will make decisions accord- Paris - Air France. As for Riga, the air- ing to the epidemiological situation in line Air Baltic flies once a week. Russia. Turnava said Georgia will make decisions according to the Covid-19 situation in Russia. BY NIKA GAMTSEMLIDZE ccording to the Russian pro-govern- Ament publication RIA Novosti, the Russian Foreign Minister hopes for the resumption of air travel with Georgia. Ac- cording to Lavrov, this is a matter of the near future. “We are closely monitoring the situa- tion in Georgia. Of course, we expect the normalization of the general epidemiologi- cal situation, both in the region and in the world, to resume regular flights in different directions,” noted Lavrov. Russia put a so-called tourism em- bargo last year, on July 8th, after the events of June 20. Sergi Kapanadze, head of the European Georgia election headquarters, says that given the scale of the pandemic in Rus- sia, resuming flights would be wrong. According to Kapanadze, the main thing for the government is to start intensive air traffic with the countries that are on the list of so-called green countries. At the same time, as Sergi Kapanadze says, the government needs to allow so-called budget Airlines to fly in the country again. According to the Minister of Economy, if there is any proposal from Russia re- garding resuming flights, the Georgian Georgia has suspended regular flights to almost all countries due to Covid-19 pandemic..