The Daily Beat: 3 June
The ruling Georgian Dream party has filed complaints with the Communications Commission against the opposition channels Formula and TV Pirveli for using terminology that questions the government’s legitimacy. This follows recent amendments to the Law on Broadcasting, which allow stricter regulations on broadcasters’ content, based on what GD calls the “British model.”
The European Parliament’s Subcommittee on Human Rights (DROI) held a session on June 3 to debrief MEPs following their May 26-28 working trip to Georgia. The meeting featured statements from MEPs, as well as accounts from representatives of Georgian civil society and the media. Spanish MEP Nacho Sánchez Amor (S&D), who chaired the mission, criticized recent legislation passed by the GD parliament, calling it “completely contrary” to what is happening in the EU.
The NATO Parliamentary Assembly’s (PA) Standing Committee has suspended meetings of the Georgia-NATO Interparliamentary Council (GNIC) and reduced “some of the Georgian delegation’s participation privileges,” citing concerns over democratic backsliding. The Assembly confirmed to Netgazeti that its Standing Committee — the governing body of NATO PA — made the decision in April 2025, following a six-month review launched in November 2024.
European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos said Georgia’s case shows that receiving EU candidate status does not guarantee a successful accession. She placed full responsibility for the setbacks on Georgian authorities, calling on them to take “credible steps” to reverse course and heed citizens’ calls for democracy and a European future.
In an interview with Russia’s media outlet TASS, Badra Gunba, the de facto president of occupied Abkhazia, said that Moscow’s plan in the occupied city of Ochamchire does not involve the establishment of a naval base, but rather a “logistical support facility” for the Russian Black Sea Fleet.
Dmitry Olisov has been appointed Head of the Russian Federation’s Interests Section at the Swiss Embassy in Georgia, Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on June 2. Olisov, 45, has been part of the Russian diplomatic service since 2002, with posts including the Russian Consulate in Liepaja (2002–2005), the Permanent Representation to the EU in Brussels (2008–2010), and the Embassy in Germany (2014–2019). Since December 2019, he has led a division in the Fourth Department of CIS Countries at the Russian Foreign Ministry.