The Daily Beat: 29 June
Outgoing US Ambassador Kelly Degnan hosted her last Independence Day reception in Georgia. The Independence Day reception was attended by the prime minister, president, other high-level officials, the representatives of various political parties, critical media, and civic activists. “Throughout history, your country has proudly carried the torch of freedom and democracy, setting a shining example,” said the prime minister, Irakli Garibashvili, in his speech at the reception, not sparing words of gratitude for the Ambassador’s utmost efforts in furthering Georgia-US cooperation. To the critics of the American and Georgian people’s democratic choice, in her farewell speech, Kelly Degnan suggested recalling the history of Russia’s malign activity, undermining the Georgian language, religion, culture, and independence.
In a lengthy Twitter post, Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili slammed “a targeted campaign aimed at decoupling Georgian government from Georgian people.” He wrote that the opponents of the Georgian Dream took a leaf from the Russian hybrid warfare and are using “de-legitimation of the government as a tool of political subversion.” The statement seems to respond to an increasingly vocal line of discourse, which argues that even though the Georgian government has failed to fulfill most of the EU’s 12 conditions substantively, the Georgian people’s overwhelming support to Europe should be considered by the European leaders when deciding on candidacy.
The Parliament ratified an international inter-agency agreement, allowing to deploy officers from the Coast Guard Department of the Georgian Border Police aboard ships of the Hellenic Navy, reports the Interior Ministry. According to the agreement, twelve Coast Guard personnel will be deployed to the NATO Maritime Security Operation (MSO) known as the “Sea Guardian,” promoting interoperability with NATO’s naval components.
A new ferry service has been launched between Romania and Georgia, departing from the port of Constanta and arriving at the port of Poti after a two-night journey. The ferry service, which carries both passengers and cargo, is operated by a Georgian company called E60 Shipping. This recently established ferry connection replaces the previously suspended UkrFerry service, discontinued due to the conflict in Ukraine.
The Russian State Duma ratified an agreement addressing dual citizenship matters between the Russian Federation and occupied Abkhazia. The agreement allows for acquiring the citizenship of the other signatory without giving up the current citizenship. The Sokhumi proxy regime ratified the dual citizenship deal in December 2022. In a separate but related development, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova announced that Russia is actively working to reinstate railway connectivity with Armenia through Abkhazia.
