TBILISI, DFWatch – During a speech at Georgetown University in Washington, Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili said that his first presidential salary was 40 dollars and the state treasury was completely empty when he came to government in what is called the
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A monk's mysterious disappearance in Abkhazia
TBILISI, DFWatch – The de facto head of the Abkhazian church Besarion Aplia confirms that a Georgian cleric was arrested in Abkhazia a few days ago.
Aplia says the Georgian cleric didn’t have his documents in order. Georgia discussed this issue on Tuesday during a regular
Saakashvili says rose revolution can not be turned back
TBILISI, DFWatch – The Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili says the changes his country has been through can not be undone by himself nor anyone else.
He was speaking at the US Institute of Peace on invitation from the Atlantic Council, a Washington-based
Russia-Georgia border hit by bad weather
TBILISI, DFWatch – Snowfall and strong winds are making trouble for people all over Georgia. More than 72 000 were without electricity Thursday morning. The biggest distributor, Energo-Pro, said they had brought down the number of customers without power from 64 000 to around 49 000 by early afternoon. Motorists are heavily affected. Sections of … Read more
Want new rules for media watchdog
TBILISI, DFWatch – A civil rights group in Georgia wants a new set of rules to ensure that the country’s media watchdog becomes more independent. Georgian Young Lawyer’s Association (GYLA) last year criticized the present chair of the communications regulatory commission, Irakli Chikovani, for having a conflict of interest. In a study GYLA found that … Read more
Obama-Saakashvili debriefing with Tom de Waal
TBILISI, DFWatch – We asked Caucasus expert Tom de Waal a few questions following Monday’s meeting between U.S. president Barack Obama and Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili in Washington. de Waal is a journalist and writer, previously Caucasus editor of Institute for War and Peace Reporting, and now senior associate at the Carnegie Endowment for International … Read more
Pressured Georgian media reaffirm defense group
TBILISI, DFWatch – Media workers in the former Soviet republic of Georgia met Wednesday to reaffirm their mutual pledge to support eachother in case of harassment from authorities. “The main goal is to fight against illegal actions, protecting each other and solidarity when the media is in trouble,” says Mamuka Glonti, who took the initiative … Read more
Saakashvili's account of Obama meeting challenged
TBILISI, DFWatch – The Georgian president says the results of his meeting with U.S. president Barack Obama exceeded his expectations. President Mikheil Saakashvili said the issues he discussed with Obama at the White House Monday represent “a new and higher level of cooperation between the two countries; on the one hand military security and on … Read more
U.S. to take more active role in building Georgia's defense
TBILISI, DFWatch – Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili says that his country’s military cooperation with the United States is moving into a new phase. According Saakashvili’s press spokesperson, America no longer only prepares Georgian forces for tasks like anti-terrorism or the ISAF mission in Afghanistan, but takes an active role in building Georgia’s military capability. According … Read more
South Ossetian peace is fragile, say leaders
TBILISI, DFWatch – The leadership of Georgia’s breakaway region South Ossetia say an opposition politician’s quest to claim election victory threatens a fragile peace and may have serious consequences. Authorities released the statement after talks with opposition leader Alla Dzhioyeva, who has been campaigning on and off to claim victory after an election in November … Read more