Health Minister Davit Sergeenko presented the new health insurance program Thursday. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–A new health insurance program became available to Georgians from Thursday. The program is open for citizens from the age of 6 to 60 who have not had health insurance before. Health insurance for every Georgian citizen was a part of the Georgian […]
Former interior minister Bacho Akhalaia was back in court Thursday. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–The most controversial court case against former officials continued on Thursday, as ex interior minister Bacho Akhalaia made another appearance in the city court here in Tbilisi. The close Saakashvili ally is charged with abuse of powers, illegal […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–The Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili Wednesday appeared to drive his blue Nissan to the airport together with his wife without the protection of guards. He explained that it is the fifth week he hasn’t been using the services of the president’s […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–According to a new survey the main problem in Georgian media is polarization. This is the main finding of a new report based on data gathered by four Georgian NGOs: Caucasus Research Resource Centers (CRRC), Internews – Georgia, International […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–President Mikheil Saakashvili is concerned that Russian banks lately have bought two Georgian banks and plan to make more deals with other banks in Georgia. The Georgian banks in question deny the content of what the president said. Also the banks in […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili accuses the Ivanishvili government of failing to adopt a common document with EU, while it accuses him of telling lies. Tuesday, during a meeting with TV reporters, the president said that for the first time […]
From left to right: Georgia’s Patriarch Ilia II, the ambassador’s wife Mary Hartnett, and US Ambassador to Georgia Richard Norland. (US Embassy photo.) TBILISI, DFWatch–US Ambassador to Georgia Richard Norland asks the Ivanishvili government to avoid vengeance as it seeks to prosecute many of the people who ran the country while President Mikheil Saakashvili held power. “There was a need now to balance the desire for […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–President Mikheil Saakashvili today starts a two day visit to Azerbaijan. The visit will take place on February 27-28 and includes a personal meeting with Azerbaijani president Ilham Aliyev, according to the Georgian president’s press office. […]
President Mikheil Saakashvili talking to TV journalists. (Photo by the president’s administrations.) TBILISI, DFWatch–President Mikheil Saakashvili says he wants to sit down with Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili to talk about how to solve a gridlocked power-sharing process. “I think we should talk with the government about many issues, like relations with Russia, […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–President Mikheil Saakashvili refuses to use the Special State Protection Service service after bitter negotiations with the government about the size and financing of the unit. Saakashvili said during a press conference on Tuesday evening […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili says his Georgian Dream coalition will agree to a demand put forth by President Mikheil Saakashvili’s National Movement and offer former government officials amnesty. The head of government writes in an open letter […]
Davit Davitashvili, Chairman of the National Wine Agency. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Six Russian experts yesterday landed in Georgia to inspect the production process of wine with an eye to returning the beverage back onto Russian dinner tables. They are sent here by the Russian consumer protection agency CPS to inspect companies […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–Police have detained two former policemen involved in the Robakidze case; a police operation in 2004 which led to the death of a 19-year old man. The two, Maizer Liparteliani and Levan Lobzhanidze, were detained Monday evening because they changed […]
Cecilia Malmström (left), EU’s Commissioner for Home Affairs, and Maia Panjikidze, Georgia’s Foreign Affairs Minister. (MFA.) TBILISI, DFWatch–EU has agreed with Georgia about a visa action plan that may one day allow Georgians to enter Europe without a visa. But first, the country must pass through a set of requirements in data safety, border management, migration, public order, security […]
Davit Narmania, Minister of Infrastructure and Regional Development. (Official photo.) TBILISI, DFWatch–The goal of a new reform of local government is to involve locals in solving their own problems, like bad roads and failing water supply. The Ministry of Regional Development and Infrastructure on Monday laid out its new decentralization plan and […]
Gigi Ugulava will continue as mayor of Tbilisi until the first trial hearing. He is charged with money laundering and embezzlement. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Tbilisi City Court did not listen to a plea from the Prosecutor’s Office to suspend Tbilisi Mayor Gigi Uglava from his position. Neither did it set bail conditions. Monday, the court reviewed the charges against Ugulava, a member of President […]
Zurab Abashidze represents Georgia in direct talks with Russia. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Georgia and Russia will meet for a second round of direct talks in Prague on March 1. The two countries have still not established formal relations following a brief war in 2008. Georgia’s envoy, Zurab Abashidze, told journalists Monday that they will […]
Tbilisi Mayor Gigi Ugulava addressing supporters after being questioned by investigators Saturday. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–The Prosecutor’s Office wants Tbilisi mayor Gigi Ugulava removed from office and on a USD 600 000 bail as he awaits trial for money laundering and embezzlement. Even though Ugulava, a close ally of President Mikheil Saakashvili, is an elected […]
Chief Prosecutor Archil Kbilashvili says he may want to question Saakashvili about the takeover of Imedi TV. (DF Watch photo.) TBILISI, DFWatch–President Mikheil Saakashvili may be asked to give testimony as a witness in the case about the takeover of a TV station. The reason is that an investor who played a key role in bringing Imedi TV under his government’s control in 2008 said he was […]
Former Justice Minister Zurab Adeishvili is wanted in his home country Georgia. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–The Georgian president says it was not right of the former justice minister Zurab Adeishvili to run away from the country and that he wouldn’t have done the same. But Mikheil Saakashvili also said that Zurab Adeishvili had planned to leave Georgia […]
TBILISI, DFWatch -A former sports minister detained for being involved in a fatal gun accident that killed his friend was Saturday released on GEL 3,000 (USD 1,800) bail by Tbilisi court, along with two other men charged for the same incident. Lado Vardzelashvili, former sports […]
Freelance journalist Paul Rimple’s book started with a trip to the corner shop to buy chocolate. (Photo: Londa Beria.) TBILISI, DFWatch–After the election for parliament last year, the process of changing and reallocation ownership has begun, says journalist Paul Rimple, who has published a new book called Who Owned Georgia. In it, he vividly depicts the very sophisticated quasi-legal […]
Vano Merabishvili, Secretary General of the National Movement. (DF Watch photo.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Tbilisi Mayor Gigi Ugulava was charged with money laundering and embezzlement of the city’s money, but not detained. Politicians from the United National Movement party of President Mikheil Saakashvili on Friday hastily left parliament Kutaisi […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–President Mikheil Saakashvili, who will leave office in October, says that he doesn’t plan to leave politics, because this would mean running away from the battlefield and letting everything which he has built be ruined. Saakashvili has served […]
Mikheil Saakashvili on Channel 1 talk show Friday. TBILISI, DFWatch–Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili made a rare appearance on a TV talk show and spoke about his own and his government’s errors. Saakashvili was invited to Channel 1 to answer […]
Tbilisi Mayor Gigi Ugulava appoints Sevdia Ugrekhelidze as his replacement, in case he himself ends up in prison. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–As Tbilisi Mayor Gigi Ugulava is slapped with charges of money laundering and embezzlement, he appoints who will replace him if he is arrested. Thursday evening, Ugulava presented Sevdia Ugrekhelidze, a Tbilisi Council member, as the new first vice […]
Zviad Dzidziguri (center) and Bidzina Gujabidze (right), members of parliament for the Conservative Party, a part of the Georgian Dream coalition, dressed in the traditional Georgian attire Chokha. (Parliament photo.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Lawmakers in Georgia Friday discussed a proposal to allow members of the assembly to wear the national dress Chokha while in parliament. The bill is the initiative of Bidzina Gujabidze from the Conservative Party, who argues that the physical […]
Gigi Ugulava. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Tbilisi Mayor Gigi Ugulava is charged with money laundering and embezzlement of public money. Ugulava is a close ally of President Mikheil Saakashvili and in 2010 became the first elected mayor of the capital. Natia Sukhiashvili, spokesperson for […]
Lado Vardzelashvili, former sports minister. (Police photo.) TBILISI, DFWatch–The former minister of sport and youth affairs, a close ally of president Saakashvili, has been detained by Tbilisi police, along with two of his friends, after the accidental killing of another friend who was also a former ministry employee. […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–The Ivanishvili government plans to do away with the governors in Georgia after the local election in 2014 and replace them with elected councils, Davit Narmania, Minister of Infrastructure and Regional Development says. A governor is a trustee […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–Mikheil Saakashvili’s party plans a rally on April 19 to demand that the country’s western policy continues. The Secretary General of the National Movement says ‘the vague foreign policy’ by Ivanishvili’s government puts the country in danger. […]
Outside the Rustavi 2 studio building Thursday. (DF Watch photo.) TBILISI, DFWatch–The public defender and several major non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in Georgia condemn Rustavi 2 TV for airing the footage of the 2004 police raid which killed a teenager. The Robakidze incident has been in the focus of the public interest […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–President Mikheil Saakashvili demands that parliament allows him to use his constitutional right to address the nation from parliament. Thursday, the Georgian leader sent an open letter to MPs calling on them to follow the constitution, which obliges […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–An independent expert claims that a video which was released a few days ago regarding Buta Robakidze’s murder, is edited. Marika Toklikishvili, who is an expert on audio and video footage, said at a press conference Thursday that even at first look, […]
Givi Targamadze is wanted in Russia. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–A court in Moscow Thursday issued a warrant for the arrest in absentia of a Georgian politician who is accused of organizing mass riots in Russia. Russian media writes that the court agreed with investigators to impose restraint measures and confine […]
Chiora Taktakishvili, one of the activists who argue that the case against Bacho Akhalaia is politically motivated. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–OSCE’s Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) Wednesday started a monitoring of the trials against former government officials in Georgia. According to the OSCE webpage, the monitoring started with the pretrial hearing of Bacho […]
Bacho Akhalaia in Tbilisi City Court Feb. 20, 2013. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–A trial drawing great public attention against former government officials was again rescheduled for February 28 by Tbilisi City Court on Wednesday. Tbilisi City Court held pretrial hearing for Bacho Akhalaia, a Saakashvili loyalist and former […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–The negotiations between Saakashvili’s party and Ivanishvlii’s coalition about constitutional changes have failed, because the president demanded an amnesty for all crimes committed by officials in his government, a demand rejected by Georgian Dream. […]
People in Tbilisi protesting against construction of Aziz Mosque in Batumi. (DFWatch photo) Tbilisi, DFWatch – Georgia has found a solution to a controversy concerning a planned mosque in Batumi, a city on the Black Sea coast. Locals have been outraged over the plans, as it should have been named after the historic Turkish leader Aziz. Now, the government […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–Tbilisi City Court today holds pretrial hearing in the case against Saakashvili loyalist Bacho Akhalaia and other former government officials. The hearing has been rescheduled several times on request by the Chief Prosecutor. Wednesday’s hearings […]
Nikoloz Khachirashvili. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–The National Movement (UNM) has lost one more member of Tbilisi City Council, but still has a majority of seats. Nikoloz Khachirashvili on Tuesday said he is leaving the UNM faction, but will remain an independent and not join any other faction. […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–Saakashvili faithful TV station Rustavi 2 has aired a 5-minute clip which appears to free police of culpability for the death of nineteen year-old Buta Robakidze, who was shot during a police operation on November 24, 2004. But the clip, the source […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–The Georgian prime minister and president are considering writing a letter to NATO about integration issues, according to the country’s foreign minister. Foreign Affair Minister Maia Panjikidze on Tuesday visited parliament in Kutaisi in western […]
Tbilisi, DFWatch – Commissioner Cecilia Malmström will visit Georgia and bring action plan for visa liberalization issues on February 24. Maia Panjikidze, Foreign Affair Minister on Tuesday met with the National Movement members in parliament […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–The Georgian prime minister Bidzina Ivanishvili Tuesday appointed a new business ombudsman. He said this will make it easier for them to make the government aware of problems they may have. The announcement took place at a meeting with business […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–The visit of NATO’s top political governing body to Georgia has been agreed upon, said Irakli Alasania, Georgia’s Minister of Defense, to journalists on Monday. He said that the exact date of the visit of the North Atlantic Council as well as the […]
From left to right: Eka Gigauri from Transparency International, Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili, and Prison Minister Sozar Subari. (DF Watch photo.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in Georgia met for a conference on Monday to sum up the three months after the parliamentary election of Georgia. Representatives of NGOs working in the human rights field described the government’s first 100 […]
Davit Sakvarelidze (left) and Giorgi Vashadze, members of parliament for the National Movement party. (DF Watch photo.) TBILISI, DFWatch–The Georgian justice minister and a member of parliament from the National Movement party (UNM) Monday argued about the issuing of a diplomatic passport during a conference to sum up the government’s first 100 days in power. The two were attending […]
Tbilisi, DF Watch – President Saakashvili’s United National Movement Party withdraws the draft bill which legally safeguards Georgia’s Western-oriented foreign policy in order ‘not to interrupt’ the process of negotiations between the government and the UNM. […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–A group of foreign experts is to monitor ongoing high profile criminal cases in Georgia. Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili, who took the initiative, told journalists that President Mikheil Saakashvili has agreed to establishing the group. Another […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–More than USD 94 million was transferred to Georgia from abroad in January, 2013. This is more than USD 10 million more than the same period in 2012. The total amount of money transfers in January was USD 94.1 million, which is 11.5 percent […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–Lawmakers in Georgia today start debating whether to write its foreign policy into the constitution, and if so, how many details of it. Foremost among issues likely to end up in the constitution is EU and NATO membership aspirations. The bill, […]
UNDP Administrator Helen Clark. (UNDP photo.) TBILISI, DFWatch–UNDP chief Helen Clark is expected in Georgia February 17 for a three-day visit. According to the UNDP, the organization’s administrator will hold meetings with government officials and representatives of local and international organizations. She […]
Zurab Abashidze. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–A second meeting between Georgian and Russian representatives will be held on March 1, 2013, in a European country, but not in Geneva. Zurab Abashidze, the Prime Minister’s Special Representative for Russian Relations, said in an interview on […]
Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–The Georgian prime minister Bidzina Ivanishvili has lifted the veil on what was said in an unusual conversation between him and President Mikheil Saakashvili last month. The two leaders, who are maneuvering a precarious power-sharing situation, […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–Bidzina Ivanishvili was Saturday elected honorable chairman of the Georgian Dream Democratic Georgia Party. The Prime Minister’s Party on Saturday held a large congress at Tbilisi Concert Hall to elect a political council and a party chairman. […]
Mayor Gigi Ugulava told police Feb. 8 that they had to establish order. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Mayor of Tbilisi Gigi Ugulava has left the police building after three hours of questioning. He said that he thinks he won’t be questioned again about the street violence he was involved in on February 8. The mayor was questioned as a witness […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–Four members of the US Congress have appealed to Secretary of State John Kerry to use the full diplomatic resources of his department to avert a political crisis in Georgia. The magazine The Hill on Friday published a letter signed by Michael Turner, […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–Georgian Dream coalition and the National Movement Party agree to reduce the powers of the president. This will need immediate enforcement of that part of the constitution which applies to the powers of the president and which should have been […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–Georgia is to speed up the transfer of Turkish prisoners to Turkey, to let them be closer to their family as they serve out the rest of their sentence. The government wants to make it easier for people to care for a family member who is in prison, […]
Mayor Gigi Ugulava waving his arms, urging supporters to break through a crowd of demonstrators Feb. 8, 2013. TBILISI, DFWatch–Tbilisi City Court Friday issued a ruling that orders the city’s mayor, Gigi Ugulava, to appear before the police and explain himself about a massive street scuffle that he was involved in February 8. The court instructs Interior Ministry employees […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–By-elections will be held April 27 in three districts of Georgia to fill seats made vacant when members of parliament were appointed to government positions last year. The three districts are Nadzaladevi in Tbilisi, and Baghdati and Samtreida, two […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–The National Movement continues to lose members in the Tbilisi City Council, but still controls a majority of seats. Zura Gachechiladze, known as Shonzo, on Friday left the National Movement and joined the alternative Freedom faction. After […]
Manana Kobakhidze, Vice Speaker of Parliament. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–The governing coalition in Georgia accepts a demand made by President Saakashvili’s National Movement party to write the country’s foreign policy course into the constitution. This means that Georgia’s aspirations to become a member of NATO […]
Givi Targamadze. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Russia has declared a Georgian member of parliament internationally wanted, accusing him of past ties to the Russian opposition and having tried to finance a revolution. According to reports in the Russian media, investigators have charged Givi […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–Around 800 rail workers in Khashuri in central Georgia went on strike Wednesday,demanding increased salaries and to restore benefits which they used to have years ago. There are no staff available on the railway section between Zestaponi further west […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–According to a new survey, the number keeps growing of public employees who are members of President Saakashvili’s party and have been fired after the parliamentary elections of October, 2012. The report, which is published by International Society […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–The Georgian head of government Bidzina Ivanishvili is on a one-day visit to Turkey accompanied by some of his ministers. According to the prime minister’s press office, the delegation plans to hold meetings with Turkey’s president, prime minister […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–The Georgian Interior Ministry appeals to Tbilisi City Court asking for it to issue a court order requiring the Tbilisi mayor to appear for questioning. Mayor Ugulava has been asked repeatedly to come to the police and talk about the violence outside […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–Nearly 200 children were poisoned at Tbilisi kindergartens in November, 2012. According to the National Center for Disease Control (NCDC), the reason was bad quality products. Representatives of the National Food Agency say that sanctions have […]
The memorial stone. TBILISI, DFWatch–Georgia’s justice minister on Saturday opened a memorial for the victims of the Saakashvili regime, which held government power in the country from 2004 to 2012. The memorial stone at the entrance to the House of Justice bears the names of Zurab […]
Sergo Ratiani (left) and Koba Davitashvili (right) fighting while anchor Tea Sichinava (seated) of the show Arguments on Maestro TV tries to calm them down. TBILISI, DFWatch–A member of parliament from the opposition and one from the ruling coalition beat each other live on Maestro TV Wednesday evening during a discussion about political violence. The two briefly clashed together while discussing who was to blame for the […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–For several days, investigators in Georgia have been calling National Movement members in for questioning without them appearing, including the Tbilisi mayor. Mayor Gigi Ugulava’s answer has repeatedly been to call on the investigators to come to his […]
Davit Bakradze (left) and Davit Usupashvili. (President’s administration.) TBILISI, DFWatch–The two main political blocs in Georgia met Tuesday to try to agree on how to change the constitution, but without results. Parliament Speaker Davit Usupashvili from the governing Georgian Dream coalition said he believes it is possible to bring […]
Tedo Japaridze is chairman of parliament’s foreign affairs committee. Polemical reflections on the UNM’s proposal for the constitutionalization of Georgian Foreign Policy Constitutions are binding principles that are non-negotiable in the context of a polity. This is why principles enshrined in a Constitution set minimum benchmarks, […]
Part of the money will go to promoting better coordination at the Prime Minister’s Office. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–EU Tuesday signed an agreement with Georgia which will release €20 million in aid for furthering democratic reforms in the country. According to an EU press release, the money will be spent on institution building aimed at supporting reforms […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–The US Secretary of Defense Tuesday called Georgia’s Defense Minister and introduced him to the US action plan for Afghanistan. The main topic of conversation between Leon Panetta and Irakli Alasania was what kind of new functions the Georgian […]
Štefan Füle (left), the EU’s Commissioner for Enlargement and Neighborhood Policy, and Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili in Tbilisi Feb. 12. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili says the current events in his country are dangerous and that he will meet regularly with the prime minister in the coming period. “Now we should stand higher than our ambitions. We and the government should […]
Graphic showing the number of prisoners in each prison. (Prison Ministry.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Almost to 7 000 prisoners have left Georgian jails after a mass amnesty came into force one month ago, according to the country’s Prison Ministry. This is twice as many as the government estimate before the amnesty. In total, 6 918 prisoners have […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–A correspondent for Interpressnews in the Black Sea port reports that 350 drivers have been on strike from Tuesday morning, demanding an increase in their salary. Drivers say their hourly pay is USD 2.20 and want to increase it to USD 2.50, otherwise […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–The prime minister and defense minister of Georgia will go to Turkey this week to discuss relations between the two neighboring countries. Defense Minister Irakli Alasania said on Monday that he and Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili will go to Turkey […]
Georgia’s Foreign Affairs Minister Maia Panjikidze. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Georgia will host the session of the informal dialogue within the Eastern Partnership February 12 and 13. Georgia’s Foreign Affairs Minister Maia Panjikidze and Economy Minister Giorgi Kbirikashvili will host the event, according to the press office […]
From left to right: Speaker of Parliament Davit Usupashvili, President Mikheil Saakashvili and former Speaker of Parliament Davit Bakradze. (President’s administration.) TBILISI, DFWatch–The president and the speaker of parliament Monday emerged after an hour-long meeting and agreed that it had been a productive one, although the only thing they agree on was that agreement is necessary on important issues. Speaker of Parliament Davit […]
Video still shows Gela Mamaladze in the moment he hit member of parliament Chiora Taktakishvili Feb. 8, 2013. TBILISI, DFWatch–The man suspected of beating a member of parliament outside the National Library last Friday was Monday allowed to go free until his trial for a USD 1 200 bail. Gela Mamaladze is charged with physically assaulting Chiora Taktakishvili, Sergo […]
Bakar Berekashvili is a lecturer at Georgian-American University in Tbilisi. The new ruling political class needs to make more effort to emancipate their minds from market oriented stereotypes, writes Bakar Berekashvili. 20 years of post-communist transition cultivated and produced lots of troubles, dramas and traumas in many post-communist […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–The Georgian president will meet with the speaker of parliament in the evening today to discuss topics which lie at the base of a protracted dispute between the two main political blocs. Member of parliament Giorgi Gabashvili from the minority […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–Non-governmental organizations say the cases of torture in the prisons, which caused a wave of demonstrations in September, 2012 and preceded the ruling party’s election defeat, have not been investigated by the new government. “Despite an […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–European Initiative – Liberal Academy Tbilisi presented a new web service about the evolution of EU-Georgia relations. The goal of the project “Who is Who in Brussels on Georgia and the South Caucasus” is to offer a mapping of major interlocutors […]
Interior Minister Irakli Gharibashvili in front of the National Library Feb. 8, 2013. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Georgia’s Prosecutor’s Office asks Tbilisi City Court to impose pre-trial measures against Gela Mamaladze, the man who is accused of beating opposition members outside the National Library on Friday. […]
Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili’s official Facebook page. TBILISI, DFWatch–The prime minister and the president in Georgia are continuing to challenge eachother’s versions of a violent street clash Friday – via Facebook. Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili Sunday evening issued another statement as answer to President […]
Protesters angry about the torture of prisoners blocking the entrance to the National Library before President Saakashvili’s state of the nation address. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Two EU foreign policy spokespersons express deep concern over the violent incidents in front of the National Library in Tbilisi February 8. A violent clash developed as a column of activists for President Mikheil Saakashvili’s National Movement party, led […]
President Mikheil Saakashvili invites Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili and his team to a dialogue. (Photo: President’s press office.) Tbilisi, DF Watch–Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili welcomes a statement by Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili condemning Friday’s violence in front of the National Library and invites him to a new dialogue. Saakashvili said he welcomed ‘the fact that the Prime […]
Guram Donadze. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–New details have been revealed about the murder of Buta Robakidze, while the former head of the interior minister’s press office was detained. Guram Donadze was charged for abuse of powers. Specifically, he is accused of ordering the filming of […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–Georgia’s prime minister Bidzina Ivanishvili unconditionally and unequivocally condemns the violence which took place on Friday outside the National Library. President Mikheil Saakashvili’s televised address to the nation was delayed after a group of […]
Interior Minister Irakli Gharibashvili trying to calm the crowd outside the National Library Friday. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Police today detained a person who Friday hit Chiora Taktakishvili, member of parliament for the National Movement, causing bleeding and injuries to her nose. According to the interior minister police this morning detained Giorgi Mamaladze, who is […]
Reactions are strong against the political violence, but some question the actions of Tbilisi Mayor Gigi Ugulava. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Some of the top people in President Mikheil Saakashvili’s National Movement party Friday clashed with a crowd mostly consisting of protesters who were angry about the treatment of political prisoners. Over a hundred political prisoners were recently […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–Saakashvili says the Girgvliani case is ‘a black stain’ for him which he feels partly responsible for. After the televised state to the nation speech, which eventually ended up being held at his residence, the president invited journalists from […]
Climber and former member of parliament Gia Tortladze. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Georgia’s Finance Ministry’s investigative service launched an investigation into the organization of the former member of parliament and well-known climber Gia Tortladze. Investigators believe that money given by the Culture Ministry to the […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili says his party supports constitution changes regarding limiting his powers, but doesn’t support the change which suggests moving parliament back to Tbilisi. In his speech held at the president’s residence […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — After violent clashes caused him to change venue for the state of the nation address Friday, President Mikheil Saakashvili held his televised address from his residence. No one will be able to lock me up in this palace, the president said. He opened […]
Parliamentarian for Saakashvili’s National Movement party Chiora Taktakishvili emerged from the chaos with a bloody nose. (DF Watch photo.) TBILISI, DFWatch — Violent clashes broke out as some of the central figures in President Mikheil Saakashvili’s party were trying to enter the National Library to listen to the state of the nation address. Two rallies were ongoing in the area: One by former […]
Georgia’s ambassador to South Korea Nikoloz Apkhazava (left) and South Korea’s First Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Anh Ho-young. (Photo: Georgia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Georgia and South Korea have signed their first inter-governmental treaty about visa free travel for citizens holding diplomatic, official and service passports. The agreement on the waiving of visa requirements for holders of diplomatic, official […]
The restored Stalin statue in Akura was torn down and doused with pink paint. (Channel 1.) TBILISI, DFWatch — Monuments of Joseph Stalin which have been restored in two Georgian villages were bombed with pink paint, torn down, and damaged. After the change of government, the population in some villages demanded to restore old monuments of Soviet dictator […]
Tbilisi, DF Watch – The President of Georgia will address the nation at 18:00 today from the National Library. The diplomatic corps, church leaders, journalists and students are invited to attend the event. After his speech, the president will answer questions. […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — Spring recruitment for compulsory military service has started. Citizens from 18 to 27 year will be recruited — about 1 650 persons in total. This is a significant decrease from 4 347 in 2012. Gocha Kharshiladze, chair of the military service […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili will address the nation from the National Library instead of from parliament. Saakashvili should have held his annual address on Friday, but the event was postponed by the ruling Georgian Dream coalition. […]
Member of Parliament Marika Verulashvili has left the National Movement. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch — Two more members of parliament for the National Movement have left their party’s faction in the last few days. The party of President Mikheil Saakashvili is now down to 55 representatives in the assembly of 150. Speaker of Parliament Davit […]
Speaker of Parliament Davit Usupashvili. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch — The president’s annual speech to parliament is postponed indefinitely. This is a decision made by the ruling coalition. Speaker of Parliament Davit Usupashvili today said consultations had been held and a decision was made to not hold […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — The new government in Georgia wants to amend the law on the occupied territories in order to soften the punishment for people who violate it. The Law on Occupied Territories was adopted in October 2008, a few months after the Russian-Georgian war. […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — One would think Georgia’s fresh interior minister would have his hands full, as his government has enforced a mass amnesty which has freed more than three thousand prisoners, but Irakli Gharibashivli says the crime situation in the country hasn’t […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — Georgian Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili spoke with Georgian soldiers serving in Afghanistan and thanked them for their service. According to the press office of the Defense Ministry, Ivainishvili Wednesday visited the ministry and held a video […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili says Georgia’s foreign policy course is unchanged and doesn’t need constitutional guarantees. He also says that the country will restore its territorial integrity and mend relations with Russia. The National […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — Georgia’s finance minister Nodar Khaduri says the government expects 6 % growth in 2013, low inflation and reduced state debts. He also notes that 6 percent growth is the minimum estimate on which the Georgian government is working. The finance […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili has presented parliament with a bill which will give amnesty for industrial, financial and economic crimes. A few days ago, the president spoke about the importance of announcing a financial amnesty to attract […]
Dimitry Shashkin is returning to Georgia to answer all questions. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch — Ex Defense Minister Dimitry Shashkin lives in the United States in a luxurious $4000/month house and claims to have earned his fortune while working for an American corporation. But what corporation does he mean? The former prison, defense and education […]
Interior Minister Irakli Gharibashvili. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch — The Georgian interior minister says he has discovered audio files of all his phone calls for a whole year, secretly recorded and stored on computer disk. Irakli Gharibashvili was Tuesday invited to the TV channel Rustavi 2 to sum up the government’s […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — Three new funds will be established in Georgia, which will be sovereign fund of Georgia, a private investment fund and a youth fund. Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili at a press conference Tuesday briefly outlined the three new funds, saying that […]
Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili. (Official photo.) TBILISI, DFWatch — Georgia’s head of government Bidzina Ivanishvili has temporarily suspended the process of canceling his French passport, because it may cost him his position. The prime minister said at a press conference Tuesday that he still doesn’t have […]
Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili. (Official photo.) TBILISI, DFWatch — Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili Tuesday answered questions about alleged nepotism in his government. He said he doesn’t agree that people should get positions through being familiar with others, and that competition is the best way to get good […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili and Mayor of Tbilisi Gigi Ugulava have left for Germany to participate in a conference organized by the German Marshall Fund. According to the president’s press office, there is planned an event called […]
Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili. (Official photo.) TBILISI, DFWatch — The opposition National Movement party in Georgia compares Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili with Hugo Chavez and Fidel Castro after statements he made at a press conference Tuesday. Ivanishvili was summing up his first hundred days of being in […]
Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili says the party of President Mikheil Saakashvili is trying to recruit one of his biggest assets; Defense Minister Irakli Alasania. (Official photo.) TBILISI, DFWatch — Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili says the National Movement is attempting to win over Defense Minister Irakli Alasania to their side. He says he heard rumors that some of the UNM members have contact with him, but when he asked Alasania about it, […]
Levan Davitashvili, head of the National Wine Agency, believes Georgian wine might be back on Russian dinner tables by the end of spring. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch — Georgian wine might get back on the Russian market by the end of spring and it will cost about USD 10, which is higher than the average wine price in Russia. A delegation from Georgian business and government is in Moscow to negotiate about a return […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — A set of constitutional amendments are set to be debated in parliament today Tuesday. The amendments have been through a public hearing process with town hall type meetings around the country. The Judiciary Committee will discuss it […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — Two veterans of Russian and Georgian politics met in Munich and discussed current problems between their two countries and ways of solving them. The meeting took place on the sidelines of the 49th Munich Security Conference. Igor Ivanov, former […]
Tbilisi, DFWatch — Goga Zhvania, brother of the deceased prime minister Zurab Zhvania, says he is cooperating with the Prosecutor’s Office and is sure the case of his brother’s death will soon be reopened. Goga was voted into parliament last October, representing […]
Gennady Onishchenko, head of the consumer protection bureau in Russia, will meet with the Georgian negotiators. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch — A delegation from Georgia is in Moscow on Monday to negotiate about letting Georgian wine, mineral water and other products onto the Russian market. The seven persons delegation left on Sunday. Two of them represent the national agency of wine, two […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — After having been questioned about his role in a large embezzlement case, the Tbilisi mayor says the Prosecutor’s Office is in a deadlock and in a hurry. Even though Gigi Ugulava refused to appear for questioning, he invited investigators […]
Gianni Buquicchio, President of the Council of Europe’s Venice Commission. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch — Venice Commission president Gianni Buquicchio says he will continue cooperating with the new government in Georgia. Before he left Georgia, Buquicchio held a press conference to sum up his stay and his meetings with the president, the prime […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — President Mikheil Saakashvili calls on Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili and his Georgian Dream coalition to make all constitutional amendments unanimous. The governing Georgian Dream coalition wants to change the constitution, but is nine votes […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — President Mikheil Saakashvili’s annual address to parliament will take place on February 8, 2013. “As a result of consultations, a decision was made that the president’s annual speech, defined by the constitution, will take place at 14:00 Friday […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili compares the opposition victory in the October, 2012 parliament election with an epidemic. “Sometimes I think there was no election on October 1, but some type of natural disease swept across some of our […]
“If anyone has illusions that I am leaving and won’t come back, I will tell them that I cannot grant such a pleasure to Ivanishvili, Kbilashvili, Tsulukiani and the others,” says Tbilisi Mayor Gigi Ugulava. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch — Tbilisi mayor and staunch Saakshvili ally Gigi Ugulava failed to show up for questioning at the Finance Ministry’s Investigative Service today. He was called to explain himself regarding a case of suspected embezzlement of five million lari […]
Impatient. National Movement Secretary Vano Merabishvili can’t wait four years for the next election. “There are other methods,” he says. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch — President Mikheil Saakashvili’s political party says it can’t wait four years for a change of power and instead will try to ‘weaken’ the Ivanishvili government. Secretary General of the National Movement, Vano Merabisvhili, says they do not plan […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — Georgia’s Prosecutor’s Office claims to have revealed a case of embezzlement in a cleaning contractor for the city of Tbilisi. Chief Prosecutor Archil Kbilashvili said that Tbilservice Group – a company established in 2006 which provides […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — TBC Bank has stopped the seizing of minibuses belonging to Tbilisi Minibus Ltd and lets the company continue work as normal when drivers have ended their strike. Thursday morning, the National Enforcement Bureau entered the garage in Gldani, […]
Ex Interior Minister Bacho Akhalaia’s detention November 7, 2012. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch — Foreign diplomats in Tbilisi are concerned about the many speedy trials against former officials, saying the whole process looks like political revenge. The new government in Georgia has received seven thousand complaints from people who say they […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — Moscow denies rumors about ongoing negotiations with Georgia to bring the country back as member of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). The rumors were reported a few days ago in Russian media. Alexander Lukashevich, spokesperson for […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — Civil groups in Georgia are concerned about the dismissal of public employees in local government. Around 1 200 public employees have been fired from their jobs since the election in October, 2012. Non-governmental organizations now protest […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — Another official from Mikheil Saakashvili’s government was Wednesday charged with abuse of powers and bribery. The Finance Ministry’s investigative service accuses former Defense Minister Davit Kezerashvili of assisting a criminals gang with […]
