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Georgia's Ruling Party Offers Memorandum to Ensure Peaceful

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Georgia's Ruling Party Offers Memorandum to Ensure Peaceful facebook.com/ georgiatoday Issue no: 881 • SEPTEMBER 23 - 26, 2016 • PUBLISHED TWICE WEEKLY PRICE: GEL 2.50 In this week’s issue... Georgian PM Holds High Level Meetings at UN NEWS PAGE 2 Russia Plans to Resurrect KGB POLITICS PAGE 7 TBC Bank Deputy FOCUS CEO on Consolidation ON CHURCH WARS Benefi ts and Georgian Orthodox protesters plan to bar Pope Francis from entering Competition Georgia's ancient Svetitskhoveli Cathedral PAGE 3 BUSINESS PAGE 8 Donald Johanson on Human Evolution in Georgia’s Ruling Party Offers Tbilisi & his Discoveries SOCIETY PAGE 10 Memorandum to Ensure Peaceful Elections Elena Vaenga Fulfi ls 15-Year BY THEA MORRISON Dream by Singing in Tbilisi everal of Georgia’s political parties have agreed to sign a memorandum initiated by the ruling party Georgian Dream (GD) last week that would ensure peaceful, democratic and trans- Sparent parliamentary elections on October 8. According to Georgian Dream’s statement on the matter, the ruling coalition envisages a polit- ical agreement between all of the country’s political parties to refrain from provoking each other during the campaign season and on the CULTURE PAGE 12 day of the election. Each party would agree to discourage their Georgia’s State Ballet to Open supporters from attending a meeting or rally by a rival party and order their followers to refrain 165th Season with Giselle from disrupting events held by a political oppo- nent. CULTURE PAGE 15 “This agreement will cover the whole election cycle until the fi nal results are published," said the GD Executive Secretary, Irakli Kobakhidze. According to reports, the Georgian Dream, ident Mikheil Saakashvili’s United National Tughushi, a member of the UNM stated. Republicans, Industrialists, Alliance of Patriots, Movement (UNM), the National Forum, Labor Mamuka Katsitadze, a member of the New Nino-Burjanadze’s pro-Russian Democratic Party and State for the People coalition have all Rights party that is now aligned with opera- Georgia and former Defense Minister Irakli refused to sign the memorandum. singer-turned-opposition-leader Paata Burchu- Alasania’s Free Democrats will sign the memo- The UNM said in a statement that the memo- ladze’s State for the People coalition, labelled randum. randum is “a cynical and poorly planned PR the memorandum “a farce”, saying his party had Though he has vowed to sign the initiative, stunt” by GD, and that the ruling team was a no intention to offi cially heed GD’s call. Alasania believes the document is weak and major source and threat for provocations. Several Non-Governmental Organizations have vague as it fails to defi ne the role of each specifi c “We are not going to sign the memorandum, backed GD’s memorandum, but stressed that its party’s leadership. but we promise that the UNM will not disrupt terms must be properly defi ned and fulfi lled by Georgia’s main opposition party, former Pres- the election campaign of any party,” Giorgi all the signatories. GEORGIA TODAY 2 NEWS SEPTEMBER 23 - 26, 2016 Belarus Security Secretary Georgian PM Holds Visits Azerbaijan High Level Meetings at UN Zas’ visit to Azerbaijan saw a discussion with the BY DIMITRI DOLABERIDZE President on the development of bilateral relations met Dana Hyde, the executive director of US gov- BY THEA MORRISON and cooperation, and operational issues on the ernment foreign aid agency, the Millennium Chal- agenda of future relations in the political, economic, lenge Corporation (MCC). n September 20, President of Azer- military-technical and other spheres. The two sides discussed the importance of MCC’s baijan Ilham Aliyev received a del- “I studied at the Baku military school in 1981-1985 eorgia’s Prime Minister Giorgi Kviri- project to develop Georgia’s human capital to halt egation headed by the State Secretary and have witnessed huge and very exciting devel- kashvili has held several bilateral the country’s crippling loss of its young profes- of Security Council of Belarus, Stan- opments in Baku since then,” Zas said, emphasizing meetings, including with Germany’s sionals. islav Zas. his respect of Aliyev’s role in said developments. Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Stein- At a joint meeting with Moldova’s Prime Minister OThe head of state recalled with satisfaction his Aliyev further noted that the relations between meier, before the start of the 71st ses- Pavel Filip, Kvirikashvali announced that he would recent meeting with the President of Belarus, Alex- the leaders of the two countries gave impetus to Gsion of the UN’s General Assembly in New York. travel to Moldova on an offi cial visit later this year. ander Lukashenko, in Bishkek. Stressing that Azer- the expansion of cooperation between all agencies, Steinmeier said following the meeting that Geor- Filip and Kvirikashvili both expressed their read- baijan and Belarus are in a very clos and friendly including dealing with the economic bloc, foreign gia is a leader among the EU’s Eastern Partnership iness to deepen bilateral relations further and relations, President Aliyev highlighted that the two policy, and security. The President also pointed to Countries following its successful implementation agreed to hold the inaugural meeting of their joint countries cooperate in all areas, treat each other the need for correct threat assessment in the cur- of the Visa Liberalization Action Plan. Inter-Governmental Economic Commission early with trust and respect, and always support each rent diffi cult times and a consolidation of forces Kvirikashvili and Steinmeier also discussed new next year. other. against such threats. prospects for bilateral cooperation between the The Moldovan delegations expressed their keen two countries as well as Georgia’s goal of full Euro- interest in gaining insight and expert advice from pean and Euro-Atlantic integration, and the Geor- Georgia regarding the successful implementation gian government’s Four Point Plan – a new state- of reforms. sponsored initiative that covers economic Prior to holding offi cial meetings, Georgia’s PM development, infrastructure, education and gov- attended the Atlantic Council's Global Citizen ernance reforms. Awards at the American Museum of Natural His- Georgia’s delegation formally requested that Ger- tory. many send poll monitors for the upcoming October US Secretary of State John Kerry, World Economic 8 parliamentary elections. To further drive home Forum founder and Executive Chairman Klaus Georgia’s commitment to hold free elections, Kviri- Schwab, and around 500 guests from across the kashvili assured Steinmeier that the elections would globe also attended the gala event. be transparent and democratic, and fully comply The Georgian PM later attended the opening of with both EU and international standards. UN General Assembly. Following his meeting with Steinmeier, the PM The General Assembly will close on September 26. Chicago Tribune Names Tbilisi Top Travel Destination architecture buffs. The country straddles both BY NATIA LIPARTELIANI Europe and Asia. Its architectural infl uences are a mix of Persian, Soviet and Art Nouveau,” the article is quoted as saying. ajor US-daily, the Chicago Trib- The paper urges readers to stay at Tbilisi’s une, named Georgia's capital Rooms Hotel, an upscale design hotel located in city Tbilisi one of the world’s one of the city’s historical neighborhoods. top travel destinations in Sep- Tbilisi ranked seventh on the paper’s list, which tember. also included New York, Paris, Mexico City and M“Georgia’s capital is a must-see destination for Hong Kong, GEORGIA TODAY SEPTEMBER 23 - 26, 2016 NEWS 3 Radical Nationalist Groups, Georgian Orthodox Priests Protest Papal Visit Pope Francis plans to attend a mass at BY NICHOLAS WALLER the cathedral and meet with the head of the Georgian Orthodox Church, Patri- arch Ilia II, during his three-day visit to group of Georgian Ortho- the small South Caucasus nation that dox ultranationalists and begins September 30. priests held a rally Wednes- The protestors believe a papal visit to day afternoon outside the the birthplace of Georgian Orthodoxy Vatican Embassy in Tbilisi amounts to an attempt by the Vatican to Ato protest the upcoming visit of Pope proselytize to Georgia’s estimated 3 mil- Francis. lion Eastern Orthodox believers. The group claimed the papal visit is Holding signs reading, "Pope Arch- an affront to the purity of the Georgian heretic. You are not welcome in Georgia" Orthodox religion and an insult to the and "Stay far away from Georgia, Anti- Georgian people, as the Holy See is christ" Ungiadze and other protestors anathema to the beliefs of Orthodox refused to comment whether the rally Christianity. had been sanctioned by the Georgian One of the organizers of the rally, Patriarchate. Avtandil Ungiadze, claimed the protest- Local news outlet Netgazeti later ers were there to “preserve the reputa- reported that the Patriarchate has denied tion of the true church”, and vowed to any involvement with the protestors, but bar Pope Francis from entering the 11th refused to reprimand the priests who century Svetitskhoveli Cathedral in attended the rally. nearby Mtskheta. The rally was the latest in a series of The cathedral, whose name translates provocative acts that brought together The gathering echoed calls by Russia’s that make up Eastern Orthodoxy. II fi rst met in the early 2000s. in English as “the Cathedral of the Liv- ultranationalists and members of the powerful Patriarch Kirill, who has claimed The Western and Eastern branches of Despite claims by the protestors out- ing Pillar,” is considered the Georgian Georgian Orthodox Church. In 2013, the women’s and LBGT rights are “anti- Christianity formally split into two com- side the Vatican Embassy that Georgia Orthodox Church’s most venerated place two took part in a violent crackdown on thetical to Orthodox beliefs and tradi- peting branches in 1054 over political is a strictly Orthodox nation, recent sta- of worship.
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