MONDAY, JUNE 29, 2020 The Messenger P3 “Impartial, Informative, Insightful” GEL 3.00 The #114 (4671) Messenger MONDAY, JUNE 29, 2020 WWW.MESSENGER.COM.GE Opposition: First Rurua, then voting Opposition says that they won’t participate in the voting unless Rurua is released from prison. BY NIKA GAMTSEMLIDZE elections. Initially, the ruling party had ruling party and representatives of the finally decide the way the elections should promised the people of the country and opposition have been meeting for several be held. s the Elections of 2020 are coming its international partners that the 2020 months to come up with ideas and plans However, the opposition says that not Acloser, the government of Georgia is elections would have been held in a pro- for this election. all parts of the agreement have been ful- trying to adopt the electoral amendments, portional manner, with no threshold. Finally, with the help of the country’s filled and that Rurua still is in jail. The which will decide the fate of this year’s However, the amendments were not international partners, the decision was Parliament of Georgia will vote on the supported by the ruling party represen- made. Now, the parliament needs to vote tatives, after which, the members of the for the amendments for the third time to CONTINUED ON Page 2 Politics A regional organization of the party, Lelo for Georgia, has been established in Khashuri FULL STORY ON Page 2 Economics 6-year anniversary of EU-Georgia Association Agreement AA officially came into force in 2014 FULL STORY ON Page 3 Giorgi Rurua’s trial is scheduled for June 29th, at 11:00 p.m. P2 Politics The Messenger MONDAY, JUNE 29, 2020 A regional organization of the party, Lelo for Georgia, has been established in Khashuri do not want people from Georgia to go to 2019 by businessmen Mamuka other countries to escape the hardships. Khazaradze and Badri Japaridze. The Because we have the ability to have a party has attracted a number of promi- successful economy in this country. nent political figures, including David Where each person will have a sense of Usupashvili’s Development Movement, security, justice and stability,” said the New Rights Party and Pikria Khazaradze. Chikhradze At the end of his speech, the leader of Prior to setting up the party, Lelo appealed to the people of Khashuri Khazaradze and some of his partners had to mobilize their forces to make all the set up a public movement, in September opportunities in the country a reality, 2019. Khazaradze is a co-founder of TBC which, according to him, will be the be- Bank and of the Anaklia Development ginning of life in the worthy homeland of Consortium. Mamuka Khazaradze pre- the next generation. sented the public movement Lelo in early Lelo for Georgia is a political party in September on the Anaklia coast. Georgia that was created at the end of The opening was attended by the leaders of the party. BY NIKA GAMTSEMLIDZE prise with you. Unfortunately, this en- terprise has stopped because of that wrong esterday, Lelo for Georgia established policy and wrong economic planning. I Ya regional organization. The party came here today to make a serious try leaders and members met with the popu- with you and the youth of this region to lation and introduced Kakha Kozhoridze, win Georgia! This victory will be the vic- the head of the office. tory of every Georgian. I know how the Lelo leader Mamuka Khazaradze ad- people of Khashuri know how to work and dressed the locals at the meeting and stand by your side and I believe in you,” thanked them for the positive welcome. Khazaradze said in his speech. According to him, the people of Khashuri The party leader also spoke about emi- have high hopes that changes will start gration and the problems that he said in this country together with Lelo. exist not only in Khashuri but around Khazaradze spoke about the problems the country as well, he talked about the created in the district and discussed the wrong economic policies throughout the ways to solve them together with the lo- country. cals. “I do not want these young people who “I have known you since the dark days live here to communicate remotely with The political party was established in 2019, in hopes to fight against the of the 1990s, when we started an enter- family members who have emigrated. I bipolar system in Georgia. CONTINUED FROM Page 1 liament, the United National Movement and European Geor- Opposition: First Rurua, then voting constitutional amendments in gia, say they are not going to the third reading at the June change their position and vote on 29th sitting. the June 29 constitutional Davit Matikashvili, a mem- amendment in the third reading ber of the parliamentary major- if they do not release Giorgi ity, said that on June 29th, the Rurua, whose trial is scheduled Georgian Dream will thoroughly for June 29, at 11:00 p.m. implement the March 8th agree- “The Georgian Dream is the ment with the support of inde- successor to the Communists pendent MPs in a multifunc- and their spiritual successor. We tional way, and in the third read- are the opposition to change this ing it will definitely adopt the government, which is really amendments to the constitution. criminal because it steals bud- Davit Matikashvili calls the get money,” said the MP of part of the opposition that de- UNM, Roman Gotsiridze. mands the release of Giorgi Sergi Kapanadze, a member Rurua from imprisonment radi- of the European Georgia party, cal, criminal and lost. “This part also said that European Georgia of the opposition has been de- would take part in the discus- graded and turned into a crimi- sion of the constitutional amend- nal force,” said a member of the ments if both parts of the March majority. 8th agreement were fully imple- However, members of the mented by the government: main opposition parties in par- “If Giorgi Rurua is released and both parts of the March 8 According to the new amendments, 120 members elected by the proportional system agreement are fully imple- and 30 members elected by the majoritarian system. Weather mented, then, as we have said, we will participate. If this agree- tional amendment, which will be the proportional system and 30 members of parliament to be dis- ment is not implemented, then put to a vote in the third read- members elected by the tributed to political parties that Monday, June 29 naturally we will not partici- ing on June 29, the parliament majoritarian system. Under the receive at least one percent of the pate,” noted Kapanadze. of the new convocation will con- changes, the proportional sys- actual votes cast. Day Partly Cloudy According to the constitu- sist of 120 members elected by tem will allow the mandates of High: 30°C published by Night Clear Nino Metreveli The Messenger welcomes your therefore, the opinions Commercial Director contributions. If you are expressed in some articles do Low: 18°C The Messenger 43, Chovelidze st., Tbilisi, interested in submitting an not necessarily coincide with article or news item please those of the newspaper. We Tuesday, June 30 0108, Georgia Founded by Prof. Mariam Mchedlidze contact. take no responsibility for any Editor-in-Chief All contributions should be claims made in advertisments. Day Clear Zaza Gachechiladze Tamar Gachechiladze submitted by e-mail. High: 32°C Publisher The Messenger Georgia’s The Messenger preserves the Night Mostly Cloudy Mob.:+995 599 565621; +995 577 760000 Khatuna Gogichaishvili English language daily is an style of a source written in E-mail:[email protected] Layout Designer, Photographer independent newspaper, and, English where possible. Low: 19°C http://www.messenger.com.ge/ MONDAY, JUNE 29, 2020 The Messenger Economics P3 Exchange Rates: US Dollar - 3.0556; Euro - 3.4317; GBP - 3.7920; 100 Russian Ruble - 4.4060; Swiss Franc - 3.2252 6-year anniversary of EU-Georgia Association Agreement force on 1 July 2016. here. Other dishes are more like veg- The agreement was a very big step to- etables, not something you truly look for- wards closer relations between Georgia ward to, but in the end, you realize – they and the EU and has helped the country are healthy, and they are good for you. to develop rapidly with EU standards. So, I very much looking forward to cook- In celebration of the past 6 years, a ing together in the coming year as well,” statement of Carl Hartzell, Ambassador noted H.E. Ambassador Hartzell. of the European Union to Georgia, was The Association Agreement, which published. In his statement, Ambassador came into power in 2014, mainly is a talks about the importance of the agree- guarantee of is a “deep and comprehen- ment, calling it a backbone of the strong sive free trade agreement” (DCFTA). It and growing relations between Georgia provides for the full liberalization of trade and the EU. in industrial products and a substantial “To me, the Association Agreement is reduction of barriers in agricultural a bit like a cookbook, that we took home trade. A significant part of the AA is de- 6 years ago and have been cooking to- voted to the elimination of regulatory gether from ever since. Some of the dishes barriers to trade (e.g. technical stan- we have cooked up together have been dards). The Agreement provides for pro- truly tasty such as Visa liberalization or gressive and partial liberalization of trade the Erasmus + student exchange pro- in services as well as for fast and deep gram, which is enjoyed by so many people elimination of barriers to capital flows.