The lukewarm Eastern Partnership Summit in Riga further outlined the value of Georgia’s two most important interconnected strategic goals: transforming the country into a modern European state and its European perspective of joining the EU.
Opinion
Alexandre (Alika) Rondeli, in memoriam
Alexandre Rondeli (Alika for most of his Georgian friends and colleagues) was a charming and talented man, a close friend, a consul, a strategic ally, from the category of “usual suspects”, and, at times, a political opponent. Most of the people who dealt with him called him a “Wise Man of the Caucasus,” at times because he
Freezing the Kremlin's policy
How Europe should respond to Putin at the Riga Summit
Against the backdrop of a rain of bullets, and the rumble of tanks and cannons, Europe is preparing for the Riga Summit in May. Expectations are already low, but one likely positive decision is visa liberalization
#jesuisgeorge
“Freedom of speech and the press are supreme values that must be duly protected everywhere and at all times,” Irakli Garibashvili stated before flying to the global peace rally in Paris.
These are the words of the man who was the head of the Ministry of Internal
Eurasian Customs Union Crawling Closer to Georgia
In 2015 Armenia became a full-fledged member of the Russian-led Eurasian Customs Union (ECU). Georgia, on the other hand signed Association Agreement (AA) and the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area Agreement (DCFTA) with the European Union.
Georgia’s labor code still favors employers
Last week hundreds of train workers went on strike after negotiations to improve working conditions and raise salaries failed. The strikers demand overtime compensation, new salary rules and a 13th month salary payment [1].
Leaders of the trade union say the railway
Respect will not save women from violence
Arguably the most influential person in Georgia, the Patriarch Ilia II, does not agree that a woman should be equal to a man in a family. Instead “she must be respected by her husband. She [a wife] has been always holding high authority in Georgia, and so it shall
Ashamed of being straight
I am lucky to be born straight. I am lucky to be one of those people who are not stigmatized on the basis of their sexual affection to a certain human being; who can kiss and hold hands in public without being attacked or bullied for it; who can get officially married
Domestic violence is the leading cause of injury to women
Two weeks ago the weekend news was dominated by cases of acts of violence against women. Especially the murder at Ilia State University on October 17 and the subsequent media reports of other cases of domestic violence over the course of two days spurred the debate.
ECtHR condemns Georgia for harassment of Jehovah’s Witnesses
On 7 October, the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) unanimously ruled in favor of Jehovah’s Witnesses in the case of Begheluri and Others v. Georgia.
The 99 Georgians, all but one of whom are Jehovah’s Witnesses, alleged that they were victims of large-scale