TBILISI, DFWatch – An investor in an opposition affiliated cable company was yesterday released after five hours of interrogation. U.S. citizen Aleksandr Ronzhes, who is co-owner of Global TV, yesterday was unexpectedly detained at Tbilisi international airport and […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – One of the owners of a cable company that is affiliated with the Georgian opposition was arrested today at Tbilisi international airport. Authorities claim he is involved in money laundering. The opposition billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili indicated that […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The Georgian opposition billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili refuses to pay a USD 90 million fine he was issued for illegal party funding. This could lead to seizure and forced sale of his property. The 149 million lari fine corresponds to 2.1 percent […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – An independent commentator in Georgia suspects there was installed surveillance equipment in his flat. Gia Khukhashvili yesterday told journalists his neighbor from upstairs discovered a listening device and informed him. “I haven’t seen it […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Georgia is protesting against a Russian plan to expel 9 000 Georgians who are illegally in Russia. Georgia calls this the start of another wave of mass violation of human rights. Konstantin Romadonovsky, head of Russia’s immigration service, […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Georgia may restrict Russian observers from attending the parliamentary elections in October. If a new law proposal is passed, any country that wants to send observers must first express its support for Georgia’s sovereignty. Russia has recognized […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – OSCE is to keep an eye on a massive Russian military exercise in the Caucasus planned for September. Eamon Gilmour, OSCE Chairperson-in-Office and Ireland’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, said this during a visit to Georgia. After a […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Georgia’s ombudsman is reporting another case of mistreatment of a prisoners and asks the prosecutor to investigate the cases. The Public Defender writes that his team visited Manuchar Akhvlediani, Irakli Chantralze and Irakli Dundia, who are […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – A new report by the National Statistics Department says that direct foreign investments in the first quarter of 2012 was 55 percent higher than in the same period in 2011. The total amount of direct foreign investments in the first quarter of 2012 […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – A swing was put up in a mountain village in Georgia, but no children are there to use it. Next to the swing in Rkoni village, high up in the cool mountains, two elderly people, Nina Berdzeni and Mariam Chokheli are living alone, each in their own house. A swing to [...]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The party financing audit agency in Georgia is continuing not only going after the opposition, but might also fine the ruling party. Kakha Baratashvili is head of Rustavi city council. Earlier this year, Transparency International Georgia reported […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The main opposition leader in Georgia has been issued a fine of 126 million lari and an additional 22 million lari in a second case. The city court in Tbilisi ruled in favor of the audit agency in the case against Bidzina Ivanishvili, the billionaire who last […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – James Appathurai, NATO Secretary General’s Special Representative for the Caucasus and Central Asia, is visiting Georgia. Apparthurai came in order to take part in “NATO Week”, which he officially opened today, together with Vice Prime Minister […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – A group of experts from the OSCE has arrived in Georgia to study the situation before the election. Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister Nino Kalandadze says the experts, who come from the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), will […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The main opposition movement in Georgia plans to hold another large rally on Sunday, this time in the country’s second largest city Kutaisi. Georgian Dream, which is a coalition set up by Saakashvili’s main competitor, billionaire Bidzina […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The foreign ministers of Georgia, Azerbaijan and Turkey met Friday in Trabzon and signed a declaration about regional cooperation. The three countries were represented by Azerbaijan’s Foreign Affairs Minister Elmar Mammadyarov, Turkey’s Foreign […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – A TV journalist in Georgia was shot at while driving in her car last night. Ia Tinikashvili, reporter for Maestro TV and Interpressnews in the Shida Kartli region, was returning to Gori after finishing a report in the village Akhrisi, fifteen […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – An athlete in Georgia claims that a government minister said he wanted to electrocute him as punishment for joining the opposition. The would-be victim, 2004 Olympic judo champion Zurab Zviadauri, joined the Georgian Dream movement of billionaire […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Lawyers working for a Georgian opposition leader accuse a judge at Tbilisi City Court for being subjective. Lawyers representing Bidzina Ivanishvili, who has been taken to court by the Chamber of Control’s (CoC) financial audit branch, criticize the […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee on June 7 passed a resolution in support of Georgia. The resolution says that the House of Representatives supports strengthening relations between the U.S. and Georgia with a goal of helping the country […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – A court in Tbilisi is to decide whether President Saakashvili’s strongest challenger is a criminal. It’s the Chamber of Control (CoC) that is taking Bidzina Ivanishvili to court. The body, which was given tough new powers last December, accuses the […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Georgia is to change its Election Code so it complies with the recently amended constitution. This means that Saakashvilis main competitor will have the right to participate in elections, and to establish and finance a political party. According to […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – A construction worker was killed as one wing of the new parliament building in Kutaisi collapsed Thursday afternoon. According to eyewitnesses, 22 people were injured, but this is unconfirmed. Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili confirmed that one […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – A new report shows that Georgia is largely as democratic as it has been since and even before the rose revolution in 2003. In Freedom House’s report Nations in Transit 2012, Georgia remains in the category called “transitional government or hybrid […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The days are over when passengers on Tbilisi minibuses could catch the latest political gossip on their way around town. Drivers used to tune in to stations like Utsnobi, Palitra and Maestro, which are independent and often poking fun at the Saakashvili […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Another accident along the highway most visitors to Georgia arrive on left three Georgians slightly injured. The accident happened Tuesday evening as the bus driver lost control while trying to overtake a car. The bus veered off the road and […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Police have arrested a 19 year old man for a hacker attack against two Georgian websites. The suspect is said to have carried out a so-called distributed denial of service (DDOS) attack against the news portals presa.ge and droni.ge. Police have […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The EU Monday launched talks with Georgia about visa-free travel. According to Georgia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Minister Grigol Vashadze had a meeting with Cecilia Malmström, European Commissioner for Home Affairs, in Brussels, […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – During a visit to Georgia, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton promised that it will become easier for people in the breakaway regions to visit the U.S. “We see this as step forward to achieving a peaceful and fair solution to the conflicts in Georgia,” […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Hillary Clinton Tuesday morning kicked off her visit to Georgia by speaking at a conference of the U.S.-Georgia strategic partnership in Batumi. The partnership was established in the wake of the Russo-Georgian war in 2008. During the opening […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is expected to arrive in Georga from Armenia Monday evening as part of a tour of the South Caucasus. Tomorrow Clinton is meeting with President Saakashvili and Prime Minister Nika Gilauri, and later leaders […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The number of visitors to Georgia is increasing. The latest figures from the Interior Ministry show that the number of foreigners who visited Georgia in the first five months of 2012 was half of what it was during all of 2011. 2 822 363 persons […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Georgia’s Interior Ministry is looking into a foreign trace in the search for those responsible for placing a bomb in front of Israel’s Embassy in Tbilisi in February. There are no further details about the investigation. On February 13, police […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Dirk Niebel, Germany’s Federal Minister of Economic Cooperation and Development, will visit Batumi on June 2. The German embassy informs that Niebel is planning to meet with Georgian government representatives. He will also study bilateral projects […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Former employees at Georgia’s education ministry are reporting about harassment and threats after they resigned in protest against the ministry’s decision to fire the head of the National Examinations Center. Almost half the employees at the exam […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – U.S. Senator Richard Durbin says after familiarizing with the situation in Georgia that it was an unfortunate day for him, as he has seen a country split in two. After arriviong yesterday, Durbin had meetings with organizations, as well as the […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Germany is to allocate 75 million euro as grant and soft loan to Georgia. The new aid package was announced after a meeting between Georgian Prime Minister Nika Gilauri and Dirk Niebel, German minister for economic development today. Gilauri says […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The firing of the head of the National Examinations Center is being vigorously discussed in Georgia’s social media. Some claim that authorities are using fake identities to contain the political fallout. Maya Miminoshvili was fired two days ago, two […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – USD 230 million was transferred to Georgia in the first quarter of 2012 as direct investments. Nika Gilauri, Georgia’s Prime Minister this at a government session Wednesday. The figure is based on preliminary data of National Statistics Department, […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – U.S. Senator Richard Durbin, who is visiting Georgia, is studying how the election campaign is being conducted in the country. Durbin arrived on Wednesday and will stady in Georgia for two days. Durbin is the senior senator from Illinois, and was […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Georgia’s Prime Minister Nika Gilauri claims that inflation indicator in May is positive and hopes that it will have positive influence on the country’s economy. Gilauri said this at a government session on Wednesday. He noted that prices have […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – U.S. senator Richard Durbin is visiting Georgia today to discuss regional safety and US-Georgia relations. The visit will last two days. He will meet with President Mikheil Saakashvili, as well as representatives of the opposition and organizations. […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – President Saakashvili has signed a set of constitutional changes which allow his main competitor to participate in parliamentary and presidential elections. The changes will allow a citizen of an EU country, who is born in Georgia and has lived here […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – President Mikheil Saakashvili says his country expects a new attack from Russia by October, when parliament elections are to be held. But he things it will fail. Saakashvili is on a visit to Latvia together with his wife, and made the statement […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Georgia’s opposition leader Bidzina Ivanishvili has gone on the barricades against the Public Broadcaster, saying that it should change their editorial policy. “Lies won’t have such a way out anymore as it has today. They won’t be able to sell […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The police detained eight activists in front of parliament today. The eight were protesting against the arrest of their friends on May 26, near Gelati Monastery, near Kutaisi in western Georgia. The protesters were from three organizations: […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – James Appathurai, NATO Secretary General’s Special Representative for the Caucasus and Central Asia, will arrive in Georgia on June 11. NATO’s information center in Tbilisi told DF Watch on Tuesday that Appathurai is coming to Georgia to plan for […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – A businessman in Georgia who is in prison and said he was framed by the Saakashvili regime has been pardoned by Saakashvili himself. The founder of Georgia’s largest electronics chain was serving an eigth year prison sentence in connection with […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – An employee of the Ministry of Education has been fired and says it might have been because of her son’s political activism. Maya Miminoshvili, who was head of the National Examinations Center says that her son yesterday participated in a rally […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The election of a nationalist as president in Serbia has caused Tbilisi to respond with an appeal for cooperation and to shared cultural bonds. The Serbian parliament may consider formal recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, after the […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The opposition coalition Georgian Dream will start naming their candidates for majoritarian members of parliament from June 1. Leader Bidzina Ivanishvili said Monday that most of the candidates have already been selected, but there are several […]
TBILISI, DFWatch –The U.S. Secretary of State Hilary Clinton will visit Georgia June 5. Clinton starts her South Caucasus tour on June 4 in Armenia. After visiting Georgia, she will leave for Azerbaijan June 6, according to the U.S. embassy in Tbilisi. During the […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Georgia fell one place in the Global Enabling Trade Report 2012. The list is published by the World Economic Forum (weforum.org). It contains 132 countries and ranks them according to how well they perform in market access, border administration […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Four Georgians have been detained after having crossed into the breakaway region South Ossetia. The four were detained on May 21 and 22 after going on a trip to pick staphylea, a plant which is used for common sour dish in Georgia. Shota Utiashvili, […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The first interim report of one of several extraordinary election monitoring teams says that this spring has been marked by numerous cases of political intimidation. The report covers the period between April 1 and May 4 and is written by […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Russia regrets that NATO was unable to make findings regarding the events of August 2008. The Russian Foreign Ministry says Russia accepts with regret NATO’s decision regarding Georgia. “One of these complex issues is the situation in the South […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Georgia once again has postponed placing shares of the state-owned Georgian Railway on London Stock Exchange. The debut should have been on May 24, but the government has again decided to postpone it. Georgian Prime Minister Nika Gilauri said that […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Amnesty International criticizes Georgia for not having investigated police brutality. The Saakashvili regime has renewed the country’s law enforcement personnel since seizing power in 2003, and is touting the reform as a model for other countries. […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – An opposition leader in South Ossetia who refused to acknowledge the last election has been appointed Vice Prime Minister in the breakaway republic. Alla Dzhioyeva boycotted the elections in March and April, but that didn’t stop the winner, […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Another Olympic champion has been added to the list of Georgian sportsmen taking part in the political life of Georgia, as an Olympic judo champion joined Bidzina Ivanishvili’s opposition Georgian Dream movement. After a brief break, the issue of […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – One of President Mikheil Saakashvili’s top officials says he was taken by surprise by an open letter from opposition billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili yesterday, in which he said that he will not make use of a new tailor-made constitutional change […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Journalists in Georgia demand to meet with President Mikheil Saakashvili and ask him about a series of cases of harassment and violation of their rights. The appeal is backed by 24 media units. On May 25, journalists are planning to hold a protest […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The Georgian parliament today passed constitutional changes meant to let opposition billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili participate in the upcoming parliamentary and presidential elections. Ivanishvili, Georgia’s richest, decided to go into politics […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – A small TV station in Georgia has been taken over, in the latest of a series of disputes within media in the country. A few days ago, Davit Zilpimian reported that the property of Pirveli Stereo and Stereo Plus, a TV channel he established, had […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – NATO’s Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen says Georgia will become a member of the alliance sometime. There has been progress in the reforms and NATO will continue to support the country in that regard. Fogh Rasmussen said this at a joint […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – A pro-democracy campaign in Georgia calls on the Saakashvili regime to not stall a negotiated deal intended to secure a more fair election in October. The campaign sent a letter appealing to the president and speaker of parliament to start […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – A former Georgian general who was convicted of treason and lived in Russia was killed Monday in Moscow. Russian media report that Roman Dumbadze was hit by bullets from two attackers passing by on motorcycles near his home. Dumbadze died on the […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Georgia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Nikoloz Vashakidze says he hopes that Switzerland will finish selecting the company which will conduct monitoring of goods passing the Russia-Georgia border. Georgia agreed to accept Russia as a WTO member in November […]
There are several points on Georgia in NATO’s declaration in Chicago published on Monday, 21. DF Watch publishes part of the declaration unchanged: «At the 2008 Bucharest Summit we agreed that Georgia will become a member of NATO and we reaffirm all […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – NATO countries are meeting in Chicago with aspirant countries and countries which participate in the ISAF mission in Afghanistan. The Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili is attending the summit, after having spent several days in the U.S. […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – President Mikheil Saakashvili suggests to bring Georgian doctors currently working in the U.S. back to Georgia. It is unknown how many doctors will accept the proposal. Saakashvili said it while meeting with doctors in the U.S. The leader used the […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – John Bass, U.S. Ambassador to Georgia, says that Hillary Clinton will visit Georgia. In late 2011, it was reported that the US Secretary of State’s was going to visit Georgia, and February was mentioned as a probable date for her arrival. But the […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Georgia’s foreign minister and his Azeri colleague have decided to find a solution to the situation at the Davit Gareja Monastery complex while the two meet at the NATO summit in Chicago May 20 and 21. Georgia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs writes […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Giorgi Targamadze (pictured) is one of the sources for a new report former EU Ambassador to Georgia Per Eklund is writing about the election environment ahead of the parliamentary elections in October. Eklund met with the Christian Democrats parliamentary […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Georgia’s foreign trade turnover in the first four months of 2012 grew 18 percent compared to the same period in 2011. Georgian National Statistics Department, GeoStat, reported on Wednesday that preliminary figures for January-April 2012 show that […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Opposition representatives in Georgia say the flood that took five lives Sunday could have been prevented. The discussion led to a street scuffle between a district governor and an opposition party representative. Besik Gazdeliani, Deputy Governor […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – As Georgia’s capital was drenched in rain water, and a stream flooded a district, killing five, reports went out from the national emergency agency that what caused the disaster was that the river Mtkvari had burst its banks. Mtkvari is the largest […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Lawmakers in Georgia have finally achieved consensus for constitutional changes which will give opposition billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili the right to participate in elections, without being a Georgian citizen. The amendment was originally proposed […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The Saakashvili regime has finally revealed how much it is spending on building a new parliament building: USD 82.5 million. Finance minister Dimitry Gvindadze says the whole process with building a new parliament is completely transparent. […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Georgia has obtained a listing on London Stock Exchange for obligations in Georgian Oil and Gas Corporation. Securities valued USD 250 million were placed on one of the world’s most famous stock exchanges on May 9. According to Kommersant, the lowest […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Prisons in Georgia are to become more crowded, as the maximum limit on number of inmates is raised, and two prisons are closed down. It’s the controversial Minister for Corrections and Legal Assistance, Khatuna Kalmakhelidze, who has ordered the […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Political parties in Georgia need to strengthen their internal democracy. This is the conclusion of a new report by Netherlands Institute for Multiparty Democracy (NIMD). In the report Internal Party Democracy and Local Government NIMD names three […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The Georgian leader Mikheil Saakashvili has a new initiative to turn the whole government into a digital world, where citizens will be able to speak with 3D images of the ministers. Saakashvili says all citizens should have the opportunity to talk […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The newly inaugurated Russian president Vladimir Putin Friday paid a visit to the border between Russia and the disputed region Abkhazia, signing a new treaty about railways. Mr Putin turned up at Psou, a border crossing which Georgia considers […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Demand is growing within the construction business in Georgia. According to the National Statistics Department, GeoStat, the number of permits for constructions and reconstructions has increased by 43.3 per cent in 2011 compared to 2010. The […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Georgia has said it is unable to conduct a general population census in 2012. Georgia’s National Statistics Department, GeoStat, says even though there was expected to be conducted a census this year, it is not feasible. The statement says that […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Swedish TV recently revealed that Teliasonera has opened their doors for an Orwellian level of surveillance in former Soviet countries. A group of lawyers in Georgia now says that indiscriminate wiretapping is illegal. Georgian Young Lawyer’s […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Mikheil Saakashvili did not miss out on another chance to mention his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin while giving a speech in Batumi at an international conference about world tourism. Saakashvili said Putin is a person who signed Georgia’s […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Rivers in Georgia’s Eastern region Kakheti swelled Tuesday after heavy rain and melting snow, but so far there has not been a repeat ot the disaster year 2011. Deputy Governor of the region told Interpressnews that the rivers feeding Alazani, one of […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – A hypothetical city of half a million which still only exists as a Facebook page will be written into the constitution of Georgia. The initiative comes from president Mikheil Saakashvili, who in a televised speech December 4, 2011 said the new city […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The U.S. organization Committee for Open Democracy (COD) is to send log term election observers to monitor the parliamentary election in Georgia in October. “We’ll be focusing on the processes of democracy and people’s confidence in these […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Georgia’s budget is to be increased by 200 million lari by increasing the licensing fees for use of natural resources. Another source for the increase is grants from the EU to finance reforms in different areas, according to Gia Khuroshvili, […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – On the 67th anniversary of VE Day, victory in Europe in World War Two, Vladimir Putin sent his congratulations to the leaders of the countries that are members of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), as well as to the two […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The constitutional changes Georgia recently passed which gives EU citizens the right to stand for election will be restricted to only last for three years. The Christian Democrats party recently suggested constitutional amendments according to […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The Caucasus region experienced two minor earthquakes Monday, the strongest of 5.6 magnitude. The 5.6 magnitude earthquake occurred at 08:40 in the morning with epicenter in the border region between Azerbaijan and Georgia, 17 kilometers from Zagatala, […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The Georgian president claims Russia tried to copy the Georgian police reforms, but could not get them to work. Sunday, Saakashvili marked a recently created national holiday called Police Day, held on the same day as St George’s Day, May 6, […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The crisis in the EU’s dealings with a disputed region that broke away from Georgia and is heavily militarized by Russia continues as neither side is willing to give in. Abkhazia said before the weekend that it is not going to change its position. The […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Georgian Party has broken off relations with Erosi Kitsmarisvhili, a well known politician and former manager of Maestro TV. The party has released a statement saying that for four months, the Georgian party has not had any relations with him, and […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Three national TV channels in Georgia selectively left out parts of a new survey. The survey was done by the International Republican Institute, which is affiliated with the Republican party in the United States and is in Georgia to develop democracy. […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – A spokesperson for the prison minister in Georgia Friday lied about her whereabouts to divert a crowd of protesters who were angry over a dead prisoner. A spokeswoman for prison minister Khatuna Kalmakhelidze, claimed that she was not in Tbilisi, […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Georgia’s Interior Ministry says one person has been arrested for smuggling explosive material to Zugdidi, after crossing the administrative border line with Georgia’s breakaway region Abkhazia. “Explosive material was seized by the Sappers Division […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Georgiy Ramazashvili, a Moscow-based archival researcher, in July 2011 discovered that there was new construction work on a historic cemetery in Moscow where many Georgian royals, nobles and historic persons are buried. After Georgian and Russian media […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The Georgian foreign ministry ignored calls from an activist in Moscow to help stop the destruction of a historic cemetery where royals, nobles and famous persons are buried. All Saints Cemetery contains the graves of Russian and Georgian nobles and […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – A Georgian billionaire’s opposition movement has launched its own TV channel. Channel 9 started broadcasting April 30 and has been given a license by the National Communication Commission to broadcast via satellite. The broadcasting permit is for […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – A new poll shows that no matter who is nominated to suceed Mikheil Saakashvili, his party will win the next Georgian presidential election. A poll by the International Republican Institute shows that Saakashvili’s National Movement party still has […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The Georgian president says that after he has passed away, he wants his ashes to be spread over a holiday resort on the shores of the Black Sea. President Mikheil Saakashvili said this during a visit to Kutaisi, Georgia’s second largest city, where he is to […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The issue about returning management of Monastery of the Cross in Jerusalem to Georgia has no connection with the government of Israel, says Yitzhak Gerber, Israel’s Ambassador to Georgia. On May 1, before an event Sheraton Metekhi Palace Hotel in […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The new parliament building in Georgia will be only partly completed by the time of the opening session on May 26. In 2011, Mikheil Saakashvili announced that he would move parliament to Kutaisi, Georgia’s second biggest city. He also said that […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The American investor Donald Trump praised Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili on the morning talk show Fox & Friends recently, calling him “one of the great leaders of the world”. The billionaire and TV personality had just returned from a trip […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – In first four months of 2012, 61 per cent more people came to Georgia, compared to the same period the previous year. 978 521 person visited Georgia between January and April this year, according to the Interior Ministry. Over three hundred thousand […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – For the first time in more than five years, spring in the Georgian capital will not be marked by crowds demanding the resignation of President Saakashvili. At least the largest opposition party won’t be demanding that he steps down. Georgian Dream doesn’t […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The prime ministers of Georgia and Lithuania today signed a memorandum of understanding. The MoU deals with cooperation within local government between Lithuania’s national assembly, the Seimas’s Committee on State Administration and Local Government […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – A team of election experts from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) will visit Georgia June 11-16. The OSCE’s Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) is sending a mission in connection with Georgia’s […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – A delegation from Lithuania’s Seimas will visit Georgia on Monday. In the morning, the delegation which are members of the Seimas’ Committee on State Administration and Local Government, will participate in a Georgian-Lithuanian forum about local […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The National Bank of Georgia Wednesday decided to lower the main refinancing rate by a quarter point to 6.25%. Lowering the rate now is an indication that the bank has an optimistic view of the country’s economy. In a statement, the bank notes that the […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Georgia and Turkey have still not reached agreement over the exact text of a treaty about protection of historic sites. Deputy foreign minister Nino Kalandadze said Monday that additional sites may be included as the talks progress. The treaty concerns […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – OSCE’s Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights expresses readiness to take part in observing the parliamentary elections in Georgia. Deputy Foreign Minister Nino Kalandadze adds that Georgia is not waiting for an official response […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – An advocacy group of young lawyers says the construction of a new parliament building in western Georgia is so opaque that there could well be corruption without anyone noticing. Georgian Young Lawyer’s Association (GYLA) has researched the […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Georgia’s ambassador to Sweden protests against the portrayal of his country as an Orwellian society where everybody is under surveillance by the secret police. Ambassador Konstantin Kavtaradze sent a letter to SVT, the Swedish public broadcaster, […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – American billionaire Donald Trump has left Georgia, after a two day visit. Trump arrived Saturday in Tbilisi, and Sunday held a press conference in Batumi, where he plans to cooperate with local investors on building a 47-storey residential high rise […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The international trade in weapons which fuels conflicts around the world may be brought under control, if talks in New York in July bear fruit. If successful, the talks will lead to the world’s first Arms Trade Treaty, aimed at preventing weapons from reaching the […]
TBLISI, DFWatch – Georgia’s main opposition party today chose a female lawyer as its temporary leader. As there is less than six months left until the parliamentary elections, billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili today formally established his Georgian Dream party. Due to […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The American billionaire Donald Trump arrived at Tbilisi international airport noon Saturday for a two day visit to Georgia. Meeting him at the airport were Minister for Economic Development Vera Kobalia and head of Silk Road Group Giorgi Ramishvili. […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – It is still unknown who will be the formal leader of the main opposition movement in Georgia, less than six months before the parliamentary elections. But there is little doubt that the real leader will be billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili, who Saturday […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – An organization in Georgia has revealed video footage showing the working conditions of Georgians in Turkey. Merab Ghoghoberidze, head of Information Center for Georgia’s Fight against Corruption in Batumi, told Interpressnews that Georgians contacted […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili’s administration is accused of bribing voters, after several closed meetings with the population in different cities in Georgia, Maestro TV reports. The meetings were held to introduce the ruling National […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Russia’s foreign minister Sergey Lavrov says it causes confusion and apprehension for his country that Georgia continues to be a candidate for NATO membership. Lavrov said this after a meeting of the NATO-Russia Council Thursday. “Now, NATO […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Property close to the occupied territories of Georgia are to be exempted from property tax. The government proposes to amend the tax code so that land which is owned by a person or property lands that are located near the occupied territories, […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Family violence may become a crime in Georgia. Systematic physical, psychological violence or force by one family member against another, which causes physical, psychological or moral pain or suffering for the victim, will be punished by a fine or […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – South Ossetia Thursday inaugurated its newly elected de facto president, former local KGB head Leonid Tibilov. The second round of president elections in the Georgian breakaway region was held on April 8. Tibilov competed against David Sanakoyev, […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The pressure group Georgian Young Lawyer’s Association says supporters of the opposition Georgian Dream coalition are regularly subject to pressure in the eastern Kakheti region of Georgia. Spokesperson for GYLA’s Kakheti office told Interpressnews […]
The U.S. has been subject to criticism for several covert projects which some claim are in breach of the ban on biological weapons. But there is no reason to suspect that such research would be done at this laboratory in Tbilisi. TBILISI, DFWatch – A new U.S. financed biological laboratory opened in March 2011 near Tbilisi. It will have American military researchers working there. Is it a problem? According to the website of the Central Public Health Reference Laboratory, it “will belong to an international […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Another suspect in the attack on de facto Abkhazian president is reported to have committed suicide. Ria Novosti reports that Temur Khutaba hanged himself. He was one of the men suspected in the failed assassination attempt on Alexander Ankvab on […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – A former Interior minister suspected of participating in the attack on the de facto president of Abkhazia on February 22, committed suicide on Tuesday. Abkhazian news agency Apsnypress reports that operational units of the co-called Interior Ministry […]
The Roki tunnel is closing. (Photo: Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch – The tunnel carrying the only road connecting Russia and Georgia’s breakaway region South Ossetia will be partly closed for the next three years, starting April 24, Russian media reports. The Roki tunnel runs through the greater Caucasus mountain range […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Germany’s Minister of State under Foreign Minister Cornelia Pieper visits Georgia. Announcing the visit Tuesday, Georgian Deputy Foreign Minister Nino Kalandadze said that Pieper will arrive today on April 17 and have meetings here April 18 and 19. […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – That Hillary Clinton is coming to Georgia is now certain, as the two countries have completed agreeing on formalities around the visit. But the exact date for the U.S. Secretary of State’s trip still has to be decided, says Nino Kalandadze, Deputy […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Georgia has no detailed information about the three Turkish citizens who were arrested for smuggling radioactive material to Turkey. The three had driven by car from Russia, transiting through Georgia, and were arrested on April 11, carrying […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The fifth meeting of the working group on democracy within the U.S.-Georgia Strategic Partnership Charter was held on April 16 in Washington. The Georgian Foreign Affairs Ministry informs that parties discussed ongoing and already implemented […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Russia considers Georgia’s decision to terminate its obligations under the Open Skies treaty with respect to Russia a flagrant violation of the treaty. “The Treaty does not provide any discriminatory restrictions on the rights of any state party. […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The Azerbaijani government warns its citizens about visiting Georgia’s occupied territories. The warning is more matter-of-fact than a previous warning from the Kremlin to Russians who might be tempted to go to Georgia after a visa is no longer needed […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The Georgian Foreign Minister met his Slovakian colleague on Thursday during a visit to Bratislava. The ministers discussed bilateral and multilateral cooperation, including important issues for both countries ahead of the NATO summit in Chicago […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Russia warns its citizens of going to Georgia, while Georgia responds that the dangers are made up. Russian travel advice for those of its citizens who plan to vacation in Georgia is not the usual notes about vaccines and visas; it warns that […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The de facto authorities in Abkhazia yesterday detained six suspects in the case about the assassination attempt on the president in February. On February 22, Alexander Ankvab’s car was fired on with machine guns and a […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – A comment by the EU’s Ambassador to Georgia was interpreted as casting doubt on claims by the opposition Georgian Dream bloc about the government secretly building a paramilitary force. But now Georgian Dream blames a Georgian […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The media regulatory body in Georgia Thursday said a cable station was trying to politicize the situation in order to divert attention from its own violations. The body has fined Trialeti TV 5 000 lari (about USD 3 000) for broadcasting on a […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – A group in Georgia asks the media regulatory body to stop putting pressure on independent media outlets in the country. The alliance behind the appeal is called Solidarity for Freedom of Media and was formed in early February in the wake of the takeover of […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Georgia’s Constitutional Court made a decision in favor of canceling the requirement of a license for cable broadcasting. But a license is still needed for satellite broadcasting. The court partly satisfied an appeal by the Public Defender, who […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Frank Wisner, former US Ambassador to the UN, who last year negotiated with Hosni Mubarak to defuse the Egyptian crisis, is in Georgia to hold meetings. Wisner arrived on invitation of Bidzina Ivanishvili, the Georgian president’s main political […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Georgia’s richest is not going to apply to the president for double citizenship. Bidzina Ivanishvili’s citizenship issue is still unresolved. Six months has passed since the president revoked it, which happened four days after the businessman released […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The U.S. Department of Defense has brought 28 mine-resistant ambush-protected vehicles (MRAP) to Georgia to train Georgian troops. The U.S. embassy in Tbilisi released a statement saying that the vehicles will be transfered from the […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The newly elected leader of South Ossetia, a former local KGB head, promises to continue the course of closer relations with Russia, on a course towards uniting South and North Ossetia. South Ossetia, or the Tskhinvali region, which was occupied […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – A bust of Poland’s late president Lech Kaczynski was opened Tuesday here in Tbilisi. The square where it is located is near the street named after him by Tbilisi City Council to honor him after his tragic death two years ago. Zaal Samadashvili, […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili Monday defended a new network of voluntary reservists which the main opposition bloc has warned are paramilitaries meant for starting a civil war. Saakashvili, speaking at an event to mark 23 years since […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – About 30 000 Russians have entered Georgia since visa restrictions were lifted February 28. This is seventy per cent higher than the same period last year. Before President Mikheil Saakashvili the liberalized visa rules for Russians, there was visa […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Speaking on April 9, officially known as The Day of National Unity, President Mikheil Saakashvili warned against his country’s enemy within. Addressing soldiers in the yard of the parliament building on the important public holiday dedicated to unity, […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – President Mikheil Saakashvili announced the test flight in a speech April 9. The date is symbolically significant as a peaceful demonstration for independence was attacked by Soviet troops here in Tbilisi in 1989. Saakashvili made reference to […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – April 9 is 21 year anniversary for the restoration of Georgia’s independence and 23 years since the Soviet Union used soldiers to disperse a peaceful protest in Tbilisi. Georgian society, government and opposition remembered this day on Rustaveli […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Russia’s chief sanitary inspector is concerned about the deployment of U.S. military laboratories at former Soviet medical institutions in Ukraine and Georgia. According to NEWSru, a Russian news website owned by Gazprom, Gennady Onishchenko […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The museum dedicated to Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin in his hometown of Gori in Georgia will change name to the Museum of Stalinism. The Ministry of Culture is behind the idea that the museum will offer visitors a historical account of stalinism, […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – In South Ossetia, the opposition leader Alla Dzhioyeva has decided to set up a new political party. April 7, an organizing committee for the new party called ‘Iriston – Freedom Square’ met at Dzhioyeva’s headquarters, Ekho Kavkaza reports. “We […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – A former local head of the KGB in South Ossetia has won the presidential elections in the breakaway region. Leonid Tibilov received about 55 percent of the votes beating competitor David Sanakoyev, presidential human rights commissioner. The […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – More than 13 percent of voters in Georgia’s breakaway region South Ossetia had cast their vote in the presidential election by 10:00 in the morning. The Central Election Commission of the region says this is a higher turnout than in the first […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The de facto republic South Ossetia tomorrow holds the second round of its second presidential elections. The first election was held in November 2011. The Kremlin favorite and an opposition leader got through to the second round, in which the […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The Public Defender in Georgia believes the time has come to reduce the number of prisoners in the country. The ombudsperson said this at a joint session of parliamentary committees to discuss his report about the human rights situation last year. […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Georgian non-governmental organizations call on Georgian politicians to stop making xenophobic statements and ask the media not to spread such comments. “The authors of such statements probably try to play on ethnic and religious feelings […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Georgia’s Foreign Ministry today invited international organizations to send a long-term observation mission ‘immediately’ ahead of the parliamentary elections in October. Normally, long-term observers would arrive about six weeks before the election, […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Georgia’s breakaway region South Ossetia makes Russian its second state language. The region’s elected assembly adopted a constitutional law called “On State Language of the Republic of South Ossetia”, which obliges the de facto state’s bodies […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Georgia will no longer let Russia conduct observation flights over its territory, and has suspended its obligations under a post-Cold War treaty which provide countries with mutual openness in each other’s military activities. The Georgian Foreign […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The de facto parliament of Georgia’s breakaway republic Abkhazia has elected a Speaker of Parliament. The first session of the new breakaway Abkhazian parliament was held yesterday, April 3. Valery Bganba was elected as new Speaker of Parliament. […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The U.S. Ambassador to Georgia, John Bass, says there is a deficit of curiosity and questioning among Georgian journalists. He said this in Batumi while meeting with the media. Bass says he sometimes is surprised by the lack of curiosity among […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Finland’s Foreign Minister is on a working visit to Georgia within the frames of a tour of the region. Erkki Tuomioja arrived in Georgia on April 3, the 20 year anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Finland and […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Georgia’s foreign minister Grigol Vashadze says he too is concerned about a major military exercise Russia is planning to hold right before Georgia’s parliamentary election in October. Russia’s exercise “Kavkaz 2012” will for the first time take place […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The Georgian president calls on the international community to send ultra long-term election observers to his country before the parliamentary elections in October. Rights groups and part of the opposition have been appealing to the world to send […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – NATO once again underlines that the decision that Georgia will become member of Alliance stands firm. Anders Fogh Rasmussen, NATO Secretary General, said this today during a press conference with Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili at the […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – A top Georgian security official warns that there could be another war with Russia. Russia and Georgia fought a brief war in August 2008 over two breakaway republics. Now the secretary of Georgia’s National Security Council warns that an […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The number of visitors to Georgia in the first quarter of 2012 was 680 000. This is a 40 per cent increase compared to the same period last year. The new statistics were released by the Interior Ministry on April 2 and is based on data from custom’s […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The second of two Georgians has been saved from execution for drug crimes in Malaysia. Babutsa Gordadze had her death sentence changed into eight years in jail. She has already served two years in a Malaysian jail. Earlier, Darejan Kokhtashvili, […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The Georgian president will participate at the session of the NATO Georgia commission on April 3 in Brussels. According to the president’s administration, Mikheil Saakashvili will meet NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen, and the two will […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – A Russian mobile operator in Georgia portrays Georgia’s breakaway region Abkhazia as an independent country on its website. It’s Beeline, which is owned by the Russian mobile company VimpelCom, which now suggests to readers of its website […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Bulgaria expresses its full support for Georgia’s integration process towards NATO and the EU. Boyko Borisov, Bulgarian Prime Minister, said this Sunday during a meeting with Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili. Specifically Borisov said his […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Three thousand locals massed in Batumi Saturday to protest the planned construction of a mosque honoring the historic Turkish leader Aziz. The decision to construct the mosque is part of an agreement reached by authorities in Tbilisi and the Turkish […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Georgian authorities have succeeded in saving one of their citizens from being executed for drug crimes in Malaysia. The news comes in a statement released by Georgia’s Prosecutor General’s office. It says a Malaysian court has overturned Darejan […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – A new poll by the National Democratic Institute (NDI) shows the opposition Georgian Dream led by Bidzina Ivanishvili reduced to only 10%. Mikhail Saakashvili’s National Movement party receives 47%. NDI has been in hot waters locally over the poll, […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The U.S. Embassy to Georgia has expressed its confidence in surveys done by the National Democratic Institute and the International Republican Institute and says the polls are conducted professionally and are based on legitimate methodology. The […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – After the 19th round of the Geneva talks, Georgia hopes that Moscow, like Tbilisi, will commit to a non-use of force pledge; but such a pledge does not seem to be forthcoming. Regular talks have been held in Geneva since the Russia-Georgia war in August […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The Georgian parliament asks the international community to react to intentional destruction of historical monuments on the territory of Georgia’s breakaway region Abkhazia. The Georgian legislative body calls for the international community to […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The Georgian Public Defender gives priority to the problems of internally displaced persons (IDPs). Giorgi Tughushi presented his annual report on human rights in Georgia, which in details describes problems faced in different areas, like the prison […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – A new opinion poll in Georgia surprisingly showed that a new opposition movement has little support. Was it a sensational, true, finding, or did the pollster “cook” the survey? The election campaign is well underway in Georgia, and apart from the ground rules […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Georgia’s Deputy Justice Minister says there will be a decision in about a week regarding the businessman who had his citizenship revoked. Bidzina Ivanishvili is considered to be Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili’s main competitor, but his […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – A Georgian billionaire who is considered the main competitor of the government yesterday met EU officials and discussed the election campaign in the country. The press office of Bidzina Ivanishvili’s political coalition Georgian Dream reports the […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – From now on it will be possible to be elected to parliament from the age of 21. Before, the age limit was 25 years. The Constitution of Georgia sets a lower age limit for being elected to parliament, so appropriate changes are to be made to the constitution. […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Georgia has changed its laws so that parliament can meet in the new parliament building in Kutaisi already from May 1. During a transition period, Georgia’s parliamentarians may gather at either the new building or in the old building in Tbilisi. […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – A little known clause in Georgia’s election law may allow the authorities to block most foreign election observers, only allowing two observers from each organization. This includes the OSCE and the EU. A newly established movement called League of Voters […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The Georgian Public Defender on Thursday presented his annual report on human rights in the country. Among the most important problems is conditions in the prison and penitentiary system in Georgia, where human rights are often violated, according to […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The International Monetary Fund will support the Georgian government’s economic and finance program of 2012-2013 with USD 387 000 000. Edward Gardner, IMF Senior Resident Representative in Georgia, said on Wednesday that an agreement has been achieved […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – A delegation from the Georgian parliament is going to Uganda to take part in the 126th Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union. The visit will last from March 31 to April 5 in the city of Kampala. Meetings will be held with delegations of different […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Editor in Chief of the Georgian edition of Forbes blames the magazine’s owner of censorship, after an interview with the billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili, who is trying to wrest power from President Saakashvili. At a press conference March 27, Revaz […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – In Georgia, there have been demonstrations throughout March against what is seen as violations of women’s rights. The national TV channel Imedi started a show called ‘Women’s Logic’. The concept is that three two-member groups of men are invited […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Georgia’s foreign trade turnover increased by 15 percent compared to the same period last year. Germany moved from fifth to third place among the ten largest trade partners. Georgian National Statistics Department, GeoStat, published this information […]
