Copy of Weekly Newsletter December

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Copy of Weekly Newsletter December SOCIAL MEDIA 20 - 26 NOVEMBER 2017 ISSUE N: 50 POLITICS EasterN PartNership Summit 2017 24.11.2017 Brussels - “Georgia remaiNs a committed ally of the EU iN the regioN aNd dedicated security partNer” PM Giorgi Kvirikashvili addressed the 5th Summit of the EasterN PartNership iN Brussels. The Prime MiNister spoke about Georgia's oNgoiNg reforms aNd the poteNtial of the EasterN PartNership. Bilateral meetiNgs MeetiNg with EuropeaN CouNcil's PresideNt DoNald Tusk marked the begiNNiNg of the Brussels visit by GeorgiaN Prime MiNister Giorgi Kvirikashvili. DuriNg the meetiNg, the parties emphasized Georgia's progress toward EuropeaN iNtegratioN aNd the positive dyNamics iN Georgia-EU bilateral relatioNs. DoNald Tusk praised Georgia as a reliable aNd model EU partNer. WithiN the framework of the EaP Summit Prime MiNister Giorgi Kvirikashvili held bilateral meetiNgs with PresideNt of the EuropeaN CommissioN JeaN-Claude JuNcker, Prime MiNister Theresa May of the UNited KiNgdom, Prime MiNister StefaN LöfveN of the KiNgdom of SwedeN, FreNch Prime MiNister Édouard Philippe, Prime MiNister of FiNlaNd Juha Sipila aNd UkraiNiaN PresideNt Petro PorosheNko. More: http://e.gov.ge/eVaif http://e.gov.ge/zmezN http://e.gov.ge/djHNx http://e.gov.ge/atMWP EU-Georgia AssociatioN AgeNda is iN force 21.11.2017 Tbilisi - FollowiNg the completioN of iNterNal procedures, the EuropeaN UNioN aNd Georgia adopted a revised EU-Georgia AssociatioN AgeNda for the period 2017-2020. The New AssociatioN AgeNda is more ambitious thaN the previous oNe eNabliNg Georgia to come maximally close to the EU staNdards aNd Norms. More: http://e.gov.ge/mmQoY JoiNt StatemeNt oN CooperatioN sigNed betweeN the ParliameNt of Georgia aNd the NatioNal Assembly of the Republic of Belarus 21.11.2017 MiNsk - The Speaker of the ParliameNt, Irakli Kob akhidze paid official visit to the Republic of Belarus. WithiN the framework of the visit joiNt statemeNt oN cooperatioN betweeN the ParliameNt of Georgia aNd the NatioNal Assembly of the Republic of Belarus was sigNed. AccordiNg to the Chair of the ForeigN RelatioNs Committee, Sophio Katsarava, the documeNt will facilitate to further eNhaNcemeNt of iNter-ParliameNtary relatioNs. More: http://e.gov.ge/eJWOs ECONOMY Georgia-Serbia Trade aNd EcoNomic CooperatioN AgreemeNt SigNed 20.11.2017 Tbilisi - First VPM, MiNister of EcoNomy aNd SustaiNable DevelopmeNt Dimitry Kumsishvili aNd the VPM of Serbia, MiNister of Trade, Tourism aNd TelecommuNicatioNs Rasim Ljajić sigNed the AgreemeNt betweeN the GoverNmeNt of Georgia aNd the GoverNmeNt of the Republic of Serbia oN trade aNd EcoNomic CooperatioN. The AgreemeNt will facilitate further developmeNt of the trade aNd ecoNomic relatioNs betweeN Georgia aNd Serbia, stimulate busiNess iNitiatives. WithiN the framework of his official visit VPM of Serbia Rasim Ljajic held meetiNgs with Prime MiNister Giorgi Kvirikashvili aNd VPM, ForeigN MiNister Mikheil JaNelidze. More: http://e.gov.ge/zTYbw http://e.gov.ge/NyKOS Events FOLLOW US ON: Georgia hosted JuNior EurovisioN SoNg CoNtest 2017 26.11.2017 Tbilisi - ANNual siNgiNg competitioN for childreN betweeN the ages of 9-14 from 16 differeNt couNtries held iN /mfageorgia/ Tbilisi for the first time. Georgia, the host couNtry, is a three-time wiNNer of the JuNior EurovisioN SoNg CoNtest. more: http://e.gov.ge/ciCfh /MFAgovge /janelidzeMkh /MFAGEO DEVELOPED BY: Strategic CommuNicatioNs UNit Political DepartmeNt MFA of Georgia [email protected].
Recommended publications
  • Urgent Action
    Further information on UA: 61/16 Index: EUR 56/3993/2016 Georgia Date: 10 May 2016 URGENT ACTION BILL BANNING SAME-SEX MARRIAGE MOVES FORWARD The bill which would amend the Constitution introducing a definition of marriage as a union exclusively between a man and a woman, received the endorsement of the Parliament’s Human Rights and Civil Integration Committee on 5 May. Now the bill has to go through other committee hearings after which it will be voted by the parliament. On 5 May the Parliament’s Human Rights and Civil Integration Committee endorsed the bill which would amend the Georgian Constitution introducing a definition of marriage explicitly as a union between a man and a woman. The committee hearings follow weeks of public discussions on the bill organized by the parliament across Georgia. According to the Parliament’s First Vice Speaker the bill has received overwhelming public support. Georgian Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex (LGBTI) activists could not attend the discussions, citing security reasons and a hostile atmosphere in the discussion venues. The bill has now to go through other committee hearings, after which it will be voted by the parliament. The First Vice Speaker of the parliament told Georgian media on 5 May that should the bill not receive enough support among parliamentarians, a referendum on the banning of same-sex marriage in the Constitution might be organised. The Central Election Commission of Georgia already registered a request for such referendum on 28 March. This request was the initiative of a citizens’ group and now needs a minimum of 200,000 signatures supporting the referendum, after which the President of Georgia will decide on the matter.
    [Show full text]
  • News Digest on Georgia
    NEWS DIGEST ON GEORGIA July 13-16 Compiled by: Aleksandre Davitashvili Date: July 17, 2018 Occupied Regions Abkhazia Region 1. Saakashvili, Akhalaia, Kezerashvili, Okruashvili included in black list of occupied Abkhazia The "Organization of War Veterans" of occupied Abkhazia has presented “Khishba-Sigua List” to the de-facto parliament of Abkhazia. The following persons are included in the list set up in response to Georgian central government’s so-called “Otkhozoria-Tatunashvili List” : Ex-president Mikheil Saakashvili, former defence ministers – Bacho Akhalaia, Davit Kezerashvili, Irakli Okruashvili, Tengiz Kitovani and Gia Karkarashvili, former secretary of the National Security Council Irakli Batiashvili, former internal affairs minister Vano Merabishvili, Former head of the Joint Staff of the Georgian Armed Forces Zaza Gogava, former Defense Ministry senior official Megis Kardava, Brigadier General Mamuka Kurashvili, leader of "Forest Brothers" Davit Shengelia, former employee of the MIA Roman Shamatava and other persons are included in the list (IPN.GE, July 15, 2018). 2. Sergi Kapanadze says “Khishba-Sigua List” by de-facto Abkhazia is part of internal game and means nothing for Georgia There is no need to make a serious comment about “Khishba-Sigua List” as this list cannot have any effect on the public life of Georgia, Sergi Kapanadze, member of the “European Georgia” party, told reporters. The lawmaker believes that the list will not have legal or political consequences. (IPN.GE, July 15, 2018). Foreign Affairs 3. Jens Stoltenberg – We agreed to continue working together to prepare Georgia for NATO membership “We also met with the Presidents of Georgia and Ukraine. Together we discussed shared concerns.
    [Show full text]
  • Georgia: Background and U.S
    Georgia: Background and U.S. Policy Updated September 5, 2018 Congressional Research Service https://crsreports.congress.gov R45307 SUMMARY R45307 Georgia: Background and U.S. Policy September 5, 2018 Georgia is one of the United States’ closest non-NATO partners among the post-Soviet states. With a history of strong economic aid and security cooperation, the United States Cory Welt has deepened its strategic partnership with Georgia since Russia’s 2008 invasion of Analyst in European Affairs Georgia and 2014 invasion of Ukraine. U.S. policy expressly supports Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders, and Georgia is a leading recipient of U.S. aid in Europe and Eurasia. Many observers consider Georgia to be one of the most democratic states in the post-Soviet region, even as the country faces ongoing governance challenges. The center-left Georgian Dream party has more than a three-fourths supermajority in parliament, allowing it to rule with only limited checks and balances. Although Georgia faces high rates of poverty and underemployment, its economy in 2017 appeared to enter a period of stronger growth than the previous four years. The Georgian Dream won elections in 2012 amid growing dissatisfaction with the former ruling party, Georgia: Basic Facts Mikheil Saakashvili’s center-right United National Population: 3.73 million (2018 est.) Movement, which came to power as a result of Comparative Area: slightly larger than West Virginia Georgia’s 2003 Rose Revolution. In August 2008, Capital: Tbilisi Russia went to war with Georgia to prevent Ethnic Composition: 87% Georgian, 6% Azerbaijani, 5% Saakashvili’s government from reestablishing control Armenian (2014 census) over Georgia’s regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, Religion: 83% Georgian Orthodox, 11% Muslim, 3% Armenian which broke away from Georgia in the early 1990s to Apostolic (2014 census) become informal Russian protectorates.
    [Show full text]
  • Weekly News Report on Georgia
    WEEKLY NEWS REPORT ON GEORGIA Date: May 21 - 27, 2018 Occupied Regions Tskhinvali Region (so called South Ossetia) 1. Zurab Abashidze: Archil Tatunashvili's murder was one of the issues discussed at the meeting with Grigory Karasani "He said that this is a very sad fact and everything should be done in order to prevent any similar case in the future. He said what I had expected - that discussion of the issue should continue in the Geneva format," Abashidze said (IPN.Ge, May 24, 2018). 2. Grigory Karasin: Archil Tatunashvili's death was, of course, a tragedy "I was asked about Archil Tatunashvili's death - of course, it is a tragedy and everything should be done in order to prevent any similar case in the future. This issue should be discussed through direct contacts with the involvement of representatives of Georgia and South Ossetia. Moreover, we have incident prevention mechanisms. I think serious conclusions should be made on the basis of this case", Karasin said (IPN.Ge, May 24, 2018). Foreign Affairs 3. More than a thousand Georgian citizens repatriated from European countries during past four months 1,260 Georgian citizens have been returned to their home country from the EU/Schengen area over the course of January-April of this year. As the Ministry of Internal Affairs reports, they received 1290 applications about readmission from January 1st to April 30th while 1260 of them were confirmed and only 30 rejected (Agenda.ge, May 21, 2018). 4. 17 Georgian citizens arrested in Athens, Greece All detainees are Georgian citizens and are connected to crime boss Nodar Shukakidze who was arrested during a large–scale police operation named Caucase Normandie held simultaneously in France and Greece on April 18, 2018 (Agenda.ge, May 21, 2018).
    [Show full text]
  • Geopolitics of the Cancelled Anaklia Project
    BLACK SEA STRATEGY PAPERS Geopolitics of the Cancelled Anaklia Project Maximilian Hess & Maia Otarashvili All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. Authors: Maximilian Hess & Maia Otarashvili The views expressed in this report are those of the author alone and do not necessarily reflect the position of the Foreign Policy Research Institute, a non-partisan organization that seeks to publish well-argued, policy- oriented articles on American foreign policy and national security priorities. Eurasia Program Leadership Director: Chris Miller Deputy Director: Maia Otarashvili Editing: Thomas J. Shattuck Design: Natalia Kopytnik © 2020 by the Foreign Policy Research Institute October 2020 OUR MISSION The Foreign Policy Research Institute is dedicated to producing the highest quality scholarship and nonpartisan policy analysis focused on crucial foreign policy and national security challenges facing the United States. We educate those who make and influence policy, as well as the public at large, through the lens of history, geography, and culture. Offering Ideas In an increasingly polarized world, we pride ourselves on our tradition of nonpartisan scholarship. We count among our ranks over 100 affiliated scholars located throughout the nation and the world who appear regularly in national and international media, testify on Capitol Hill, and are consulted by U.S. government agencies. Educating the American Public FPRI was founded on the premise that an informed and educated citizenry is paramount for the U.S.
    [Show full text]
  • Georgia by Michael Hikari Cecire Capital: Tbilisi Population: 3.7 Million GNI/Capita, PPP: US$7,510
    Georgia By Michael Hikari Cecire Capital: Tbilisi Population: 3.7 million GNI/capita, PPP: US$7,510 Source: World Bank World Development Indicators. Nations in Transit Ratings and Averaged Scores NIT Edition 2016 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2017 Electoral 4.75 5.25 5.25 5.00 5.00 4.75 4.50 4.50 4.50 4.50 Process Civil Society 3.50 3.75 3.75 3.75 3.75 3.75 3.75 3.75 3.75 3.75 Independent 4.25 4.25 4.25 4.25 4.25 4.25 4.00 4.00 4.00 4.00 Media National Democratic 5.75 6.00 6.00 5.75 5.75 5.50 5.50 5.50 5.50 5.50 Governance Local Democratic 5.50 5.50 5.50 5.50 5.50 5.50 5.50 5.25 5.25 5.25 Governance Judicial Framework and 4.75 4.75 4.75 5.00 5.00 5.00 5.00 5.00 4.75 4.75 Independence Corruption 5.00 5.00 5.00 4.75 4.50 4.50 4.50 4.50 4.50 4.50 Democracy 4.79 4.93 4.93 4.86 4.82 4.75 4.68 4.64 4.61 4.61 Score NOTE: The ratings reflect the consensus of Freedom House, its academic advisers, and the author(s) of this report. The opinions expressed in this report are those of the author(s). The ratings are based on a scale of 1 to 7, with 1 representing the highest level of democratic progress and 7 the lowest.
    [Show full text]
  • Political Masquerade Passed Off As a Democratic Change Of
    GRASS's op-ed in IEP's Eastern Insights series „Political masquerade passed off as a democratic change of government in Georgia“ 7/18/2018 Paata Gaprindashvili, Mariam Tsitsikashvili, Gia Japaridze (GRASS) In May 2018, thousands of Georgians took to the streets of Tbilisi to protest against missteps of the government shown on two occasions. In response to a drug raid by the police on popular nightclubs in Tbilisi, on 12 May 2018, members of the club community spontaneously gathered in front of the parliament, demanding the resignations of the interior minister and the prime minister. Two weeks after the massive rave protest, when the government seemed to be confident that turmoil was over, a second phase of protests erupted following a court decision that confirmed the failure of the prosecutor’s office to investigate a murder of two 16-year-old schoolchildren committed 6 months earlier. While the two waves of protests had different triggers, they were both addressing a defective rule of law in Georgia. The ruling party, finding itself in a deadlock of street protests and a resulting political crisis, had no other choice but to agree to establish an interim parliamentary commission with the majority representation of the parliamentary opposition party European Georgia, probing into the case of the teen murder. The commission will try to shed light on the murder of the two juveniles and the investigation could immensely influence the overall political processes in Georgia as it may disclose alleged vested interests and systemic failures of the entire justice system. The cascade of street protests triggered the resignation of prime minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili on 13 June 2018, which was already a long awaited outcome for the founding father of the Georgian Dream (GD) party, billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili.
    [Show full text]
  • Georgia: Background and U.S. Policy
    Georgia: Background and U.S. Policy Cory Welt Specialist in European Affairs Updated April 1, 2019 Congressional Research Service 7-.... www.crs.gov R45307 SUMMARY R45307 Georgia: Background and U.S. Policy April 1, 2019 Georgia is one of the United States’ closest partners among the states that gained their independence after the USSR collapsed in 1991. With a history of strong economic aid Cory Welt and security cooperation, the United States has deepened its strategic partnership with Specialist in European Georgia since Russia’s 2008 invasion of Georgia and 2014 invasion of Ukraine. U.S. Affairs policy expressly supports Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity within its [email protected] internationally recognized borders, and Georgia is a leading recipient of U.S. aid to For a copy of the full report, Europe and Eurasia. please call 7-.... or visit www.crs.gov. Many observers consider Georgia to be one of the most democratic states in the post- Soviet region, even as the country faces ongoing governance challenges. The center-left Georgian Dream- Democratic Georgia party (GD) has close to a three-fourths supermajority in parliament and governs with limited checks and balances. Although Georgia faces high rates of poverty and underemployment, its economy in 2017 and 2018 appeared to show stronger growth than it had in the previous four years. The GD led a coalition to victory in parliamentary elections in 2012 amid growing dissatisfaction with Georgia at a Glance the former ruling party, Mikheil Saakashvili’s center- Population: 3.73 million (2018 est.) right United National Movement, which came to Comparative Area: slightly larger than West Virginia power as a result of Georgia’s 2003 Rose Revolution.
    [Show full text]
  • Georgia-Eu International Investors' Conference
    GEORGIA-EU INTERNATIONAL INVESTORS' CONFERENCE 13 June, 2014 │ Radisson Blu Iveria Hotel │ Tbilisi, Georgia 09.00-10:00 REGISTRATION; COFFEE/TEA AND BUSINESS EXHIBITION 10:00-11:00 OPENING SESSION (EU-GEORGIA RELATIONS) Welcome remarks and conference overview - H.E. Maia Panjikidze, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia Georgia's AA/DCFTA with the EU: what does it mean for the EU? - H.E. Jose-Manuel Barroso, President of the European Commission Georgia's AA/DCFTA with the EU: what does it mean for Georgia? - H.E. Irakli Garibashvili, Prime Minister of Georgia Georgia’s economic outlook and reforms – Giorgi Kvirikashvili, Vice-Prime Minister, Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia Signing ceremony of the NIF project agreement “Water Infrastructure Modernisation II” 11:00-11:30 BREAK AND BUSINESS EXHIBITION 11:30-13:30 INTEGRATION WITH THE EU AND EXPECTATIONS IN GEORGIA TODAY Moderator: Kakha Gogolashvili, Senior Fellow, Director of EU studies, GFSIS Overview of Georgia's integration with the EU: DCFTA Reform Action Plan: the steps and the needs to be addressed – Mikheil Janelidze, Deputy Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development AA/DCFTAs and the EU acquis – what do they aim to do? – Philippe Cuisson, European Commission, DG TRADE Developing energy links between Georgia and the EU – Peter Mather, Group Vice President BP and President of BP Europe What attracts us to countries which are integrating with the EU? - Constantine Michalos, President of the Union of Hellenic Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Vice-President
    [Show full text]
  • Who Owns Georgia's Media
    Who Owns Georgia’s Media tbilisi, 2018 Authors: Salome Tsetskhladze Mariam Gogiashvili Co-author and research supervisor Mamuka Andguladze The publication has been prepared with the financial support of the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Transparency International Georgia is solely responsible for the report’s content. The views expressed in the report do not necessarily represent those of the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Contents Introduction ______________________________________________________________ 4 Key findings ______________________________________________________________ 6 Rustavi 2 Holding ________________________________________________________ 7 Imedi Media Holding ______________________________________________________ 11 Iberia TV __________________________________________________________________ 15 TV Pirveli __________________________________________________________________ 18 Obieqtivi TV ________________________________________________________________ 21 Palitra TV __________________________________________________________________ 22 R.B.G. ____________________________________________________________________ 25 Stereo + ____________________________________________________________________ 26 Media concentration ________________________________________________________ 27 Recommendations ________________________________________________________ 30 Introduction Television is Georgia’s most popular medium, representing the main source of information on political issues for decades1 and having a significant
    [Show full text]
  • Georgia- USA Political Relations Under President Donald Trump Administration in 2017
    Georgia- USA Political Relations under President Donald Trump Administration in 2017 Journal in Humanities; ISSN: 2298-0245; e-ISSN: 2346-8289; Volume 10, Issue 1, 2021 Georgia- USA Political Relations under President Donald Trump Administration in 2017 Marine CHANGIANI* Abstract This article gives the analysis of the consequences of formal visits and meetings of Georgian officials with President Donald Trump, his administration and other U.S. officials. It reviews significant documents and bills signed between the USA and Georgia in 2017. The main issues of state visits and meetings are chronologically described using official information published on websites of Ministries of Georgia and the Department of States. It is an attempt to show through formal visits how political activities and involvement of officials in global processes can bring positive results to the country and how significant it is for Georgia to keep the strategic partnership with US and deepen it under any administrations. Simultaneously, the facts described in the paper prove again that US keeps supporting Georgia as one of the loyal partners in the South Caucausus and also keeps its geopolitical interest in the region. Keywords: Formal visits, new administration, occupation, strategic partner, territorial integrity *Ph.D. Candidate, Faculty of Humanities, Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University, Tbilisi, Georgia. E-mail: [email protected] SUPERVISOR: Vasil KACHARAVA, Prof., Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University, Tbilisi, Georgia. E-mail: [email protected] 8 Marine CHANGIANI Journal in Humanities; ISSN: 2298-0245; e-ISSN: 2346-8289; Volume 10, Issue 1, 2021 Introduction Mikheil Janelidze met the Secretary of States Rex Tillerson and President’s adviser on National Security issues – Michael Finn.
    [Show full text]
  • Media Reports on Wildfires in Georgia 2017
    Wildfires in Georgia 2017 Fire devastates mountain overlooking Tbilisi 09 August 2017 by DFWATCH STAFF A massive fire spread on the slopes of Mtatsminda, a mountain overlooking Tbilisi on Tuesday late evening. No casualties have been reported so far. By midnight firefighters’ squads reported that all hotbeds had been ‘localized’ and the threat of the fire spreading on Tbilisi neighborhoods or villages over hill had been prevented. The fire mainly spread over the pine groves and shrubbery that cover Mtatsminda slopes and hasn’t touched neighborhoods. Altogether the fire was estimated to be about two hectares. Over 70 fire-fighters have been rushed to the scene. Dozens of locals joined them in an effort to prevent fire to spread on their neighborhoods. Mtatsminda Entertainment Park, a major tourist destination of Georgia’s capital, hasn’t been damaged. The police have launched formal investigation into the case, yet it is still unclear whether the fire had been caused by arson. Source: http://dfwatch.net/fire-devastates-mountain-overlooking-tbilisi-49034 Forest Blaze on Mtatsminda Mount, Tbilisi 09 August 2017 The Prime Minister of Georgia, Giorgi Kvirikashvili has released a statement and thanked the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) and the Emergency Situations Management Agency for their hard and operational work while extinguishing fire at Mtatsminda district. "I would like to express my gratitude to the MIA Emergency Management Agency, firefighters and rescuers for very operative work. They managed to localize and then extinguish the fire in the Mtatsminda district, which has very difficult landscape, in the shortest period of time," the statement reads.
    [Show full text]