TBILISI, October 2 – Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili marked 14 years of Georgian Dream rule by arguing that the country has gradually regained sovereignty and reduced foreign influence since the party came to power in 2012. Papuashvili said the nine years before Georgian Dream’s election victory were not only a period of what he … Read more
TBILISI, September 29 – Georgia’s parliament is considering changes that would sharply raise the income threshold for paying property tax. A bill submitted to parliament on Monday would scrap the current 40,000-lari household income threshold and leave only a 100,000-lari threshold for property tax liability. The amendments to the Tax Code have already been presented … Read more
TBILISI, September 23 – The Council of Europe says it did not transfer a grant to a Georgian political school or pay its officials for a recent seminar after Georgian authorities launched a probe for possible violation of the grants law. In a statement to Interpressnews on Tuesday, the Strasbourg-based organization said it had directly … Read more
TBILISI, September 22 – Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili traveled to Brussels on Tuesday for an official visit that will include meetings with the heads of both chambers of Belgium’s federal parliament. Papuashvili will meet the presidents of the Belgian Senate and the Chamber of Representatives, according to a statement from the Georgian parliament’s press … Read more
TBILISI, September 21 – Georgia’s parliament speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Monday ruled out the possibility of the country joining the European Union without Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Abkhazia and South Ossetia broke away from Georgian government control in the 1990s during the breakup of the Soviet Union. Russia recognized both as independent states following the … Read more
TBILISI, July 8 – Georgia’s parliament speaker has warned the European Union not to create second-class members if it changes voting rules for future entrants. Shalva Papuashvili made the comment on Tuesday after a meeting in Serbia with parliament speakers from EU candidate countries, where they discussed a new initiative that would restrict veto rights … Read more
TBILISI, May 26 – Georgia’s leaders used Independence Day to highlight the importance of sovereignty. The main ceremony was held on Freedom Square in central Tbilisi, where President Mikheil Kavelashvili, Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze, Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili, cabinet members and MPs attended. Catholicos-Patriarch Shio III and other clergy were also present, along with diplomats, … Read more
TBILISI, May 22 – Georgia’s parliament speaker launched new attacks on German Ambassador Peter Fischer on Friday, accusing him of damaging relations between Germany and Georgia. Shalva Papuashvili, one of the top figures in the ruling Georgian Dream (GD) party, said Fischer had mocked Georgians with his comments about the “deep state,” a term increasingly … Read more
TBILISI, May 7 – Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze met U.S. State Department official Sonata Coulter in Tbilisi on Thursday, as both sides looked for a way to repair relations after years of tension. Coulter is a deputy assistant secretary at the U.S. State Department. Her visit is being watched closely in Georgia, where the … Read more
TBILISI, April 18 – A warning from Russia’s Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova prompted Tbilisi to push back, asserting the country’s independence, while opposition figures claimed it proves the need to seek allies. As reported by Interpressnews, Zakharova said Georgia’s accession to the European Union, and any move to join sanctions against Russia, would deal … Read more