Tag Archives: Georgia

Russia’s military exercise strains relations with Georgia

MARCH 28 2013 (The Conway Bulletin) – Russian president Vladimir Putin ordered a surprise large scale military exercise in the Black Sea, potentially straining relations with Georgia. Reuters reported that 36 warships and an unspecified number of warplanes would take part in the exercise, designed to show off Russia’s military might.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 129, published on March 29 2013)

Georgian parliament cuts presidential power

MARCH 21 2013 (The Conway Bulletin) – Georgia’s parliament voted to cut the president’s authority, the latest move in the power struggle between supporters of President Mikheil Saakashvili and PM Bidzina Ivanishvili. The amendment scraps the president’s right to sack a cabinet. The pro-Western Mr Saakashvili finishes his second term and final term as president in October.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 128, published on March 22 2013)

Georgia aims to improve its prisons

MARCH 16 2013 (The Conway Bulletin) – Prisons in the former Soviet Union have a reputation for being notoriously tough places; human rights groups routinely criticise them for being over-crowded and Georgia had been no exception.

Statistics showed that Georgia had one of the highest prison populations in the world compared to the size of its population.

The Georgian authorities, though, had a solution and since January they have released nearly half the inmates in its prisons in a mass amnesty.

The amnesty reduced Georgia’s prison population to 11,107 from 19,349 in December, according to local media. These were mainly people convicted of robbery and crimes which didn’t involve violence.

But like many aspects of Georgian life, the amnesty was also politically highly charged.

Georgia’s politics is split between supporters of President Mikheil Saakashvili and supporters of PM Bidzina Ivanishvili. Mr Saakashvili declined to sign off on the amnesty bill, forcing it back through parliament where enough of his MPs sided with his opponents to pass it.

Even with the prison amnesty it’s still unclear what’s more important, the humanitarian gesture or the politics.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 128, published on March 22 2013)

Georgia offers to send forces to Mali

MARCH 21 2013 (The Conway Bulletin) – Georgia offered to send two military officers to support a 500-man EU force heading to Mali to train government forces fighting Islamic radicals. Georgia’s offer is significant as it is an extension of its policy to support US-led wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Georgia wants to join both NATO and the EU.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 128, published on March 22 2013)

GDP to grow in Georgia

MARCH 12 2013 (The Conway Bulletin) – An increase in foreign direct investment will help Georgia’s economy maintain a 6% growth rate in 2013, media quoted finance minister Nodar Khaduri as saying. Mr Khaduri predicted that foreign investment in Georgia will double to $2b this year. Georgia’s economy officially grew by 6.1% in 2012.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 127, published on March 15 2013)

Georgian President meets PM

MARCH 4 2013 (The Conway Bulletin) – Amid an increasingly acrimonious political divide in Georgia, President Mikheil Saakashvili and PM Bidzina Ivanishvili met for only the second time since an election on Oct. 1 to discuss their differences. Supporters of Georgia’s two political leaders have clashed recently in Tbilisi.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 126, published on March 8 2013)

Georgian wine to flow to Russia, again

MARCH 6 2013 (The Conway Bulletin) – Officially, at least, Russian health inspectors had to visit and pass 36 Georgian wine and four mineral water producers before allowing them to resume imports.

Unofficially, politics is behind the return of Georgian wine to Russia.

Allowing the companies into the Russian market effectively lifts a seven year ban on Georgian wines and, importantly, signals a major shift forward in Georgia-Russia relations.

Russian health inspectors imposed the ban in 2006 just as, apparently coincidentally, relations between the countries were disintegrating. Now, it’s a different scenario and over the last couple of years there were two important shifts that smoothed relations further.

After rounds of negotiations, Georgian officials agreed to lift their block on Russia joining the World Trade Organisation (WTO). Separately, billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili surprisingly won a parliamentary election in October and is now Georgia’s PM.

Mr Ivanishvili is Georgia’s richest man, a fortune he made in Russia. He campaigned on a cautiously pro-Russia ticket.

Confirmation of the return of Georgian wine to Russia’s restaurants is due on March 25 but Georgia-Russia relations are clearly improving.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 126, published on March 8 2013)

Georgia delays sensitive trial

FEB. 23 2013 (The Conway Bulletin) – A judge in Georgia delayed the politically sensitive trial of former defence minister Bacho Akhalaia until Feb. 28. Mr Akhalaia is accused of abuse of power. Supporters of President Mikheil Saakashvili have accused his opponents of orchestrating a witch-hunt since they won a parliamentary election last year.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 125, published on Feb. 22 2013)

Georgian court delays former minister’s trial

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(News report from Issue No. 125, published on Feb. 22 2013)

Georgian President changes the venue

FEB. 8 2013 (The Conway Bulletin) – Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili was forced to change the venue of his annual state-of-the-nation address after scuffles between his supporters and supporters of rival, PM Bidzina Ivanishvili, broke out in front of the national library. The political divide in Georgia appears to be worsening.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 124, published on Feb. 15 2013)