TBILISI, December 18 – Georgia’s government is negotiating with the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) over new financing for the country’s logistics and railway sector. On December 17, Economy Minister Mariam Kvrivishvili and Finance Minister Lasha Khutsishvili met in Tbilisi with World Bank South Caucasus Regional Director Rolande Pryce and Anders Pettersson, … Read more
TBILISI, December 18 – Protests resumed Wednesday evening on Rustaveli Avenue in central Tbilisi, despite verbal warnings by police the day before to adhere to new, stricter rules for public assemblies. The rally marked the 385th consecutive day of protest near parliament, with demonstrators again demanding new parliamentary elections and the release of people detained … Read more
TBILISI, December 17 – Georgia’s ruling party has sharply rejected a new European Union document that says the country’s accession process has effectively stalled. Opposition figures argue the assessment reflects political reality on the ground. The conclusions were adopted on December 16 after a meeting of the EU Council on enlargement, chaired by Denmark. The … Read more
TBILISI, December 16 – Georgia’s parliament has voted to extend the operation of a duty free shop located outside the country’s border zone, keeping it open until January 1, 2028. Non-border duty free outlets were supposed to phased out on January 1, 2026, but lawmakers approved the extension as part of amendments to the Customs … Read more
TBILISI, December 16 – Lawmakers in Georgia are clashing over whether to open a special investigative commission to review how police handled mass protests last year, including what was put in water cannons used to disperse crowds. The push is coming from the For Georgia faction of former prime minister Giorgi Gakharia. The faction has … Read more
TBILISI, December 16 – Heavy transport vehicles are queueing at the Upper Lars border crossing between Georgia and Russia, with long lines of trucks reportedly standing put on the North Ossetian side. According to figures cited by the Russian business daily Kommersant, around 2,500 heavy trucks are currently waiting to cross the border. Of those, … Read more
TBILISI, December 15 – Georgia’s Orthodox Church has suspended the rights of Father Dorote, a well-known cleric, to conduct priestly services. The decision quickly drew cricism from former president Salome Zourabichvili. The Patriarchate’s public relations service said Monday that Dorote, a cleric at Tbilisi’s Holy Trinity Cathedral, has been stripped of the right to perform … Read more
TBILISI, December 15 – A lawmaker from the party For Georgia has dismissed a legal challenge at the Constitutional Court filed by the larger opposition party United National Movement (UNM) as a mere political maneuver. Vika Pilpani, an MP from the party founded by former prime minister Giorgi Gakharia, spoke on Monday about UNM’s decision … Read more
TBILISI, December 13 – A major new UAE-linked project is proof that international investors regard Georgia as a stable and safe country to place their money in, according to Economy Minister Mariam Kvrivishvili. Eagle Hills is a “real Georgian project” and will be implemented under national legislation and existing regulations, she said Friday, rejecting scaremongering … Read more
TBILISI, December 12 – Georgia’s parliament speaker blasted non-governmental organizations on Friday, describing the NGO system as a harmful export from the West to Eastern Europe’s fledgling democracies. Speaking on Friday, Shalva Papuashvili said the NGO model imposed on developing countries represents what he called “the greatest evil” created by the West in post-Soviet democracies. … Read more