TBILISI, April 30 – The Council of Europe (CoE) says its officials were again unable to visit Abkhazia and South Ossetia, leaving outside observers dependent on meetings in Tbilisi and information from international actors. The access problem is brought up once more in the Council of Europe Secretary General’s 33rd consolidated report on the conflict, … Read more
TBILISI, April 22 – Georgia has appointed Sulkhan Tamazashvili as minister of internal affairs in a wider government reshuffle that also changes the chain of command around the country’s security institutions. Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze announced the move at a press conference in the government administration on Tuesday, April 21. Tamazashvili had been serving as … Read more
TBILISI, April 17 – Former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili said on Facebook that his former personal security officer, Giorgi Kuparashvili, has been appointed commander of a mechanized regiment in Ukraine’s Azov formation. In his post, Saakashvili identified Kuparashvili as a colonel in Ukraine’s armed forces and said he had been appointed to lead a mechanized … Read more
TBILISI, March 25 – Georgia’s Defense Ministry has submitted amendments to parliament that would tighten the rules for people leaving military contracts early, including automatic transfer into eight months of compulsory national service in many cases. According to Interpressnews, the proposed changes would be made to Georgia’s Defense Code and would affect several issues linked … Read more
TBILISI, March 11 – Georgia’s Kulevi oil terminal is back in the spotlight after Foreign Minister Maka Botchorishvili said there was no evidence to justify putting the facility into the European Union’s latest sanctions package against Russia. Speaking on Tuesday, Botchorishvili said the Georgian side had once again shown the European Commission what steps the … Read more
TBILISI, March 10 – A new report about alleged Iranian influence in Georgia has triggered a political storm, with Georgia’s domestic intelligence service questioning politicians, a former defense minister, a retired general and a researcher after a series of public statements about possible security threats. The controversy began after former defense minister Tina Khidasheli said … Read more
TBILISI, March 7 – Georgia’s domestic intelligence service has opened an investigation after public statements about alleged terrorism-linked activity inside the country, and summoned ex-defense minister Tina Khidasheli and opposition politician Gubaz Sanikidze for questioning. The case originated in statements by Khidasheli, now head of the Civic Idea organization, made on TV Pirveli, that an … Read more
TBILISI, March 5 – Iran has hinted it might target the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) pipeline, a crucial oil route supplying nearly 30% of Israel’s oil, Georgia Today reported. An adviser to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps suggested that Tehran might strike energy infrastructure benefiting its adversaries, including Israel. This comes after recent US and Israeli strikes … Read more
TBILISI, February 20 – A Tbilisi court has upheld a pre-trial detention measure against exiled former Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia in a case linked to events near the village of Chorchana along the occupation line with breakaway South Ossetia. The decision was delivered on Thursday by Tbilisi City Court during a pre-trial hearing. The … Read more
TBILISI, November 12 – Preliminary findings after a Turkish Air Force C-130 military plane crashed in eastern Georgia on Tuesday indicated that the disaster may have been caused by a technical malfunction. Georgia’s Interior Minister Geka Geladze confirmed Wednesday that 18 bodies have been recovered from the crash site, while search teams continue to look … Read more