THURSDAY, MARCH 25, 2021 The Messenger P3

“Impartial, Informative, Insightful” GEL 3.00 The #058 (4862) MessengerTHURSDAY, MARCH 25, 2021 WWW.MESSENGER.COM.GE Politics Venice Commission calls on Georgia to Georgian health officials reconsider Reform for elections, political concerned over low vaccination rate associations, and parliament rules FULL STORY ON Page 2 Interview The interview with Ambassador of Greece to Georgia, H.E. Dimitrios Karabalis.

FULL STORY ON Page 3

1821-2021: 200 Years of the Greek Revolution

FULL STORY ON Pages 4-5 “With regard to the Election Code, proposed changes would infringe the rights of political parties to equal opportunities by denying them free airtime if they do not receive public funding,” reads a joint opinion released by Venice Commission and DGI.

BY KHATIA BZHALAVA on recent amendments in Georgia to the legislative package. lic funding.” The statement’s authors Election Code, the Law on Political Asso- The statement says that proposed believe that denial of free airtime to those er the request of the Chairperson of ciations of Citizens, and the Rules of Pro- changes in the Election Code “would in- parties is “disproportionate and un- Pthe Parliament of Georgia Irakli cedure of the Parliament. The OSCE/ fringe the rights of political parties to founded”, as the parties with limited Kobahidze, the Venice Commission and ODIHR and the Venice Commission call equal opportunities by denying them funds will need free airtime to voice their OSCE/IDIHR have issued a joint opinion on Georgia to reconsider a controversial free airtime if they do not receive pub- opinions and present their programs to the electorate. The authors further state that there is no evident connection be- tween allocating free airtime and receiv- ing state funding that would justify such a step. The statement also reads that such restriction does not reflect public interest as it would reduce access to in- formation that the public needs to make an informed choice in elections. The Venice Commission is also con- cerned by the proposed amendment to the Law on Political Associations of Citizens that would deny state funding to a politi- cal party or electoral bloc that did not take up at least half of the parliamen- tary mandates that it had won. Accord- ing to the amendment, a political party or electoral bloc would be deprived of state funding for the next six months if half of the MPs of any party or bloc did not at- tend without good reason more than half of the plenary sessions. “Sanctioning political parties – and not individual MPs – by depriving them of funding, if the respective MPs do not at- tend most sittings during a parliamen- tary session, appears “disproportionate” and at odds with the Parliament’s Rules of Procedure, which already regulate such matters in a clear and balanced manner,” said the Venice Commission. According to the Venice Commission and OSCE/ODIHR, the bill does not specify clear and objective criteria “that would be used to determine who is considered to be an electoral list or party’s political leader.” CONTINUED ON Page 2 P2 Politics The Messenger THURSDAY, MARCH 25, 2021 BY KHATIA BZHALAVA Georgian health officials concerned ow engagement in the vac- Lcination process has been alarming to Georgian Health of- over low vaccination rate ficials. According to the director of the Infectious Diseases Hos- tioned. pital Tengiz Tsertsvadze, despite Gabunia announced at the the introduction of 43,200 doses briefing that to raise public trust of the AstraZeneca vaccine in towards vaccines, 100 doses will Georgia, there is an unprec- be likely allocated for celebrities edented passivity and great of any age group, who will be skepticism towards vaccination. vaccinated publicly. He did not rule out that if such The COVID-19 vaccination a low vaccination rate is main- process in the country started on tained, the age limit for obtain- March 15. The first doses of the ing vaccines could be lowered or AstraZeneca vaccine were taken even lifted. Tsertsvadze added on live TV by the Minister of that vaccination might become Health, the staff of the National universal. Center for Disease Control, and He also stressed at the brief- doctors of leading clinics. ing that the rate of facemask- Georgia reported 450 wear in public fell from 70% to coronavirus cases, 254 recover- 42%. Tsertsvadze warned the ies, and eight deaths yesterday. citizens that if they refused vac- The daily test-positivity rate cination and face masks, which stands at 1,93 %, while 1.59% “can reduce new cases, minimize in the past 14 days. and even nullify fatalities,” the Tamar Gabunia, Deputy third wave of coronavirus would Health Minister stressed be inevitable. that if doses of the coro- Tsertsvadze also touched upon navirus vaccine are not the new strain and stressed that used effectively, the next several cases of British strain delivery of vaccines from were observed in Georgia. the Covax platform will be Coronavirus vaccines are cur- questioned. rently available to medical per- sonnel; however, starting from March 25, citizens over the age of 65 can register for vaccina- tions. According to Deputy Health Minister Tamar Gabunia, If the vaccination rates remain low, shortly, Georgian citizens aged 55 and over will be able to sign up for vaccine ap- pointments as the COVID-19 vaccines cannot be left The first doses of the unutilized. According to her, if AstraZeneca vaccine doses of the coronavirus vaccine arrived on March 13. are not used fully and effectively, Georgia is expected to the next delivery of vaccines from the Covax platform will be ques- receive 29,250 doses of the Pfizer vaccine on March 24.

CONTINUED FROM Page 1 Venice Commission calls on Georgia to Venice commission recom- mends considering “more propor- reconsider Reform for elections, political tionate and appropriate means” to achieve the goal of the amend- ment, which would involve im- associations, and parliament rules posing direct consequences on individual MPs for their actions. parliamentary activities do not “While the right to vote and who is considered to be an elec- The legislative package was “This would be more in line with exist in any of the Venice Com- stand for election may be sub- toral list or party’s political unveiled in December 2020, how- the Georgian Constitution and mission and OSCE / ODIHR ject to some conditions, includ- leader.” ever, due to the controversy and international standards,” reads member states. ing the respective individual’s “To strengthen political plu- criticism coming from the civil the joint statement, adding that The Venice Commission did nationality, restrictions of aliens ralism and help to ensure the society, NGOs, and opposing poli- such broad sanctions against not welcome the amendment to participate in domestic politi- proper functioning of democratic ticians, following the endorse- parties that do not participate in which allows deregistering a cal life should be limited to the institutions, the OSCE/ODIHR ment in the first sitting, GD party-list if the party leader is a establishment of political parties, and the Venice Commission, chair Irakli Kobakhidze an- Weather citizen of a foreign state. The but not to their membership,” therefore, make one main recom- nounced that the hearings statement reads that the amend- said the Venice Commission. mendation, which is to recon- would be postponed until the ment may restrict the rights of According to the joint opinion, sider adopting the proposed Venice Commission and ODIHR Wednesday, March 24 candidates and voters at the the bill lacks objective criteria amendments”, - reads the joint opinion could be known. same time. that “would be used to determine opinion. Day Light Rain High: 16°C published by Nino Metreveli Night Light Rain The Messenger welcomes your therefore, the opinions Commercial Director contributions. If you are expressed in some articles do Low: 4°C The Messenger 43, Chovelidze st., Tbilisi, interested in submitting an not necessarily coincide with Mariam Mchedlidze article or news item please those of the newspaper. We Thursday, March 25 0108, Georgia Editor-in-Chief Founded by Prof. contact. take no responsibility for any Zaza Gachechiladze All contributions should be claims made in advertisments. Day Partly Cloudy Natalia Kochiashvili Tamar Gachechiladze submitted by e-mail. Executive Editor High: 13°C Publisher The Messenger Georgia’s The Messenger preserves the Night Light Rain Mob.:+995 599 565621; +995 577 760000 English language daily is an style of a source written in E-mail:[email protected] Khatuna Gogichaishvili independent newspaper, and, English where possible. Low: 3°C http://www.messenger.com.ge/ Layout Designer, Photographer THURSDAY, MARCH 25, 2021 The Messenger Interview P3 Greek Independence Day, the national holiday, is celebrated annually in Greece on March 25, commemorating the start of the War of Greek Independence in 1821. On this day, Greeks revolted against the Ottomans and eventually gained their independence after a fierce war. The day coincides with the feast of the Annunciation (Evangelismos) of the Virgin Mary, the Christian celebration of the announcement by the Archangel Gabriel to the Blessed Virgin Mary that she would conceive and become the mother of Jesus, the Jewish messiah, and Son of God, marking His Incarnation. In honor of this day, The Messenger has reached out to the Embassy of Greece in Georgia and hereby we present the interview with Ambassador of Greece to Georgia, H.E. Dimitrios Karabalis. further enlargement or we should focus instead on deepen- ing the institutional framework of the European Union. On the other hand, it is impossible to leave out countries that fulfill the criteria and have sincere aspirations for becoming mem- bers. So those two processes should advance in parallel. We think that Georgia, when the time comes, and all the neces- sary criteria are fulfilled, will get the support of all 27 member states to become a new member, because you know very well, this kind of decision needs the con- sensus of all members.

Mr. Karabalis, you have been working in Georgia since 2017 and I’m sure it will be interesting for our read- ers to hear what’s your im- pression of Georgia? Have you caught similarities be- tween our countries? And fi- nally, what’s your favourite part of living and working in Tbilisi?

I feel a lot like home in Geor- gia, and I think that, as a Greek, I have a deeper understanding of the Georgian people, their dreams, their fears, and their hopes. 30 years of independence is a very short and very long time indeed. New generations have not lived in the Soviet So- cialist Republic of Georgia; they do not carry the weight of the Soviet legacy. You are advanc- Ambassador Karabalis, every home, there is the celebra- will ensure that people get in- tions, understand the impor- ing all the time, you stumble, firstly, I would like to express tion of Annunciation, where we formed on time. tance of the day and they par- you get up and you continue. our newspaper’s gratitude are permitted to break the ticipate in the celebration in This was also the path of Greece for this interview and con- Lenten fast and eat fish, which Long history and cultural Greece. and this is one more reason I gratulate you on the national is our big tradition for the day. similarities are some of the have a special place in my heart holiday. Tell our readers things that our countries Our countries cooperate for Georgia and Georgians. I be- about the celebration of In- How is the Embassy in have in common. Greeks within the framework of inter- lieve they deserve the best future dependence day in Greece. Georgia participating in the have been present in Geor- national and regional and I have a lot of trust in the holiday, what are the gia since antiquity and the organisations and Greece has younger generations, which are Thank you for coming. I am planned activities for cel- Greek diaspora in Georgia is always supported the territo- showing an exceptional degree of happy to be with you and be able ebration in this Covid-in- nowadays estimated at over rial integrity and sovereignty maturity. to address your readers again. fused reality? 10.000 people. How is this con- of Georgia. As announced by March 25 is a very important nection being emphasized our PM Garibashvili once As for my life in Tbilisi, I love date for us because it is the day We are very well aware that today and what is the Em- again this month at the asso- this particular part of Vake, the war for independence started this important year of the 200th bassy doing to enhance ciation committee meeting in where I live and I work, al- in Greece; besides that, for us anniversary of our war for inde- people-to-people relations? Brussels, Georgia is prepar- though I enjoy walking a lot and and most Christians, March 25 pendence cannot be celebrated ing to submit the documents getting lost inside streets and is also significant for another and honored as it should, be- Greek diaspora is indeed de- to the EU in 2024. How does blind alleys following my dog. reason - it is the day of Annun- cause of restrictions imposed to clining in numbers but we are Greece, which has been a The history of the city and its ciation, which means bringing stop the spread of the Covid-19. certainly working together along member of the union since 1981 people is evident in the facades of good news and at the time, for Thus, we will celebrate in vir- with Georgian Universities, look at another enlargement and the backyards of old build- the enslaved Greek nation, the tual format - on the 25th, we are Georgian Museums, and Geor- of the EU? ings. And personally, I hate these news brought by the Angel was going to send out emails with gian Institutes for the preserva- enormous new buildings giving the dawn of Freedom and Inde- links and post videos and pic- tion of the Greek cultural and In this perspective, I think it a fake era of modernity while pendence. tures on social networks. Online historical heritage in Georgia. is very interesting and useful to mutilating with concrete and celebration is organized with We are also working very closely study the history of the EU en- steel the urban landscape and As for the celebrations, in TSU, and official messages will with the Federation of Greek largements since 1981 when depriving the city of its green Greece, we have school parades be disseminated. Besides that, Associations in Georgia and the Greece became a member - many lungs. Restoration of old build- as well as the big military pa- we have already prepared 2 ex- elected representatives of the useful lessons can be drawn from ings, giving neighborhoods a rade in Athens on this day. This positions which will hopefully be Greek diaspora. At the same that period of 40 years. new light and a new life, saving year we will have special guests ready later this year - springtime time, we want to reach out to the existing architectural jewels, - representatives from England, or early summer, when the con- Georgian diaspora in Greece, We have been strongly in fa- enhancing the ecological and France and Russia - 3 countries, ditions permit the physical pres- which is many times larger than vor of the EU keeping its doors sustainable dimension of all new ‘the big powers’ at that time, that ence of spectators. Accordingly, the Greek diaspora left in Geor- open. As it is well known, there housing projects, I believe would contributed greatly to Greek in- we will have events on the main gia. I know that they, especially was a time in the EU when the be a great contribution to my dependence. Apart from that, in TV channels and sites and we the second and third genera- question was whether we needed dear Tbilisi. P4 The Messenger THURSDAY, MARCH 25, 2021 1821-2021: 200 Years of the Greek Revolution Greece celebrates 200 years since the outbreak of the Greek Revolution in 1821, an event that created the independent Greek state and secured freedom of the Greek people after centuries of Ottoman rule. The Greek Revolution was a pivotal historical event, the first successful uprising against the Ottoman Empire, with considerable repercussions in Europe and the Mediterranean.

An Outline of the gion of modern Romania. spatial fragmentation Revolution Events The Revolution was initiated in Feb- in isolated valleys facili- The Greek Revolution of 1821 was a ruary 1821 in Moldovlachia, modern Ro- tated the activities of the long struggle that led to the creation of mania and Moldavia, on 24 February revolutionaries. Greeks the independent Greek state, Hellas. Be- 1821, when Alexandros Ypsilantis and fought fiercely for seven fore the outbreak of the Revolution the the Sacred Band, a group of warriors, years knowing victories Greek population resided in two major raised the flag of Revolution. Ypsilantis and defeats. The Otto- geographical entities: issued his seminal declaration ‘Fight for man fleet destroyed i. the historical Greek space compris- your faith and country’ calling on all many islands killing ing modern Greece, Cyprus, the western Greeks to take up arms to defend their and enslaving the local coast of Asia Minor, Constantinople, and Christian and Hellenic identity. In main- Greek population (Chios the Pontus region in the Black Sea; land Greece the Revolution broke out in 1822, Kasos 1824, ii. the centres of Greek Diaspora, with March 1821 in Peloponnesus, the south- Psara 1824), while joint the most important among these being ernmost part of continental Greece, and Ottoman and Egyptian the Moldavia and Vlachia region in mod- soon expanded to the islands of the Aegean forces landed in ern Romania, the communities around Sea and other regions of continental Peloponnesos -the geo- the Black Sea and the urban centres in Greece, Thessaly, Epirus, and graphical core of the Egypt. It is indicative for the dynamism Macedonia. Experienced warriors and Revolution- threatening of these Greek communities that the able seamen took up the burden of the to suppress the Revolu- Revolution itself was planned in Odessos fight against the Ottoman Turkish forces. tion. of modern Ukraine and begun in the re- The mountainous formation of Greece and The three major Grand Powers of the time (Great Britain, France, and the Rus- sian Empire) which so far had exerted only dip- lomatic pressure on the Ottomans, decided to intervene to reassure a kind of autonomous sta- tus for Greeks. The na- val Battle of Navarino in 1827 and the dispatch of a French expeditionary Ypsilantis crossing the river Pruth initiating the corps in Peloponnesus Greek Revolution [Painting by Richard von Hess the next years safe- guarded the autono- mous political existence of Greeks. Still Western ideas helped introduce in Greek an independent Greek state became a thought the notion of a modern Western- reality only after the disastrous outcome type Greek state. of the 1828-1829 Ottoman-Russian war. In 1830 Greece was born as a free state of the Hellenic nation. The Orthodox Church and the Greek Revolution The clergy participated actively in the Factors of the Revolution uprising of the Greek population against The Revolution was based on a multi- Ottoman oppression. Simple priests, bish- tude of different social strata that united ops aided the rebels, motivated the popu- in achieving their goal of a modern and lation with their lectures and preserved independent Greek state. The main ac- the morale of the ailing Christian Greek tors involved were: population that was subject to atrocities i. the warriors, known in Greek as by the Turkish side. kleftes and armatoloi. These were irregu- During the centuries of Ottoman rule lar militia with considerable war experi- many bishops and Patriarchs lost their ence due to their constant strife against lives for their defence of the Christian the local authorities of the Ottoman Em- faith against abuses of the Ottoman state. pire. Hundreds of priests were killed and ii. merchants chiefly located in the is- martyred just for being Christians dur- lands of the Aegean, such as Hydra, ing the Ottoman rule. Greek national con- Spetses and Psara; merchants controlled science was nurtured and strengthened the flow of capital from the Black Sea to in schools run by the clergy. Saint the Aegean Sea and up to coastal West- Kosmas Aitolos founded numerous ern Europe along the axis of the Mediter- schools and preached arousing Greek con- ranean Sea. science before the Revolution. Bishop iii. local political leaders with power Palaion Patron Germanos prepared the under Ottoman rule who helped coordi- outbreak of the Revolution in nate the population. Peloponnesus. The day was initially iv. the Church and intellectuals. The scheduled to coincide with 25th March, Orthodox Church with its priests was the Day of the Annunciation, an impor- Bishop Palaion Patron Germanos blesses the Greek revolutionary pivotal in preserving the morale of the tant festive day of the Orthodox Greeks. flag and rebels swear to fight or die for Greek freedom warriors and the population during the Events unfolded faster with clashes be- [Painting by Theodore Vryzakis, 1865] struggle. Intellectuals influenced by tween Greek rebels and Turks in vari- THURSDAY, MARCH 25, 2021 The Messenger P53 1821-2021: 200 Years of the Greek Revolution ous places. The Patriarch of the Ecumeni- Laskarina Bouboulina was a legend- cal Patriarchate of Constantinople and ary Greek naval commander and hero- leader of the Greek population, Gregorius ine of the Greek Revolution. Born in the V, was hanged by the Turks in April prisons of Constantinople Bouboulina be- 1821, another martyr of the Greek Or- came a member of the Philiki Hetaireia, thodox community. the secret society that prepared the Revo- The Orthodox Church was essential in lution. She spent her entire fortune to aid preparing the Greek Revolution and pre- the Greek Revolution buying arms and serving the historical identity of the ammunition for a warship and supply- Greeks, a faithful Christian people that ing for the Greek soldiers under her com- kept its cultural and religious references mand. for centuries in the harshest conditions Manto Maurogenous was the daugh- of Ottoman rule. ter of a rich merchant. She used her vast fortune to prepare warships against the Ottoman forces and pirates and to aid the Prominent Figures of the Greek population that was starving af- ter the attacks of the Ottomans. She also Revolution issued declarations to the women of Eu- The Revolution featured a multitude rope to help the Greek people in their of brave individuals, both men and righteous struggle against the Ottoman women, who gave up everything, often Empire. She died poor having spent her sian Alexander Pushkin, the German Charles X, and the King of Bavaria, their lives and their fortunes, for the free- entire fortune for Greek freedom. Friedrich Schiller, the American Daniel Ludwig I, father of Otto I, who would dom of the Greek nation against all odds Webster, the English Percy Shelley and later become the first Greek king, sup- at the time. Lord Byron, the famous Romantic En- ported generously the Greek Revolution Alexandros Ypsilantis, the leader of the Greek National Anthem glish poet, who lived and died alongside with financial means. Volunteers from all Philiki Hetereia (‘Company of Friends’) the Greek rebels. over Europe, especially Germany, Italy, since 1820, a secret society that prepared The national anthem of Greece and Even since its first days the Greek France, England, Poland, and even from the Greek Revolution. Ypsilantis formed Cyprus is composed of the first two stan- Revolution created waves of sympathy the Americas came to Greece to fight for the Sacred Band and issued the Declara- zas of the Hymn to Freedom (1823) com- the freedom of an ancient nation. tion of the Revolution on February 22, 1821. Theodoros Kolokotronis was the great- Hellas, the free Greek est general of the rebels, a strategic ge- nius hailing from a family with life-long state struggles against Ottoman rule. Greece (Hellas) was founded in Kolokotronis was responsible for many 1830 according to the provisions decisive victories and kept the flame of of the London Protocol. The new the Revolution alive in its darkest hour independent state had a limited when all seemed lost. territory of 47,476 square Nikitas Stamatelopoulos having served kilometres. Greece was founded at in the French and English army was an the southern tip of the Balkan experienced commander and an expert in Peninsula with the regions of guerrilla warfare against the superior Peloponnesus, Sterea Hellas and Ottoman forces. the Cyclades as its territorial core. Athanassios Diakos was an Orthodox Greek territory would later ex- deacon and military commander defeat- pand to include Thessaly, ing the Turks in mainland Greece near Macedonia, Thrace, and the is- the ancient battlefield of Thermopylae lands of the Aegean Sea. Greece where Greeks had stood up against an- was for a long period the only other Asian invader. He was martyred Western-type state in the Balkans early in 1821. and the Mediterranean. Konstantinos Kanaris was the most Today, 200 years after the prominent admiral of Greek rebels dur- Greek Revolution, Greece is a ing the Revolution. His expertise as a modern state of 11 million people naval commander was fundamental in with a high standard of living. Greece is a proud member of the gaining control of the Aegean Sea by the “The Sea Battle of Navarino’’ (Painting by I.K.Aivazovski) Greek rebels against the stronger Otto- European Union and NATO, a man fleet. He later served many times among various nations, both in Europe dynamic actor in the Mediterra- as the Greek Prime Minister. posed by the poet Dionysios Solomos. This and the rest of the world. Support for the nean Sea establishing new networks of is the 1918 translation by the British poet cause of the rebels was manifested in regional cooperation. Rudyard Kipling: various ways. In many capitals and cit- We knew thee of old,/O, divinely re- ies of Western Europe people and officials Ioannis E. Kotoulas, Ph.D. Women in the Greek stored,/By the lights of thine eyes,/And National and Kapodistrian Revolution gathered money and valuables to aid the the light of thy Sword. Greek rebels. The King of France, University of Athens From the graves of our slain,/ Shall thy valor prevail,/ as we greet thee again,/Hail, Liberty! Hail!

Philhellenism during the Greek Revolution Philhellenism (‘the love for Greece and Greek culture’) was a prominent ideological current among Western intelligentsia and the general population based on the perception of classical Greece and the struggle of the Greek na- tion to obtain its freedom after centuries of barbaric Ottoman rule. Philhellenism had already manifested itself in literature, art, and architecture with the spread of Classicism and Hellenic themes. During the Greek Revo- lution it became a living reality with the support of struggling Greeks. Many prominent writers and artists supported the Greek Bouboulina, legendary woman naval Revolution: the French Victor commander of the Revolution [Unknown Hugo, Francois Chateaubriand painter, late 19th century] and Eugene Delacroix, the Rus- “The Secret School” (Painting by N.Gyzis,1855)