facebook.com/ georgiatoday Issue no: 873 • AUGUST 26 - 29,29, 2016 • PUBLISHEDPUBLISHE TWICE WEEKLY PRICE: GEL 2.50 In this week’s issue... Government to Finalize Marriage Defi nition after Elections NEWS PAGE 2 Bombs & Who Planted Them FOCUS ON THE CITY POLITICS PAGE 5 Mayor Narmania is called to account Ex-PM Ivanishvili for the cutting of trees in Tbilisi, refuses to quit PAGE 8 to Guest Host New TV Project North Atlantic Council to Visit Georgia POLITICS PAGE 6 Asking for the Moon: Ogden in September on Common (Military) Sense BY TAMAR SVANIDZE he North Atlantic Council (NAC) will visit Georgia on September 7-8, Georgia’s Prime Minister Giorgi Kviri- SOCIETY PAGE 7 kashvili announced at a Tgovernment meeting on Wednesday. Exclusive Interview with The Council, which is chaired by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, will Olympic Champion in arrive on September 7 to attend a meet- ing of the NATO-Georgia Commission Weightlifting, Lasha in the capital Tbilisi as well as a one-to- one with Kvirikashvili. Talakhadze Continued on page 2 SPORTS PAGE 15 GEORGIA TODAY 2 NEWS AUGUST 26 - 29, 2016 Government to Finalize Marriage Defi nition after Elections BY THEA MORRISON rime Minister of Georgia, Giorgi Kviri- kashvili, stated at the Cabinet Session on Wednesday that the Government will A constitutional countersign the President’s refusal to hold a national referendum that would Pconstitutionally defi ne marriage as a union of a amendment on man and woman. However, he said the Cabinet disagrees with the arguments provided by the marriage defi nition will President. President of Georgia, Giorgi Margvelashvili, blocked the referendum bid on marriage defi nition be introduced after the on August 10, saying that Georgia's Civil Code already specifi es marriage as “a voluntary union October 8 of a man and woman” and adding that the country’s existing legislation bans any move to change the constitution through a referendum. Parliamentary elections According to the President, when 20 percent of Georgia’s territory is occupied and two regions Abkhazia and South Ossetia are recognized as independent states by Russia, holding a referendum will give additional legal arguments to the occupying powers. Kvirikashvili stated that the argu- ment that a referendum cannot be held due to the breach of territorial integrity of the coun- try remains disputable. “We fully share the desire of the initiators of the refer- endum that the civil marriage is a voluntary union of a man and a woman,” said the PM, adding that the ruling party Georgian Dream (GD) was the fi rst initiator of the constitutional amendment. According to Kvirikashvili, due to the boycott of various political forces in the current parliament, the amendments have not been fi nalized. However, he noted that a ing to which striving towards Western civilization constitutional amendment on marriage defi nition implied legalization of the same-sex marriage is would be introduced “by all means” after the Octo- pure speculation. ber 8 Parliamentary elections. “Europe wants us the way we are, with our tra- The PM also underlined that the argument accord- ditional values,” he noted. The move to hold a referendum was fi rst brought up by an activist group led by Alexander Bregadze, Soso Manjavidze and Zviad Tomaradze, who gath- ered 200,000 votes and asked the Central Election Commission (CEC) to register their request for a referendum. The CEC sent the approved bid to the President, who rejected it and sent his order to the Prime Minister for countersignature. Europe wants us the The idea of constitutionally defi ning marriage as a union between a man and woman was fi rst raised way we are, with our by the ruling Georgian Dream coalition. A draft resolution on amending the constitution was not put to a vote in May 2016 during its fi rst reading traditional values due to a lack of quorum in the parliament. North Atlantic Council to Visit Georgia in September Continued from page 1 democratic and economic reforms will also be addressed. This will be a very important visit. The “This showcases the North Atlantic Alliance‘s NAC is the main decision-making body in the NATO unparalleled support for Georgia,” Giorgi Kviri- alliance, hence this visit carries particular impor- kashvili said. tance," Kvirikashvili said. The NATO offi cials and Stoltenberg will also meet At the Warsaw Summit in early July, the Alliance Georgian President Giorgi Margvelashvili and Par- pledged to help support Georgia’s crisis manage- liamentary Chair David Usupashvili. ment capabilities and improvements in strategic The NATO-Georgian commission was fi rst launched communications, and said it would provide addi- in September 2008, less than a month after Russia tional aid for the development of Georgia’s air invaded Georgia in the fi ve-day August War. defense and surveillance capabilities. "During the visit, the Warsaw Summit results may During the visit, Stoltenberg is expected to deliver be discussed. The country's progress regarding a speech at the National Library. GEORGIA TODAY AUGUST 26 - 29, 2016 NEWS 3 The Netherlands to Help Implementation of NATO-Georgia Substantial Package South Ossetian Border Guards Seize Georgian Farmland dents living in the village. The Georgian government fought three BY TAMAR SVANIDZE Offi cial Georgian and Dutch sides meet at the MFA Georgia The gunmen said the agricultural area wars against Russian-backed separatist was a part of the Russian-occupied forces in Abkhazia and South Ossetia South Ossetia region and therefore between 1991 and 2008. and know-how support to the planned eorgian farmworkers liv- under the jurisdiction of the separatist Formal relations between Tbilisi and BY STEVEN JONES Defense Institution Building School in ing near the contact line authorities in their self-declared capi- Moscow have been frozen since the Georgia, one of the aspects of SNGP. with the breakaway South tal Tskhinvali. Kremlin recognized South Ossetia and Throughout the notifi cation meeting, Ossetia region claim Rus- "My family has owned this land for Georgia’s other Russian-occupied region he Kingdom of the Neth- the parties discussed issues of bilateral sian border guards are years. Of course, this is Georgian terri- Abkhazia as independent states. erlands will make its own relations, as well as the progress Gblocking their access to sections of tory and under the control of the central International law and the United contribution to the imple- achieved in the implementation of the farmland that lay on the Georgian side government. However, the occupants Nations continue to state that the regions mentation of the NATO- SNGP. of the contact like that separates the (Russians) came to us last year and said remain parts of Georgia. Georgia Substantial Pack- Deputy MFA Minister of Georgia, rebel region from the rest of Georgia. that part of my land, 6 hectares, was Russia continues to violate a 2008 Tage (SNGP), the Georgian Foreign David Dondua, thanked Mr. Douma for Georgian news agency Interpressnews within South Ossetia’s borders. I had ceasefi re agreement by maintaining a Ministry (MFA) says. The assistance, the Netherlands’ important contribu- reported that uniformed gunmen been working there throughout the year; massive military presence in both Abk- announced on August 24 by the Ambas- tion and expressed his hope for the appeared on the outskirts of the Gori I spent a lot of money, and now they hazia and South Ossetia by basing thou- sador of the Netherlands to Georgia, Dutch Government’s future support Municipality village of Sobisi and started are stealing my crops. They don’t let sands of occupation forces in the two Johannes Douma, involves fi nancial on Georgia’s EU Path. to harvest the crops of one of the resi- me enter the area,” he said. regions. GEORGIA TODAY 4 POLITICS AUGUST 26 - 29, 2016 How About Just Making America Better? tion with help from a nostalgic slogan: the global conditions that buoyed Amer- worship, community organizations, and “Make America great again.” Things are ica’s booming industrial economy no charities; the institutions that stand bad now and they were good before, so longer exist, and the era’s stifl ing social between families and the State, and in we should have more of the old and less conformity got old a long time ago. The Levin’s view the ones most capable of of the new. Before we ridicule Trump large factory has been replaced by the addressing the problems facing Ameri- and his supporters, however, we should tech startup. A single mass culture has ca’s fragmented society. By restoring admit that people on both ends of the given way to countless subcultures, horizontal bonds, Americans will be spectrum and from all walks of life are smaller groups of like-minded people better equipped to live fulfi lling, suc- fed up with what they see as a dysfunc- that often transcend local communities. cessful lives in an era when confi dence tional political system and a fl oundering The bargaining power of workers has in the federal government is historically economy. “Make America great again” been replaced by that of the almighty low. may belong to Mr. Trump, but simply consumer. And amidst all that decon- These ideas aren’t original, but Levin the word “again” does enough to explain solidation, the federal government has presents them with rare insight and pre- America’s current politics. Other politi- gotten bigger and more centralized. As cision. Even more so, he makes a com- cians are fi nding success with similar an ideological conservative with a pref- pelling case for why America should messages. Barack Obama, Hillary Clin- erence for bottom-up solutions, Levin wake from its nostalgia and instead make ton, and Bernie Sanders don’t share spots a contradiction.