DFWatch staff 
TBILISI, October 21 – Georgia’s ruling party accuses the European Union of using visa-free travel as a “blackmail” tactic, while Brussels warned that parts of Georgia’s population could lose visa privileges amid concerns over democracy and rule of law. At the meeting on October 20 in Luxembourg, EU foreign ministers indicated that new regulations coming … Read more
TBILISI, October 20 – Georgia’s textile and garment industry is facing its toughest year in over a decade as rising costs, a shrinking workforce, and waning export orders threaten the survival of dozens of manufacturers, Rezonansi reports. Factory owners say a growing shortage of skilled workers and falling demand from foreign buyers have pushed many … Read more
TBILISI, October 20 – A new freight train service launched on October 15 shows the growing importance of the Middle Corridor transport route, linking China and Europe, via Central Asia and the South Caucasus. The route begins in Kashgar, China, and passes through Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan before entering Azerbaijan en route to the Caspian … Read more
TBILISI, October 20 – Dozens of students rallied outside Georgia’s Ministry of Education in Tbilisi on Monday, protesting a government plan to overhaul the country’s higher education system. The demonstration was organized by the student movement at Ilia State University, which last week issued a public statement denouncing the reform package announced by Prime Minister … Read more
TBILISI, October 20 – Georgia’s locally produced exports, excluding re-exports, hit USD 2.35 billion in the first nine months of 2025, up 7.5 percent year on year, according to new data released Monday by the National Statistics Office (GeoStat). The strongest rebound came in September, when export values jumped 44 percent compared with the same … Read more
TBILISI, October 20 – Georgia’s foreign trade is quietly setting new records. From January through September, the country traded goods worth USD 18.5 billion, a 9 percent rise from last year, according to fresh data from the National Statistics Office (GeoStat) released Monday. The growth was powered by exports of USD 5.15 billion, up 7.7 … Read more
TBILISI, October 20 – Abkhazia has started shipping its new tangerine crop to Russia, marking the opening of this year’s citrus export season, according to Marina Zhupanova, spokesperson for the Sochi customs office, who spoke to Interfax on Monday. Zhupanova said that the “tangerine season has opened on the Russia–Abkhazia border,” and that the first … Read more
TBILISI, October 20 – The opposition party For Georgia (“sakartvelostvis”) said on Monday it will end its year-long boycott of the legislature, switching sides among a deeply divided opposition. With party founder Giorgi Gakharia currently in exile, the dramatic switchover was announced at a press briefing by a deputy leader, Giorgi Sharashidze, and means the … Read more
TBILISI, October 20 – Georgia’s government has rolled out a sweeping plan to remodel universities, with fewer duplicate faculties, bigger paychecks for top professors, a shorter degree path, and a new campus map that puts Kutaisi alongside Tbilisi as an education hub. The proposals, presented late last week, triggered instant pushback from opposition figures, academics, … Read more
TBILISI, October 19 – Georgia’s Finance Minister Lasha Khutsishvili told an international gathering of finance officials on Sunday that the country has managed to sustain solid economic growth despite global geopolitical turbulence, positioning itself as a reliable bridge between East and West. Speaking at a joint meeting of finance ministers and central bank governors from … Read more