Prime Minister, Irakli Garibashvili starts the year by visiting Armenia, where he met Nikol Pashinyan, his Armenian counterpart. The two leaders meet very often. They reportedly spoke about regional security. Pashinyan drew the ire of the Russian Foreign Ministry today for publicly doubting the usefulness of a Russia-led collective security body. The most tangible outcome has been a decision to allow citizens of the two countries to cross each other’s borders with ID cards only. This comes as the Russian media reported about the schemes which help Russian businessmen to continue trading with Europe using both Armenia and Georgia for transactions.
Seymur Hezi, journalist and deputy leader of Azerbaijan’s opposition People’s Front said he was denied entry to Georgia when returning home from Turkey. Hezi, an ardent critic of Ilham Aliyev, reportedly traveled to Turkey from Georgia on January 1 to hold political meetings. Prior to that, he has allegedly undergone extensive medical treatment in Georgia following five years of imprisonment in Azerbaijan. The Ministry of Interior has not yet commented on the matter. Recently, some Russian opposition figures and journalists were also denied entry to Georgia.
Human Rights Watch, an acclaimed watchdog, reported on the global human rights situation. A chapter on Georgia identified the lack of accountability; the imprisonment of opposition TV manager, Nika Gvaramia; an extremely unfriendly environment for the LGBTQ+ community; and women’s rights – as key challenges for Georgia. Other important findings of the report point to worrying foreign policy trends, media interference, and unfair labor conditions.
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) will help the Georgian government to provide one-time financial aid to vulnerable Ukrainian families with children. An aid package of GEL 470 per child will be disbursed, for Ukrainian families arriving since February 1, 2022, UNICEF reported.
The Georgian Railways, a state-owned company, warned the public of possible disruptions as high winds in some parts of Georgia downed the electricity transmission lines. High winds have persisted in western parts of Georgia, causing travel disruptions and some damage to property.
Comings and goings
The Prosecutorial Council, the 15-member body in charge of nominating candidates for the chief prosecutor, unanimously elected Shota Tkeshelashvili as its chair. He was the sole candidate. Tkeshelashvili will replace Merab Jerenashvili, whose two-year term in office expires next week. Tkeshelashvili has served at the Prosecutor’s Office since 2007.
