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
TBILISI, September 29 – Moldova’s pro-European ruling party has emerged as the frontrunner in the country’s parliamentary elections, according to near-final results released by the Central Election Commission. With 99.78% of ballots counted, the Action and Solidarity Party (PAS) secured 50.14% of the vote, placing it just over the threshold for an outright majority in … Read more
TBILISI, September 25 – Two party tops in the former ruling UNM demand that the European Union must only slap visa sanctions on their country’s political leaders, not its people. This is the message chair Tina Bokuchava and deputy chair Levan Sanikidze brought with them as they toured the famously noisy European Parliament as well … Read more
TBILISI, September 22 – Lithuania’s foreign minister says the European Union must move quickly to launch a backup plan that would allow accession talks with Ukraine to begin, even as Hungary continues to block the process. Speaking to the Ukrainian outlet European Pravda, Kęstutis Budrys said he believes there is indeed a way to speed … Read more
TBILISI, September 15 – Two weeks after a deadline expired, Georgia is still waiting for answers from Brussels on whether its citizens will keep the right to travel visa-free to the European Union’s Schengen Area. Now, the European Commission’s silence is beginning to get on the nerves of officials, analysts, and the general public in … Read more
TBILISI, August 29 – Georgia’s opposition the United National Movement (UNM) party is looking to Moldova for lessons on how to reclaim political power and reset the country’s path toward Europe. This week in Chisinau, UNM chair Tina Bokuchava met with Moldovan President Maia Sandu and Foreign Minister Mihai Popșoi, sampling advice on how to … Read more
TBILISI, August 25 – In Georgia’s capital, activists marked Ukraine’s Independence Day by marching through Tbilisi’s central Rustaveli Avenue with a giant Ukrainian flag. The event began at the statue of Ukrainian poet Taras Shevchenko before participants moved toward parliament, carrying both Georgian and Ukrainian flags. The march was a show of solidarity between the … Read more
TBILISI, August 24 – Georgia’s ruling party says it does not expect the European Union to suspend the country’s visa-free travel, but admits September could bring announcements from Brussels that stir public anger. The European Commission has set August 31 as a deadline for Georgia to comply with eight reform demands, ranging from judicial independence … Read more
TBILISI, August 15 – A pro-government movement in Georgia has urged the ruling Georgian Dream party to stage a referendum on EU membership alongside the 4 October local elections. The call, from United Neutral Georgia, frames the vote as a way for citizens to weigh in on one of the country’s most consequential foreign policy … Read more
TBILISI, August 8 – Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze Friday slammed what he calls Europe’s “destructive ideology” around gender and identity, defending his government’s recently introduced law on family values and the protection of minors. Speaking to reporters, Kobakhidze described Europe’s current direction as a “complete catastrophe” and said Georgia must shield itself from trends that, … Read more