27 y/o Georgian killed in the bastion of Mariupol’s Ukrainian defenders
Georgian fighter, 27-year-old Tato Bigvava, commander of the second company of the Azov Regiment of the National Guard of Ukraine has died in the bastion of the defenders of Mariupol, on the territory of the Azovstal plant. The cause of death was believed to have been a cluster bomb explosion. It was dropped by Russian troops on the territory of the plant, used as a [...]
Links between conflict in Ukraine and Georgia
David L. Phillips We were seated at the conference table in the office of Mikhail Saakashvili (aka “Misha”), the former President of Georgia, to discuss tensions with Russia. It was June 2008, just prior to [...]
News
Georgians condemn steps taken by government during Ukraine crisis
TBILISI, DFWatch--While Ukraine is heroically fighting the aggressor and the Georgian people are strongly supporting it in this cause, a diplomatic row has broken out between Tbilisi and Kiev, causing embarrassment and shame for many Georgians. [...]
Georgians ashamed of PM’s comments about Russia sanctions
(Formulanews.ge) TBILISI, DFWatch--Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili’s comments, which many Georgians see as bowing down to an aggressive Russia, continues to cause anger, outrage and shame in the country. The hashtag #ღარიბაშვილიარგამოხატავსჩემსპოზიციას has gone viral on [...]
Georgia makes it mandatory for schools and kindergartens to display national symbols
TBILISI, DFWatch–Georgia is making it mandatory for all schools and kindergartens to fly the national flag and display the country’s official coat of arms on their buildings. These institutions will also be required to exhibit [...]
New survey points to increasingly positive attitudes in Georgia toward minorities, LGBT+ individuals
(DFWatch) TBILISI, DFWatch – Georgians are increasingly positive about minorities, including LGBT+ people, according to the new survey commissioned by The Council of Europe Office in Georgia, which covers a period between 2018 and 2021. [...]
Georgia slams breakaway Abkhazia’s appeal to UN for observer status
Inal Ardzinba, the de facto Minister of Foreign Affairs of Abkhazia. TBILISI, DFWatch--Georgia has dismissed an appeal by the breakaway region Abkhazia to the United Nations to be given status as an “observer state”. A [...]
Lukashenko says he considers recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia
Alexander Lukashenko. TBILISI, DFWatch--Autocratic leader Alexander Lukashenko said Monday that Belarus might recognize Abkhazia and South Ossetia if President Putin tells him to do so. “As soon as I understand and the President [of the [...]
Former Georgian justice minister Adeishvili beaten in Kyiv
Zurab Adeishvili. TBILISI, DFWatch--Zurab Adeishvili, a former Georgian justice minister who is an adviser to Ukraine's Prosecutor General, was attacked and beaten in Kyiv on Monday. Adeishvili was approached by four men in the street [...]
GD prepares “non-provocative” resolution on Ukraine, doesn’t mention neither Russia nor Putin
Georgia's ruling Georgian Dream, after lengthy deliberations, finally submitted a draft resolution in support of Ukraine to parliament on Wednesday for approval, which immediately drew criticism from the opposition after it was revealed that it [...]
Ex-President Saakashvili says Russia is also planning to attack Georgia, along with Ukraine
Imprisoned former President of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili says that if Russia launches a direct military aggression on Ukraine, it will inevitably invade Georgia and occupy Black Sea ports that are of strategic importance to it. [...]
From Ambassador notes: Tedo Japaridze’s interview with Zuhdi Janbek, a Jordanian general with the Circassian origin
Zuhdi Janbek is a prominent Jordanian statesman, politician and public figure. He held different high-level positions in the Jordanian hierarchy throughout his outstanding career, among them the post of the President of Circassian Charity Association [...]
Europe and Georgia
PACE to discuss dismissing its president in October
PACE President Pedro Agramunt. (Council of Europe.) TBILISI, DFWatch–The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) will discuss a proposal to dismiss its chairperson in early October after a motion was tabled on Friday. The motion to dismiss PACE President Pedro Agramunt was backed by 158 out of the 636 member […]
Opinion
Minorities
New survey points to increasingly positive attitudes in Georgia toward minorities, LGBT+ individuals
(DFWatch) TBILISI, DFWatch – Georgians are increasingly positive about minorities, including LGBT+ people, according to the new survey commissioned by The Council of Europe Office in Georgia, which covers a period between 2018 and 2021. [...]
NGO News
Georgian NGOs express concern over oil spill off Russia’s Black Sea coast
(Photo: Instagram / _svetlana__radionova_) TBILISI, DFWatch--Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum Georgian National Platform, a coalition of more than 200 non-governmental organizations, expresses concern over an oil spill off Russia’s Black [...]
Georgian NGOs condemn Belarusian elections, violence against peaceful demonstrations
A coalition which unites over 180 Georgian NGOs harshly criticizes violence of Belarusian authorities against peaceful citizens in the wake of presidential elections held on August 9, and urges Georgian [...]
Companies related to GD donors receive tens of millions of public funds: Report
GD president Bidzina Ivanishvili (left) and speaker of parliament Archil Talakvadze. (Facebook.) Georgia’s ruling party received almost half of revenues totally got by all parties in 2019, whilst [...]