TBILISI, September 18 – Police in Moldova have carried out large-scale raids just weeks before the country’s parliamentary elections, targeting suspects accused of voter bribery and money laundering. Local media reported that searches were conducted at multiple locations across the country. The operation was led by Moldova’s Office for Combating Organized Crime (PCCOCS), supported by … Read more
TBILISI, September 18 – Georgia has been ranked 17th in the world for crime control, scoring 92 out of 100 in a new rule of law survey released by the European Commission and carried out by the World Justice Project. According to Georgia’s ruling party, the country’s performance puts it ahead of six of the … Read more
TBILISI, September 17 – Leaders of Georgia’s biggest opposition party, the United National Movement (UNM), met in Washington with U.S. Congressman Joe Wilson today to renew efforts to lobby for the MEGOBARI Act, a sanctions bill targeting ruling-party founder Bidzina Ivanishvili. UNM chair Tina Bokuchava, secretary general Petre Tsiskarishvili, and senior figure Levan Sanikidze launched … Read more
TBILISI, September 11 – Mikheil Kavelashvili has used social media to comment on the reported killing of American conservative activist Charlie Kirk, describing it as politically motivated. Kavelashvili wrote that Kirk’s death was “horrifying” and directly linked to his outspoken conservative views, criticism of liberal ideology, and opposition to LGBT rights. He called Kirk “another … Read more
TBILISI, September 1 – In an open letter to U.S. President Donald Trump, Georgia’s president, Mikheil Kavelashvili, urged Washington to reset the strategic partnership between the two countries. Kavelashvili praised Trump’s role in strengthening ties with Georgia’s neighbors, from helping broker peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan to renewing dialogue with Turkey and even with Russia. … Read more
TBILISI, August 31 – A fresh clash has erupted between Georgia’s authorities and the UK Embassy over the treatment of civil society groups. The embassy said it was “deeply disturbed” by the Prosecutor General’s Office decision to freeze the bank accounts of seven NGOs under investigation for alleged sabotage. It warned the move looked politically … Read more
TBILISI, August 28 – Tbilisi has called on Washington to reset relations, even as a sanctions package targeting Georgian officials hangs in limbo in the U.S. Congress. Economy Minister Mariam Kvrivishvili recently met with U.S. chargé d’affaires Alan Purcell. The Georgian government presented the meeting as a discussion on renewing the strategic partnership on “mutual … Read more
TBILISI, August 27 – Tbilisi Mayor Kakha Kaladze, who is running for a third term, claimed on Monday that Western partners once tried to pressure Georgia’s government to open a “second front” of the Russia-Ukraine war. Kaladze told reporters on Tuesday that unspecified Western politicians launched ‘threats, blackmail, and insults’ aimed at pushing Georgia into … Read more
TBILISI, July 31 – Two of the opposition’s figureheads are in Washington D.C. to lobby for the U.S. Congress introducing sanctions against Georgia to force the country to adhere to democratic standards. Strong Georgia – Lelo’s leaders, Salome Samadashvili and Grigol Gegelia, travelled to Washington D.C. to meet Republican Congressman Dan Crenshaw. According to the … Read more
TBILISI, DFWatch–US Ambassador Robin Dunnigan, who recently announced her retirement, said the tone of a private letter sent to Washington by Georgian Dream leadership was “threatening, insulting, and unserious,” and that it had been very poorly received in the US capital. Dunnigan added that she had spoken with several US senators who expected a sanctions … Read more