The Daily Beat: 25 April
Foreign Ministry reports the successful evacuation of all Georgian citizens from Soudanese Khartoum. They are expected to return to Georgia in the coming days. Stranded Georgian citizens are currently in the neutral zone on the border of Sudan and Egypt, expected to leave Sudan and be transported to Georgia from Cairo, deputy foreign minister Alexander Khvtisiashvili said. In the meantime, Ukraine’s defense ministry claimed that its intelligence directorate, in coordination with the office of the President of Ukraine and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, successfully evacuated 87 Ukrainian citizens, along with citizens of Peru and Georgia. The Georgian foreign ministry has not yet commented on Ukraine’s involvement in the evacuation process, saying it conducted the safe evacuation with the support of its embassies, partner countries, and companies.
Don’t miss a beat!
Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili is visiting Brussels, where he has met NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and EU Council President Charles Michel. At a joint press conference before meeting in NATO headquarters, Irakli Garibasvili reaffirmed Georgia’s Euro-Atlantic aspirations, stating that NATO membership remains the country’s foreign policy priority. On his part, Jens Stoltenberg assured the prime minister of NATO’s continued political and practical support, calling for more active democratic reforms effort. According to the government’s press release, implementing 12 EU conditions and the prospects of the EU candidate status topped the discussion agenda between Irakli Garibashvili and Charles Michel. EU Council President, in his tweet, noted that Georgia’s future is in the EU, stressing that now more than ever, implementing the EU’s key priorities is crucial.
Foreign Minister Ilia Darchaishvili visited Luxemburg, attending the EU foreign affairs council session. According to the foreign ministry, the enlargement of the EU, prospects of Georgia’s EU accession, and the country’s progress in fulfilling 12 EU conditions were among the main topics of the EU ministerial meeting. “The main message we received from our partners is that almost everyone supports Georgia’s European integration, European future, and our common coexistence in the European family – and this is especially important for us, and we will continue our efforts to bring our country even closer to the European Union,” Ilia Darchiashvili said after the meeting.
President Salome Zurabishvili hosted children with achondroplasia and their parents at the presidential palace, pledging to facilitate contact between the protesting parents and the prime minister. Parents seemed happy and pretty satisfied with the warm welcome by the president, saying the president was well-informed and sensitive to their needs and concerns. After the meeting, parents of the children with achondroplasia returned to the government district and continued their week-long rally, requesting importing and financing of achondroplasia drugs.
Poll of the Day
A freshly baked IRI poll suggests strong support of Georgian citizens for EU membership, disapproval of Russian citizens within the country, and a lack of trust in political parties.
According to the poll, if parliamentary elections were held next Saturday, 19% of respondents would vote for Georgian Dream as their first choice; 14% – for the United National Movement; 3% – 3% – for former Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia’s For Georgia party and Girchi – More Freedom; 2%-2% – for Labor Party, Lelo for Georgia and Girchi. 42% of respondents said that none of the political parties represent their interests, while 39% do not trust political parties.
Patriarch of the Georgian Orthodox Church Ilia II retained his place as the most favorably perceived public figure with a 91% approval rate, followed by Tbilisi Mayor Kakha Kaladze with 52% and Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili with 48%, leaving Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili in fourth with 43%.
