The Daily Beat: 11 May
The Georgian Dream severed ties with the Party of European Socialists (PES) family. This came after multiple indications from PES that it planned to exclude the Georgian ruling party, which held an observer status since 2008, especially after Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili attended the ultra-right gathering in Budapest. The ruling party chairman, Irakli Kobakhidze, claimed the PES has abandoned the classical social-democratic ideology and moved towards “pseudo-liberalism.” Apart from the “ideological transformation,” Kobakhidze blamed the PES for supporting Georgia’s radical opposition and voting for “absurd” European Parliament resolutions on Georgia. Chairman Kobakhidze made no indication as to whether GD plans to join another European political family but said, “as of today, the Georgian Dream will cooperate with all European political parties on an equal footing.”
Don’t miss a beat!
While Georgian prime minister Irakli Garibashvili praised Putin’s decision to lift the visa regime and air travel ban, the EU urged Georgia to align with sanctions on Russia and remain vigilant regarding any possible attempt to circumvent them. “The EU encourages Georgia, aspiring to become an EU candidate country, to align with the EU and other countries in their sanctions against Russia also in the aviation sector, and to remain vigilant regarding any possible attempt to circumvent them,” EU lead Spokesperson for foreign and security issues, Peter Stano said at a press briefing.
The US also expressed concern over the resumption of direct air links between Russia and Georgia, saying now it’s not the time to increase engagement with Russia and pointing to the possible sanctioning of Georgian companies operating at Georgian airports. “If direct flights between Russia and Georgia resume, companies at Georgian airports could be at risk for sanctions if they service aircrafts subject to import and export controls,” Vedant Patel, Principal Deputy Spokesperson of the US State Department, said at a press briefing.
In an extensive interview with the pro-government TV channel Imedi, the ruling party’s chairman Irakli Kobakhidze made it clear that Georgia “cannot and will not” impose sanctions against Russia, as this would be tantamount to sanctions against the country and its people. “We calculated what it would cost us: for instance, last year, we had a 10% economic growth, we would have had a 10% economic recession; this is exactly what the radical opposition wanted,” Kobakhidze added.
Speaking to journalists at the Centers for Disease Control program’s graduation ceremony, US Ambassador Kelly Degnan backed IRI’s work in Georgia and called out the ruling party “and their media affiliates” for spreading “outrageous lies.” Amb. Degnan also said the Georgian Dream received more IRI support than any other political party. Yesterday, parliament speaker Shalva Papuashvili accused IRI of funding opposition parties and sponsoring violent, revolutionary scenarios.
State Security Service reported the illegal detention of a Georgian citizen by the Russian occupying forces near the South Ossetia occupation line, saying the EUMM and international partners have been notified and mediation mechanisms are activated.
Another Georgian fighter was killed near the embattled town of Bakhmut in Ukraine, the foreign ministry confirmed. The identity and circumstances in which the Georgian fighter was killed are yet to be verified. This latest casualty brings the toll of Georgian citizens who died defending Ukraine to 33.
