Tuesday, December 9, 2025

Canada and Georgia sign defense agreement

Christopher R. Kilford - Davit Nardaia - 2013-01-23
Davit Nardaia (left) and Christopher R. Kilford, Jan. 23, 2013. (Interpressnews.)

TBILISI, DFWatch — Georgia and Canada Wednesday signed a memorandum of understanding about defense policy.

The agreement was signed by Colonel Christopher R. Kilford and Davit Nardaia, Chairman of Georgia’s International Affairs and EU Integration Department at

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Petitioning to decriminalize white collar crime

Vano Merabishvili
The National Movement Party’s Secretary General, Vano Merabishvili, says Georgia’s economy is in an alarming state. (Interpressnews.)

TBILISI, DFWatch — The party of President Mikheil Saakashvili has started a campaign to gather signatures in support of his initiatives about tax amnesty and decriminalization of financial crime.

The president presented his new initiatives to the government a few days

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Alasania to focus on defense

irakli alasania - giorgi kikadze funeral 2013-01-05 IPN
Irakli Alasania is no longer vice prime minister, only defense minister. (Interpressnews.)

TBILISI, DFWatch — Georgian Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili has relieved Defense Minister Irakli Alasania of his additional responsibilities as vice prime minister.

The press office of the PM says a decree was issued January 21 and that Ivanishvili will explain

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Alasania not a candidate for president

irakli alasania - giorgi kikadze funeral
Defense Minister Irakli Alasania in the funeral of Sergeant Giorgi Kikadze Jan. 5, 2013. (Interpressnews.)

TBILISI, DFWatch — Defense Minister Irakli Alasania says the Georgian Dream coalition has had ‘an awkward discussion’ about selecting a candidate for the presidential election, but he doesn’t consider himself a candidate, as he feels responsibility for the post he

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Georgia pays back old debt to Gamsakhurdia family

Manana Archvadze Gamsakhurdia
Manana Archvadze Gamsakhurdia, widow of Georgia’s first president after independence. (Interpressnews.)

TBILISI, DFWatch — Georgia’s new government will transfer USD 80 000 to the family of Zviad Gamsakhurdia, the country’s first president after independence.

Finance Minister Nodar Khaduri told journalists on Tuesday that this money was debt that Eduard

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Saakashvili era foreign policy deputy resigns

Nikoloz Vashakidze
Nikoloz Vashakidze was appointed during the National Movement’s time in government. (Interpressnews.)

TBILISI, DFWatch — Georgia’s Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister Nikoloz Vashakidze resigned on Tuesday, citing incompatibility with the current foreign policy of the country.

Vashakidze is one of the officials who have stayed over from the previous government. He

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Georgian morning show anchors criticized Elton John

davit katsarava - salome gogiashvili - Imedi TV
Davit Katsarava and Salome Gogiashvili, hosts of Imedi TV’s morning show. (Screen grab.)

TBILISI, DFWatch — Two well-known Georgian TV anchors are accused of having used a homophobic slur.

January 18, one of the anchors of a morning talk show on Imedi TV said: ‘I’m honestly sorry for both surrogate children of Elton John’. The other one

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Saakashvili says Georgia must choose between Russia and NATO

mikheil saakashvili CoE Strasbourg 2013-01-21
President Mikheil Saakashvili criticized the new Georgian government of trying to combine the impossible: Good relations with Russia and NATO at the same time. (CoE photo.)

TBILISI, DFWatch — President Mikheil Saakashvili criticized his own prime minister for saying that Georgia should have good relations with both Russia and NATO.

In a speech to the Parliamentary Assembly of Council of Europe (CoE) Monday, the president criticized his

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Hailstorm victims to get compensation

gurjaani_hail_storm__July_2012
The storm in Georgia in July 2012 ripped the roof off many houses. (DF Watch photo.)

TBILISI, DFWatch — The victims of a hailstorm in Georgia last summer will finally get compensation, ranging from USD 3 600 to USD 4 800.

Davit Narmania, Minister of Regional Development and Infrastructure, said Monday that the loss was estimated in such extreme

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