TBILISI, DFWatch — Twenty Georgian companies are preparing to export their product to Russia. A conference was organized at Tbilisi Marriott Hotel bringing together representatives of those companies and discuss the issue of Georgia exporting to the Russian market. […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — The crime situation in Georgia stabilized in December, as the number of criminal incidents has been significantly reduced, according to the Ministry of Internal Affairs. During a visit to a family who had been attacked by robbers, President Mikheil […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — A statue of Josef Stalin which had been torn down has been put up again in a village in eastern Georgia. Locals in Akura restored the monument of the Soviet dictator two years after it was taken down. Villagers rehabilitated the monument to […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — President Mikheil Saakashvili says there should be declared an emergency situation in the Georgian police. He said it while visiting a family which a few days ago was attacked by burglars. December 29, the Ministry of Internal Affairs detained […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — An attempt at demonstrating against Georgian NATO membership was Sunday quashed by a counter-demonstration. The two rallies took place on Pushkin Square in the center of Tbilisi and started with a call the same day to support friendship with Russia, […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — A Georgian soldier who has been missing for ten days was found dead in Afghanistan December 29. Sergeant Giorgi Kikadze is the nineteenth Georgian soldier to lose his life while carrying out his duties as part of the NATO-led ISAF mission […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — The Prosecutor’s Office in Georgia has questioned the wife of the former interior minister regarding a case of beating of policemen. This is a case in which former officials in the Interior Ministry have been charged. Tako Salakaia, wife of […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — The new government has decided to cancel tuition fees for many popular studies. Bachelor students in 14 fields of specialization at state universities will have their tuition fees cut to zero from 2013. The free subjects will be agronomy, education sciences, energy […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — Georgia’s Prosecutor’s Office has officially charged a former Justice Minister in absentia for abuse of power and being responsible for torturing prisoners. Zurab Adeishvili, the former Justice Minister in Saakashvili’s government who […]
TV sets were among the aid found. The items were meant for refugees in the 2008 Russia-Georgia war. (Photo published by the ministry.) TBILISI, DFWatch — The Ministry of Refugees and Internally Displaced People has discovered five unregistered warehouses, where there were kept humanitarian aid which should have been distributed to refugees in 2008 and 2009. The ministry on Friday published photos […]
The victory of the opposition in the October 1, 2012 parliamentary election created an unusual political situation for Georgia: the majority in parliament and the local governments are controlled by two different political forces, the ruling and the opposition party. […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — The Georgian parliament overrode President Mikheil Saakashvili’s veto against a law about mass amnesty. 91 MPs voted against Saakashvili’s new version of the law, while 4 supported it. Now, the Georgian Dream coalition’s law, which was passed […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — The Georgian Dream coalition says parliament will return to Tbilisi by the end of the spring session. After the parliamentary election in October, 2012, the eighth parliamentary assembly has been holding sessions in a new building in Kutaisi, […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — The governing Georgian Dream coalition suggests bringing forward a planned reform to give the president power to immediately dissolve parliament and announce a new parliamentary election. The powers are part of a package of constitutional […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili has vetoed the coming into force of a law on amnesty, and sent his own version of the law to parliament. Speaker of Parliament Davit Usupashvili on Friday said the legislative body has received the president’s […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — President Mikheil Saakashvili will veto a planned mass amnesty passed by parliament, arguing that the new government is about to release dangerous people into society. The amnesty was passed by parliament December 22 after much […]
The leader of a business chamber in Georgia says he helped the previous government try to bankrupt Cartu Bank, which was owned by current Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili. Giorgi Isakadze, Chair of Georgia’s Small and Medium Enterprises Association, […]
Elite corruption directly affects the economic development of a country. There are a number of studies, including publications by the World Bank, which prove the interdependence between the size of the unobserved economy and corruption in a country. Moreover, […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — The Prosecutor’s Office in Georgia says public money was spent on campaign rallies for President Mikheil Saakashvili’s National Movement party last September, which is illegal, and that documents were falsified to cover it up. The party […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — Construction of the Kars-Akhalkalaki railway will continue as before. Irakli Kovzanadze, Chair of Georgia’s Partnership Foundation, said this in Azerbaijan on Wednesday, during a visit there by Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili and […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — The supervisory board of Georgia’s Public Broadcaster Wednesday elected a new director as replacement for Giorgi Chanturia, who unexpectedly resigned almost two weeks ago. The board chose Giorgi Baratashvili, who has a background from different […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — The largest Georgian union of civil society organizations December 24 met to discuss the role of civil society, and their activities and future plans. The National Platform, as the union is called, has been joined by 106 civil society organizations. […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — Georgian Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili Tuesday met the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, during an official visit to Baku. The two held a closed meeting which took place at Aliyev’s Zagulba palace. Also present were Georgia’s Foreign […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — An earthquake hit Georgia Wednesday morning; the second one in three days. Two strong quakes were felt early morning December 26, at 02:44 and 03:00 am. According to the seismic monitoring center, the strength of the earthquakes were 5.5 and […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — Just as the Inter RAO corruption scandal is jolting the political scene in Georgia, a Georgian think tank claims to have revealed three further cases of what is called high level corruption. The Saakashvili government has been credited with having effectively […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — The Georgian Prosecutor’s Office has concluded an investigation of a handful of videos showing torture of prisoners which sparked protests two weeks before the election in October, 2012. The videos were published September 19, and showed […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — The Secretary of the Security Council and the Prime Minister disagree about the expenses and financing for the National Security Council of Georgia. The issue surfaced when the 2013 budget was presented to parliament, showing that the […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — The twelve Georgian sailors who have been adrift on a ship abandoned by its owner off the coast of Panama are returning home. The sailors aboard the Maria del Carmen 2, sailing under a Nigerian flag, were rescued by staff at the Georgian embassy […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — A military search team left for Afghanistan on Monday in order to search for a Georgian soldier who has been missing for almost a week. The team is headed by the deputy chief of the Joint Staff. ISAF isalready conducting a search and rescue […]
Tbilisi, DFWatch – Georgia’s new government’s declared foreign policy priorities haven’t changed and country will have good relations with its neighbors, but will never return to the Russian-dominated CIS, said prime minister Bidzina Ivanishvili of Monday’s […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili is considering proposing a quota system for sharing cargo load between the existing railway through Georgia and a new railway under construction which will bypass Georgia’s Black Sea ports Poti and Batumi. […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — Georgian Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili promises that electricity prices will be reduced by around 25 percent from January 1, 2013. As winter has arrived in Georgia, Ivanishvili brought good news to a press conference Monday at Sheraton […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — Georgia’s Interior Ministry has decided to put its luxurious cars up for auction. The new leadership at the ministry has prepared around 50 cars for sale, and models range from Range Rover, Range Rover Sport and Range Rover Vogue, to BMW […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — Transparency International Georgia demands that the authorities show proof that they had a legal right to secretly tap the phones of two former officials. The phone conversations in question were used to justify detaining officials in the […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — Five policemen who were involved in one of the controversial cases against officials in Georgia have been dismissed. The five were based at the Central Criminal Police Department and carried out the first detention of Tengiz Gunava, a former […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — There was an earthquake in Georgia on Sunday, causing minor damage in parts of the country. According to the national seismic monitoring center, the earthquake struck at 17:31 local time and had a magnitude of 5.7. The epicenter was 46 km […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — The National Movement party of President Mikheil Saakashvili will return to parliament on Monday. This became clear at a party conference Sunday. The president addressed his party’s activists and tried to fire them up as they are […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — The Georgian Prosecutor’s Office has launched an investigation into one of the prison torture videos that shook the country two weeks before the 2012 parliamentary election. The first of six videos was published in the morning of September 18, […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — Six suspects in a corruption case involving a one million dollar bribe, a dummy company and three power stations were Saturday released on bail. The two most high profile names among the suspected conspirators are Nika Gvaramia, former education […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — Former Economy Minister Vera Kobalia was Friday evening questioned regarding the bankruptcy of a bank connected to Prime Minister Ivanishvili. Former Justice Minister Zurab Adeisvhili was also called in for questioning in the same case, […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — The Supreme Court of Georgia is establishing a special group which will oversee the issuing of warrants for secret surveillance. Kote Kublashvili, Chair of the Supreme Court, said Friday that Zaza Meishvili, Chair of the Criminal Law Chamber, […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — The parliament in Georgia has finally passed an amnesty law which will mean that 3500 prisoners will be released. The goal of the bill is to soften the crime policy. It aims to achieve this by releasing some prisoners and halving the sentence for others. […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — A court has fined the former manager of Maestro TV, Erosi Kitsmarishvili, with USD 845 204 for damaging equipment belonging to the TV company one year ago. November 30, 2011 Erosi Kitsmarishvili and a group of strangers scaled the walls of […]
Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili says the main goal of the new government is to improve the economic situation and to strengthen the course of Euro-integration in the foreign policy, as well as to make certain steps to improve relations with Russia. DF Watch spoke with the […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili says he has no intention of dismissing the new government. In a live televised press conference late Thursday night, he said that he has no plans to use his constitutional powers to dismiss the cabinet. […]
TBILISI, DFWatch -- The Georgian president says he will veto a new bill to reform the oversight of the justice system. President Mikheil Saakashvili Thursday evening held a televised briefing about recent events in the country. He said parliament is reviewing a bill which will place the Council of Justice and the courts completely [...]
TBILISI, DFWatch — A Georgian soldier serving in Afghanistan has disappeared, according to the defense ministry. The soldier, who was serving as part of the ISAF mission, disappeared on December 19, and no one has seen him since. […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — US Ambassador to Georgia Richard Norland says that when a director of a TV company is detained, it naturally raises questions. Norland on Thursday held a closed meeting with Prison Minister Sozar Subari. After the meeting he commented on the […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — A court in Georgia says it did not give permission to eavesdrop on the former Interior Minister and the Director of Rustavi 2 TV. Police Wednesday detained two former government officials on suspicions of bribery and falsification of documents. […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — The National Movement party of President Saakashvili is boycotting parliament. Its representatives have returned to Tbilisi, saying they are moving into ‘another regime of activity’. Vano Merabishvili, former Prime Minister and Secretary […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — The International Criminal Court (ICC) is considering launching an investigation into the war between Georgia and Russia in August 2008. The Justice Ministry of Georgia on Wednesday released a statement which says that in accordance with Georgia’s international […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — The ex-energy minister in Georgia, Alexandre Khetaguri, has been detained, suspected of accepting bribes in connection with power stations only months ago. Also other former government officials have been detained in the case, suspected of having received […]
The example of one small country The reason behind this letter lies in critical comments made by western political circles and media concerning the government, which was elected by the majority of the citizens of Georgia in the October 2012 parliamentary election, […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — In Georgia, the prime minster and the president have clashed over what to do with newly built and half finished buildings. During President Saakashvili’s rule, modern complexes have popped up around the capital Tbilisi and in other towns […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — EU is giving another €22 million to Georgia this year in recognition of its reform efforts. Stefan Fule, Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighborhood Policy, on Wednesday attended the EU-Georgia Cooperation Council in Brussels. […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — Another former prime minister in Georgia was Tuesday called in for questioning. This time, Nika Gilauri spent five hours with the investigative service of the finance ministry, answering them about the sale of a park area in Tbilisi. The head […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — A new survey shows that the least transparent issue during recent years has been the spending of money from two state reserve funds. Georgian Young Lawyer’s Association (GYLA) presented the survey, which deals with the spending of money from […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili hopes to meet with the Russian leaders Vladimir Putin and Dmitry Medvedev in the future. Recently Georgia’s special representative for Russian relations met the deputy foreign minister of Russia in Geneva. […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — A former defense minister who is in prison awaiting trial has gone on hunger strike. Irakli Okruashvili, who is charged with abuse of powers and extortion, says he is doing it to express solidarity with ten other prisoners who didn’t make […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — The Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili has decided to finance media and non-government organizations and issued a special decree December 17, 2012. A program to contribute to the civil sector and development of free media will […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — 80 percent of the Georgian population likes the new Prime Minister, while only 29 percent likes the president. 63 percent support the Georgian Dream coalition, while 10 percent support the former ruling party. Those are the results of a survey […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — Lawmakers in Georgia want to make it illegal to use condoms that enhance sexual pleasure. Other condoms will be legal. On Monday, a disputes was brought to a calm in parliament after a debate about what specifically can be called a sexual […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — Tbilisi City Court has ruled out that there will be criminal charges brought against the friends of Buta Robakidze, who was killed by police in 2004. November 24, 2004 Giorgi Kurdadze, Kakhaber Azariashvili and Akaki Bartaia, all friends of […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — The political party section of NDI’s first survey after the parliamentary election shows a U-turn compared to the situation a couple of months ago: Politicians in the coalition which recently came into government score high on trust […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — A handful of media experts are calling for legislative reforms to address problems with media freedom in Georgia, and have prepared a draft bill as a first step. The bill would amend the law on broadcasting, and was presented by its authors […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — The Georgian sailors who are stranded off the coast of Panama plan a lawsuit at the marine court in that country. The twelve Georgian sailors on a ship sailing under Nigerian flag plan to file the suit on Monday if their demands aren’t met. “The temperature is […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — Georgian police have seized a large amount of ammunition in an abandoned house in a town in the south of the country. According to Interior Ministry, the ammunition was hidden at an abandoned airport dormitory house in the town Akhalkalaki. […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — The season’s first snowfall has led to restrictions on traffic several places in Georgia. The snow is causing problems in the Kakheti region, in east Georgia. Local media also report that ice is making it difficult for people to move around […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — Police have detained the uncle of a former interior minister for illegally cutting forest. Levan Tumanishvili the head of Tao LTD, was Saturday interrogated for violation of the conditions of a license for using the forest, after trees were […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — A religious conflict has broken out in a village in Georgia after orthodox Christians started interrupting Muslims in their Friday prayer. The conflict started a few weeks ago. Tariel Nakaidze, leader of the Georgian Muslims, wrote on his Facebook […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — Georgia’s Defense Ministry plans to improve conditions for Georgian soldiers serving in NATO’s ISAF mission to Afghanistan. Defense Minister Irakli Alasania on Friday stated that the salary will be increased for Georgian soldiers in Afghanistan […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — Georgia and Russia representatives on Friday agreed to continue the dialogue. Zurab Abashidze, the Prime Minister’s special representative for Russian relations, and Gregory Karasin, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister, on Friday met in Geneva. […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — General Director of Georgia’s Public Broadcaster (GPB) Gia Chanturia has resigned. He handed in his resignation letter to the GPB’s supervisory board, which approved it today at a special session. Late Thursday night, there were unconfirmed […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — The power company Telasi has brought back 73 out of 107 employees who were fired, according to the company’s director. Workers at Telasi, which distributes electricity in Tbilisi, have been out in the streets for two months. They were among the […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — The Defense Ministry in Georgia has published details about flights made by the government with a Gulfstream G450 which was recently withdrawn from use due to budget cuts. The information used to be state secrets, but was published because of the […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — Georgia’s direct foreign investments have significantly decreased in the third quarter of 2012 compared to the same period in 2011, according to Georgia’s National Statistics Department, Geostat. According to the new report, the total amount […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — Russian police have published new evidence which seems to strengthen the case that Georgian politicians tried to foment social unrest in Russia. The evidence relates to the connections between the Russian opposition and the Georgian […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — The US supports Georgia’s decision to start direct talks with Russia, Thomas O. Melia, US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State, said Thursday. Melia, whose full title is U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — The two countries fought a brief war in August 2008. Tomorrow they will meet face to face for the first time. The meeting will take place on neutral ground in Geneva, Switzerland, on the sidelines of periodic talks between the sides in that war. […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — Two thirds still consider themselves unemployed in Georgia, a new survey shows. 67 percent say they are without a job in the latest survey of public attitudes by the National Democratic Institute (NDI). The number has not significantly […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — The U.S. is closely monitoring the transition of power from President Saakashvili’s National Movement to Prime Minister Ivanishvili’s Georgian Dream coalition. Also subject to scrutiny is how well the two political blocs are working together, […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — The new government’s proposed budget is in some regards unrealistic, according to a new report. Economic Policy Research Center (EPRC) presented the report Analysis and Recommendations on 2013 year Draft Budget of Georgia on Tuesday. […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — President Mikheil Saakashvili has lost one of his two business jets. The new government has decided not to allow the president to use it anymore. Alexandre Burchuladze, Deputy Defense Minister said in an interview with Rustavi 2 that the reason […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — A member of parliament from Saakashvili’s National Movement party is being called in for questioning regarding the beating of a businessman. According to the prosecutor’s office, Paata Lezhava on September 23, 2012 beat businessman […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — Two U.S. government officials arrived in Georgia Wednesday as part of a tour of the Caucasus. Thomas Melia from the State Department and Catherine Newcombe from the Department of Justice, will meet with Georgian government officials, media and […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — The interior minister says the crime situation in Georgia now is under control, but remains difficult. Interior Minister Irakli Gharibashvili says criminals have taken advantage of the process of handing over power. “We weren’t able to timely […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — South Ossetia – a breakaway region of Georgia – is ranked among the world’s most repressive regimes by Freedom House. Freedom House, a non-governmental organization, has published a new report called ‘The Worst of the Worst: The World’s […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — A man who was recently released from prison has reportedly attacked someone with a knife. The interior ministry December 10 reported that a prisoner named Tengiz injured a 31-year old man called Tamaz with knife and escaped from the scene. […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — The president of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko says he is prepared to beg on his knees for the Georgian government to return the country to the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). Lukashenko said this in Minsk on Tuesday during a meeting […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — Tbilisi City Court Tuesday heard two separate set of charges against former Defense Minister Irakli Okruashvili, and determined that he must remain in pre-trial custody. The first set of charges pertain to negligence of duty while he as defense […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — Georgian sailors who have been stranded on an abandoned ship in Panama are still suffering from hunger and unable to leave. The crew of Maria Del Carmen, which is flying a Nigerian flag, released a letter on Monday which says that they still […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — A former Georgian interior ministry official was Monday given 40 days preliminary detention in Ukraine by a court in Kiev. Ukraine is considering Oleg Melnikov’s extradition to Georgia during his detention, online media in Ukraine report. Melnikov has a background […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — A new study has revealed the true cost of Georgia’s new parliament: USD 196 million. Institute for Development of Freedom of Information (IDFI) on Monday presented a report about the cost of building a new parliament building in Kutaisi, the second […]
The clothes market near Tbilisi central train station. (Photo: Mari Nikuradze.) TBILISI, DFWatch – There are stores in between the large markets near the central train station in Tbilisi were people sell second hand clothes from abroad. There, people are crowding close to piles of clothes, peeking inside to find what they want. Rusa, 21, says […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — The Georgian government is in negotiations with President Saakashvili’s associates about releasing detained officials against replacing ambassadors appointed while he held government power. The unusual high level “prisoner exchange” has become […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — Georgia will have the chairmanship of GUAM in 2013. Foreign Affairs Minister Maia Panjikidze said at Monday’s regular briefing that Georgia was officially appointed in Dublin a few days ago, at a session of the GUAM foreign minister council. […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — At last, Georgia and Russia will meet to start sorting out their differences. The two countries broke off diplomatic relations after the war in 2008. Zurab Abashidze, Georgia’s Special Representative for Russian relations, on Monday said that […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — Russia and Georgia will soon meet to discuss allowing import of Georgian agricultural products and restoring regular flights between the two countries. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Moscow is ready to start talks about the issue, […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — The Georgian Prime Minister expects to see a rise in crime for a few days after a mass amnesty comes into force, and says the population should understand and get on with it. Bidzina Ivanishvili Saturday visited parliament in Kutaisi, and […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — Police in Ukraine have detained a former Georgian interior ministry official, who was announced wanted by Interpol and is sentenced to preliminary detention. Oleg Melnikov was detained in Kiev on grounds of information provided by Interpol […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — The new government in Georgia has presented a 2013 budget of USD 5.3 billion. USD 4.4 billion of this is expenditure. The revised budget comes as a result of consultations after critical remarks by members of parliament, and the new […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — Ucha Nanuashvili has been chosen as Georgia’s new ombudsman. The 38 year old lawyer has more than 15 years of experience as a human rights worker and is currently director of the non-governmental organization Human Rights Center. Mr Nanuashvili’s […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — Former Interior Minister Vano Merabishvili was Friday questioned a second time about his attempt to leave the country with a fake passport November 30. The interior ministry has made public several witness statements seeming to confirm that […]
Ahmed Chataev, who denies guilt, was released on bail Thursday. He lost a leg in the border shooting near Dagestan in August, 2012. According to Chataev this was the first attempt by boeviks to enter Chechnya from Georgia after the end of the second Chechen war. (IPN.) TBILISI, DFWatch — Tbilisi City Court on Thursday released a man detained after a firefight on the border with Russia in late August, 2012. Akhmed Chatayev was released on USD 3 000 bail, which he will have to pay within 30 days. August 28, Georgia started […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — Georgia’s interior ministry is investigating one more attempt to jump the border with a fake passport. The ministry says it discovered a suspicious passport issued in the name of Gocha Tsereteli, but the photo shows former Deputy Interior […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — The revenues into Georgia’s state accounts have decreased by USD 50.5 million lari compared to the budget. For this reason, priorities will be shifted until next year. According to the 2012 budget, revenues should have been USD 5 billion […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili says the meeting of the NATO-Georgia commission on Wednesday was not a step forward for the country. Saakashvili made the comment during a working visit to Poland. “Unfortunately, we didn’t see […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — Georgia’s Defense Minister Irakli Alasania sat down with DF Watch to talk about the bilateral security and defense cooperation with the US which he said has already started. A few days ago bilateral consultations were held in Tbilisi […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — NATO will not interfere in the legal process in Georgia in regard to the recent detentions of former government officials, the alliance’s Secretary General says. After summing up a meeting of the NATO-Georgia commission in Brussels, Anders […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — Georgian Dream, the party of billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili which recently took over government power, has about five times more support than the National Movement party of President Mikheil Saakashvili. The is the result of a poll […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — Georgian Patriarch Ilia II hosted Israeli Ambassador Yuval Fuchs and his wife at the Patriarch’s residence in Mtskheta, close to the capital. Fuchs thanked Illia II for his merits in deepening relations between the two states in regards to […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — Georgia comes in at 51. place in the latest Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI). In the previous ranking, the country was in 64. place. The CPI is prepared by Transparency International and scores and ranks countries and territories based […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — Georgian authorities are continuing their investigation into former interior minister Vano Merabishvili for trying to leave the country with a forged passport. According to the interior ministry, Merabishvili gave them false information on purpose […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — Germany’s foreign minister Guido Westerwelle says he hopes the change of government in Georgia won’t influence the country’s course towards NATO and the EU. Westerwelle said this ahead of a meeting of the NATO-Georgia commission, […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — Russia wants to know how Georgia plans to improve relations with its neighbors. Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov said this while answering questions at a press conference in connection with the meeting of the NATO-Russia Council […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — The governing coalition in Georgia wants parliament back to the capital Tbilisi, but with an added option to meet at other places if necessary. Recent consultations among the Georgian Dream coalition, which came to power after the October 1, […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — Bucharest decision that Georgia will become a member of NATO stands if Georgia fulfills necessary criteria, NATO Secretary General states. Anders Fogh Rasmussen was speaking at a press conference after a meeting of the NATO-Russia […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — Prosecutors in Georgia are preparing to press charges in several cases of prison abuse, based on a series of leaked videos which spurred a major scandal in September. Chief Prosecutor Archil Kbilashvili said at a press conference on Tuesday […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — A former Interior Ministry official has been sentenced to pre-trial detention in absentia. Data Akhalaia, former chair of the feared Constitutional Security Department of the Interior Ministry, is charged, together with Soso Topuridze and Geronti […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — Georgia’s Defense Minister and President have agreed on a new candidate for Chair of the Joint Staff. Irakli Alasania, Defense Minister on Tuesday presented Colonel Irakli Dzneladze who will be filling this post. A day before, consultations […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — Military Police in Georgia have seized about a hundred weapons of different types at an apartment in Tbilisi. Vako Avaliani, Advisor to the Defense Minister, on Monday said the weapons were not registered. The ministry learned about the location […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — Seven persons died Monday evening in a car accident in Western Georgia, according to the Interior Ministry. In a statement the ministry writes that the accident took place at about 20:00 in the village Tseva, in the Imereti region. A truck […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — NATO’s Foreign ministers are meeting in Brussels December 4 and 5. Anders Fogh Rasmussen, NATO Secretary General, will chair the meeting. Maia Panjikidze, Georgia’s Foreign Affairs Minister arrived in Brussels Monday evening […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — It has caused great controversy in Georgia that its representatives at a session of the United Nations General Assembly voted in favor of Palestine being given observer status in the world organization. The vote comes amidst a time of criticism […]
If our strategic allies’ warning is about reversing the current legal processes, I would say it is impossible and could be even harmful. If it is about being more considerate in decision-planning and aware of the environment, I would agree and subscribe to it. […]
Data Akhalaia, former chair of the Constitutional Security Department of the Interior Ministry, Georgia’s domestic intelligence service, has been charged in absentia for abuse of powers and illegal deprivation of liberty. Akhalaia, the brother of the detained […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — Another Interior Ministry official has been interrogated regarding the murder of Buta Robakidze, who was killed by police in 2004. This time Levan Gvazava, Former Deputy Interior Minister was interrogated. He was called in for questioning on […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — The court released a former interior ministry official on bail until the trial, in the most controversial case among the recent detentions. Tengiz Gunava on Sunday was sentenced to pay USD 6 000 bail. First he was detained for illegal possession […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — Former Interior Minister Vano Merabishvili was Saturday interrogated. He did not comment except saying it’s a pity that the prime minister is using the interior ministry as a tool of repression against the opposition. The interior ministry […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — Saturday evening around 30 local organizations marked World AIDS Day with an event on Freedom Square in Tbilisi. Volunteers and organizers of the event stood and formed of giant ribbon holding candles in red plastic glasses as a sign of solidarity […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — An editorial comment published by the Washington Post has caused great controversy in Georgia. “The magnate-turned-prime minister said last week that his first official visit to the United States had been postponed, which is a good thing. […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — Philanthropist George Soros on Saturday visited Georgia and met with Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili. George Soros’ visit will last for two days ending December 2. Ketevan Kutsishvili, Chair of Open Society Georgia Foundation, which was founded […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — The former interior minister Vano Merabishvili is under investigation for having tried to board a flight from Tbilisi go Yerevan Friday with a forged passport. Merabishvili was traveling together with President Saakashvili and others. According […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — Four former officials from the Interior Ministry will be charged with illegal deprivation of freedom, torture and abuse of powers. Chief Prosecutor Archil Kbilashvili said at a briefing Friday that former Deputy Defense Minister Data Akhalaia, […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — U.S. State Department spokesperson Victoria Nuland gave more details about a meeting between Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Georgian foreign minister Maia Panjikidze Thursday. Nuland said the two discussed the recent detentions of several […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — Ani Nadareishvili, wife of the detained former interior and defense minister Bacho Akhalaia, is founding a new non-governmental organization (NGO). The new NGO will request official statistics about the criminal cases recently from the interior […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — Georgia’s opposition National Movement party is reacting to statements made by U.S Secretary of State Hillary Clinton during a visit by Georgia’s Foreign Minister Maia Panjikidze to the US. “We are very much supportive of the peaceful […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — A former Interior Ministry official who was recently detained, but let out on bail, has again been detained. Tengiz Gunava, former chair of General Inspection at the Interior Ministry after Bacho Akhalaia was appointed as minister, was called […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — A TV company affiliated with the governing Georgian Dream coalition is going to become a general broadcaster. Thursday morning it became known that TV 9 will become a general broadcaster, which means that it will have the right to broadcast […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — Georgia’s new government Thursday detained another official from the previous government. Kakha Getsadze, trustee of Zestaponi, a town in western Georgia, who is also president of the Wrestling Federation, was November 29 detained. He is accused […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — Eric Rubin, U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs, says there is need for further reforms of the justiciary in Georgia to create rule of law. Commenting on the recent detention of dozens of former government […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — The new government in Georgia has started amending the country’s labor code, which has been criticized by local groups and the international community. The parliamentary committee on health care and social issues initiated a draft amendment […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — Georgia’s Interior Minister says he is not alarmed by a 50 percent increase in petty crime after the new government came to power, compared to previous months. After the Georgian Dream coalition took over in early October, the National Movement […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — Georgia spends nearly USD 85 000 per day on its president, while the minimum amount of pension is USD 60 a month. Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili said it on Wednesday as his government was discussing the 2013 draft budget, and the comment […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — What does it take to get a company listed on London Stock Exchange (LSE)? That was one of the questions addressed at a conference in Tbilisi Tuesday, and who better to hear it from than the LSE itself, which organized the event. The goal of the […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — An investigation may be launched against the former parliament speaker in Georgia. Koba Davitashvili, who represents the majority in parliament, demands an investigation against Davit Bakradze, the former parliament speaker in the previous period. […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — According to preliminary estimates by the Prison Ministry, about 6 500 prisoners will leave prison in Georgia soon. Prison Minister Sozar Subari said this in an interview on one of the local TV channels Wednesday. A day earlier, his deputy Giga […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — Georgian investigators are preparing a massive check-up of seven departments in the Tbilisi City Hall system. The press office of City Hall says an investigation has been launched at three different bodies: the Finance Ministry, Interior Ministry […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — There were clashes between supporters of Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili and President Mikheil Saakaashvili in two Georgian villages on Tuesday. Locals in Martvili, a small town in the Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti region in the west, demanded […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — The planned mass amnesty in Georgia may apply to eight thousand prisoners and 19 000 on probation. Giga Giorgadze, Deputy Prison Minister, said this Tuesday at a session of parliament’s committee of human rights during review of a draft bill. […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — EU-Georgia today opened the fourth round of negotiations of the proposed Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement (DCFTA) in Brussels. In parallel, the twelfth session of negotiations of Georgia’s Association Agreement with the EU was also […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — Eric Rubin, U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for EU and Eurasian Affairs, held a meeting with Georgia’s Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili on Tuesday. At the meeting the parties spoke about US-Georgian relations, expressing hope to further […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — Investigators in Georgia have reopened the case of the death of a former prime minister, according to his brother. Goga Zhvania, brother of Zurab Zhvania, who served as Saakashvili’s first prime minister from 2004 to 2005, yesterday evening […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — Eric Rubin, U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State in EU and Eurasian Affairs, is visiting Georgia. Rubin will have meetings during November 27-29. The US Embassy in Georgia informed DF Watch that Eric Rubin will meet representatives of […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — Georgia increased its foreign trade turnover with 15 percent in the first ten months of 2012. In plain numbers it totaled USD 8 521 million. Out of this, export was USD 1 985 million, while import was USD 6 536 million. The country’s negative […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy on Monday met with Prime Minister and President. Briefing the media at Sheraton Metekhi Hotel, Catherine Ashton said she arrived to congratulate both Prime Minister and […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — A statue of Joseph Stalin in a town east in Georgia which was dismantled in 2011 has been restored. According to Information Center of Kakheti, locals Sunday morning discovered the restored Stalin statue in Akhmeta. The monument of the Soviet […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — One of Georgia’s richest businessmen increased his share of ownership in one of the country’s largest chains of petrol stations. Davit Iakobashvili is the largest shareholder in Gulf Company. According to Gulf’s press office, he has now increased […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — Catherine Ashton, EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, visits Georgia. Her one day visit includes meetings with President Mikheil Saakashvili, Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanisvhili and Foreign Affairs […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — A former Interior Minister who is accused of abuse of power says he is ready to answer all questions, but that the accusations against him can not be taken seriously. The case broke a few days ago, when the Interior Ministry provided the prosecutor’s […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili claims he is ready to give his TV channel to Georgian Public Broadcaster or transform it into a public broadcaster. He will even finance it for next 20 years with no strings attached. TV 9 was set up about ten […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — The Georgian Dream coalition had on its agenda to change many things after coming to power, including improve conditions in the work place by amending the Georgian labor code, which was amended in 2006 and has been criticized since both locally and […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — Three Georgian citizens have been released from prison in occupied Tskhinvali region. The three were arrested for crossing the de facto border at the village Kirbali, near the town Gori. Georgia’s Interior Ministry informs that Gia and Akaki […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — The interior ministry in Georgia has asked the prosecutors to investigate former Interior Minister Vano Merabishvili. Ministry spokesperson Nino Giorgobiani Saturday morning explained at a press conference that the material submitted to […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — A new report shows that Georgian TV companies have problems with bringing balanced and objective information. Channel 9, which belongs to Prime Minister Bidizna Ivanishvili, is now positive to the new government, but before the election […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — A recently established movement called SOS on Thursday gathered to celebrate the 9 year anniversary of the Rose Revolution. About 30 people showed up at Square of Roses, which is named after the Rose Revolution. The SOS movement was set up a week […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — A friend of the Tbilisi Mayor suspected of money laundering was today released on a USD 90 000 bail for 30 days. Giorgi Kelbakiani, Georgia Director of the construction company NCC, and Archil Chigogava, Financial Director of the same company […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — The Georgian Prime Minister’s visit to the US has been postponed until next year. Bidzina Ivanishvili explains that too many problems arise when he leaves the country. At Thursday’s press conference, the Prime Minister spoke very little about […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — The Appeals Court released four out of ten employees of the Constitutional Security Department of the Interior Ministry from pretrial detention on Thursday evening. All of them left prison at about 04:00 in the morning. November 15, ten employees […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — Georgia’s Prime Minister says that the planned law about amnesty may increase the level of crime for a certain time in the country, but society should understand this. At Thursday’s press conference at Radisson Blu Iveria with tens of […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — The well known Georgian mineral water Borjomi is ready to be brought back on the Russian market. November 19, Borjomi International Company officially appealed to the chair of Russia’s consumer protection agency CPS (Rospotrebnadzor) requesting […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — The former government in Georgia accuses the new government of having illegally granted prisoners status as political prisoners, but new the government denies the accusation. After a parliamentary committee recognized 186 persons as political […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili will not impeach President Mikheil Saakashvili, as he previously had said he would do. “When we enter parliament as a majority we will immediately begin to discuss his impeachment if he doesn’t proceed to […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — A friend of the Tbilisi mayor who is co-owner and director of a large construction company was yesterday detained accused of money laundering. Giorgi Kelbakiani, who owns 70 percent of the shares in, and is director of NCC Ltd, was detained […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — The billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili, who recently became prime minister of Georgia, is considering going back on a promise to leave politics in a year and a half. During the election campaign, Ivanishvili claimed that he would leave politics […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — Estonia has recognized so-called neutral passports as travel documents. The Reintegration Minister’s office November 12 received a note from the Foreign Affairs Ministry of Estonia which said that the country approves the documents as valid […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — The Georgian parliament has decided to study the expenses spent on constructing an entirely new building for the assembly in the city Kutaisi, in western Georgia. It was a controversial decision from the start to move parliament to the west, made […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — The majority in parliament wants the government to take control over the Special State Protection Service (SSPS). Today, this security force answers directly to the president. Parliament’s committee on human rights today reviewed the issue. […]
Mikhail Saakashvili’s conceding speech heralded historical victory for liberal democracy in a region, where intimidation, oppression and revolution had been the common place for two centuries of Russian domination. His speech indicated that for the first time in […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — Georgia will continue its participation in the NATO-led ISAF operation in Afghanistan also after 2014. Foreign Affairs Minister Maia Panjikidze said this while briefing David Lidington, the UK’s Minister of State for Europe, about the Georgian […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — Tbilisi City Court on Wednesday has released the accused former head of the General Headquarters from detention for a third time as he awaits trial for beating and harassing his subordinates. The Prosecutor’s Office asked the court to detain […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — David Lidington, the UK’s Minister of State for Europe, will visit Georgia on November 21 and 22. Wednesday, he will meet with President Mikheil Saakashvili, Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili, Maia Panjikidze, Foreign Affairs Minister, Giga […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — President Mikheil Saakashvili calls on the new government to start fulfilling its election promises and stop vengeance, comparing Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili with the French revolutionary leader Maximilien de Robespierre. He drew attention […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — The court hearing for former Defense Minister Irakli Okruashvili was postponed till December 3 at the request of his lawyers. Okruashvili served as minister in Saakashvili’s government, but left in 2007 and has since been living in France, where he has […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — Alexi Petriashvili, State Minister for Euro-Atlantic Integration, November 19 left for Brussels to attend the session. Defense Minister Irakli Alasania is also on a working visit to Brussels, both participating in the NGC session on the level […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — A former Defense Minister who has lived the last years as a political refugee in France this morning returned to Georgia and was detained on arrival. He was brought to Gldani’s No 8 prison in Tbilisi, which is one of the most crowded prisons in […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — Georgia’s Security Council, which is a body subordinate to the president, cannot prove what it has spent USD 13.8 million on. This is why new the government cut its financing by the same amount in next year’s draft budget. Georgia’s 2013 draft […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — While on Monday parliament discussed a draft bill about amnesty, the pardon commission reviewed 1 400 cases of prisoners, but made a decision to release less than half of them. The pardon commission studies cases of prisoners to prepare a list […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — “There is no official whose name is not present in the prosecutor’s office’s database,” says Georgia’s chief prosecutor, but he avoids revealing who might be detained next in the near future. Archil Kbilashvili made this statement after […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — Presecutors in Georgia have charged the former head of the General Headquarter with a new accusation of illegal deprivation of freedom. Monday morning the accused, Giorgi Kalandadze, was once again […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — Georgia’s parliament on Monday started discussing a draft law on amnesty which will release thousands of prisoners and reduce the sentence of others to half. The ruling Georgian Dream coalition and the minority National Movement party hold […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — Twelve Georgian sailors have asked for help from Panama as they are five km away from the nearest port and running out of food and electricity. The sailors are aboard the Maria Del Carmen sailing under Nigerian flag and have been out for […]
The results of the recent parliamentary elections in Georgia caught everyone by surprise. Observers had confidently predicted that Misha Saakashvili and his United National Movement (UNM) would prevail and that his declaration of victory would be followed by protests […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — The minimum wage has increased by about one dollar in October compared to September, 2012, according to Georgia’s National Statistics Department. According to GeoStat, the minimum wage for men of working age has increased from USD 89.7 to USD 90.7; […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — Georgia’s Revenue Service November 6 started an unscheduled audit of the financial activity of the Public Broadcaster. Finance Minister Nodar Khaduri November 7 stated that Georgia’s Public Broadcaster has about USD 2.2 million in debt to the […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — Germany wants to play a positive role in the process of restoring relations between Georgia and Russia, says Georgia’s Foreign Affairs Minister after meeting with her German colleague in Germany. According to the foreign ministry, Foreign […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — Former Deputy Interior Minister Shota Khizanishvili was on Sunday given pre-trial detention until the start of the court case on December 28. Khizanishvili, who is currently Deputy Mayor of Tbilisi, was detained November 15 for abuse of powers […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — The Prosecutor’s Office on Monday is expected to charge the former head of Georgia’s domestic intelligence service in absentia. Data Akhalaia was head of the Constitutional Security Department (CSD), locally known as ‘Kudi’, and former […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — Ten of the intelligence officers who were detained Friday have been sentenced to preliminary detention by Tbilisi City Court and were denied bail. November 15, eleven employees of the constitutional security department (CSD) of the interior ministry […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — Georgia’s defense and foreign ministers on Saturday met the U.S. Philip Gordon, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State. Gordon, whose full title is U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs, visited Georgia for a second day […]
