Georgian PM congratulates Poland’s president-elect Karol Nawrocki
PM Irakli Kobakhidze. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch--Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze has congratulated Karol Nawrocki on his victory in Poland’s presidential election. In a message posted on X, Kobakhidze extended his “heartfelt congratulations” and wished Nawrocki success in advancing Poland’s development and prosperity. The Prime Minister reaffirmed Georgia’s commitment to bilateral ties, stating the country stands ready to deepen cooperation “across all areas of mutual interest.” [...]
Georgia indicts five in major drug trafficking case
(pog.gov.ge) TBILISI, DFWatch--Georgia’s Prosecutor’s Office has charged five individuals with illegal possession and distribution of large and especially large quantities of narcotics, including heroin, cocaine, buprenorphine, and alpha-PVP. The charges follow a Ministry of Internal [...]
News
Georgia’s opposition divided over local elections boycott
Levan Khabeishvili, head of UNM’s political council. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch--The "Stay Home" campaign, spearheaded by Levan Khabeishvili, chairman of the United National Movement’s (UNM) political council, aims to delegitimize the vote by urging voters not [...]
Georgia’s ‘foreign agents law 2.0’ comes into force
U.S. Senator Steve Daines meeting Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze just as the controversial law takes effect. (gov.ge) TBILISI, DFWatch--Georgia's new 'FARA' law took effect on May 31, requiring organizations, media outlets and individuals to register [...]
Georgia will not compromise its sovereignty in pursuit of EU integration, PM Kobakhidze says at CPAC Hungary
(Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DWWatch--Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze said this in a speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Budapest, which gathered traditionalist and right-wing leaders across the world. In his speech, Kobakhidze delivered [...]
Georgia’s ruling party continues to deliver on poverty reduction
(Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch--Georgia’s official statistics agency has reported a continued decline in poverty, with the national absolute poverty rate dropping to 9.4% in 2024, down from 11.8% in 2023. The improvements span every demographic. Child [...]
Ivanishvili rejects U.S. ambassador’s invitation, citing ‘personal blackmail’
(Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch-–Bidzina Ivanishvili, founder and honorary chairman of Georgia's ruling Georgian Dream party, has declined a meeting with U.S. Ambassador Robin Dunnigan, explaining that he would not be free to represent the country's interests [...]
EU launches new initiative to counter Russia in the Black Sea region
TBILISI, DFWatch-–The European Commission today announced its new Black Sea Strategy. The plan envisages enhanced cooperation among littoral states, including members Romania and Bulgaria, and non-members Georgia, Ukraine and Moldova. The initiative pledges €1.7 billion [...]
Georgia’s embattled ruling party celebrates after receiving letter from President Trump on Independence Day
TBILISI, DFWatch--Georgian Dream (GD) hailed a congratulatory letter from U.S. President Donald Trump to President Mikheil Kavelashvili, interpreting it as the definitibve answer to which side of the political divide he supports after months of [...]
Georgia’s checks on Armenian cognac trucks trigger speculation that ‘geopolitical shifts’ are at play
(Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch--Frustration is mounting among Armenian alcoholic beverage exporters as their trucks carrying cognac and spirits are being stopped and checked while transiting Georgia en route to Russia, prompting diplomatic exchanges between Yerevan and [...]
Georgia’s Independence Day celebrations pass without incident
(Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch--Despite deepening polarization, this year’s Independence Day celebrations in Tbilisi passed without major disruptions. Commentators credited careful planning and the physical separation of events with avoiding incidents, as the country remains engulfed in [...]
Georgia: How to Be Rational and Coherent in That Disbalanced World? – A Conversation with Professor Neil Macfarlane
Tedo Japaridze I acquainted with Neil Macfarlane since the last century: it was 1990 when we met each other for the first time at some round table held by the Georgian MFA to discuss the [...]
Europe and Georgia
Georgia will not compromise its sovereignty in pursuit of EU integration, PM Kobakhidze says at CPAC Hungary
(Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DWWatch--Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze said this in a speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Budapest, which gathered traditionalist and right-wing [...]
Minorities
Georgian Dream is preparing a bill against “ideology of pseudo-liberals” and “wilful propaganda of non-traditional lifestyle”
TBILISI, DFWatch--Georgian Dream is in the process of preparing a legislative initiative to "protect society from pseudo-liberal ideology" and its inevitable harmful consequences." The country may face such a situation when "we will be asked [...]
NGO News
Georgian NGOs, media snub foreign agent law, suspend cooperation with government
Tbilisi, DFWatch-Over a hundred non-governmental and media organizations declare their open disobedience to the foreign influence draft law initiated by the Georgian authorities and suspend all cooperation with the government [...]
GD and far-right Conservative Movement lead: TI report on party donations
The Conservative Movement, a far-right pro-Russian political party notorious for violence against LGBTQ activists and journalists, was second only to the ruling Georgian Dream in the last quarter of 2022 [...]
Civic groups in Georgia campaign to help Ukrainian refugees left out in the street
(Razom.ge) Georgian civic groups and activists have launched a fundraising campaign to provide temporary housing for Ukrainian refugees who were left out in the street after the end of state [...]