Saturday, December 6, 2025

State to control imports and sales of psychotropic drugs

TBILISI, October 1 – Starting October 1, Georgia has placed the wholesale distribution of psychotropic medicines and other pharmaceuticals under direct state control. According to the Ministry of Internally Displaced Persons, Labour, Health and Social Affairs, the change means only the state will be allowed to import and distribute medications subject to special regulation, including … Read more

Russia launches electronic queue system at Georgia border

TBILISI, October 1 – Starting today, Russian customs has introduced a new booking system for trucks crossing the Upper Lars checkpoint on the Georgia–Russia border. The system requires truck drivers to reserve a specific date and time before arriving at the terminal. Reservations can be made through the state electronic documentation portal, and the process … Read more

Georgian lawyers group launches second court fight over grants law

TBILISI, October 1 – Georgia’s Young Lawyers’ Association (GYLA), one of the country’s most prominent civil society groups, has filed a new complaint with the Constitutional Court against the recently adopted “Law on Grants.” The organization said it is challenging Article 61 of the law, which in September gave the Anti-Corruption Bureau broad authority to … Read more

Italy leads EU demand for Georgian hazelnuts

TBILISI, October 1 – Georgia exported 2,900 tons of hazelnuts worth 24.7 million US dollars between August 1 and September 28 this year. Compared to the same period in 2024, the export value jumped by 36 percent, or 6.6 million dollars. The average export price for this one of the country’s most important export articles … Read more

Georgia’s PM heads to Copenhagen for European summit

TBILISI, October 1 – Georgia’s prime minister is planning to attend the European Political Community summit in Copenhagen tomorrow, officials in Tbilisi confirmed. Levan Jorjoliani, head of the government administration, said the Georgian leader will speak during a roundtable session focused on Europe’s economic challenges. He is expected to highlight both the continent’s current difficulties … Read more

Ruling party founder warns of radicals ahead of Georgia vote

TBILISI, October 1 – Bidzina Ivanishvili, honorary chairman of Georgia’s ruling Georgian Dream party, marked the anniversary of the party’s 2012 election victory with a lengthy statement on October 1, describing it as a defining moment in the country’s modern history. Ivanishvili said October 1, 2012, when Georgian Dream defeated then-president Mikheil Saakashvili’s United National … Read more

Georgia’s central bank chief takes leading role in Swift

TBILISI, September 30 – Georgia’s central bank president Natia Turnava has stepped into the global spotlight at Swift’s flagship Sibos conference, in a push to integrate more deeply with Western-led financial networks, seeming to counter criticism abroad that describes Georgia’s ruling party as drifting closer to Moscow. Since Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, Swift has … Read more

World experts in Tbilisi push for stronger data to fight violence against women

TBILISI, September 30 – Tbilisi became the stage for a global debate on how to measure and fight inequality when top UN-backed experts on gender statistics gathered in Georgia’s capital this week. The 19th session of the Inter-Agency and Expert Group on Gender Statistics (IAEG-GS), coordinated by the United Nations Statistics Division, drew specialists from … Read more

Giant landslide swallows Georgian villages, forces evacuation

TBILISI, September 30 – Two villages in western Georgia’s Kharagauli municipality have been abandoned after a massive landslide worsened, swallowing farmland and edging toward rivers and roads. Residents of Khvemaghali and Ghverki have already left their homes as cracks widened across hillsides in recent weeks. Locals say the disaster struck quickly. Some point to tectonic … Read more

Czech Republic sanctions Georgian officials over protest violence

TBILISI, September 30 – The Czech government has added five Georgian officials to its national sanctions list, citing their role in violent crackdowns on protests in Tbilisi. According to Czech media, those targeted include Deputy Interior Minister Aleksandre Darakhvelidze, who the Czech Foreign Ministry said publicly defended the use of force against demonstrators. Also sanctioned … Read more