The Daily Beat: 5 July
In an interview with RFL/RL, Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas spoke of the Euro-Atlantic prospects for Georgia and Ukraine ahead of the Vilnius NATO summit, saying that Georgian leadership is not pushing the NATO membership agenda. A long-time supporter of Georgia’s accession to the Alliance described the NATO-Georgia relationship as “complicated,” comparing it to NATO-Ukraine relations of the post-Orange Revolution period. According to Kaja Kallas, even Prigozhin, the notorious head of “Wagner” mercenaries, believes that – NATO is to blame for the war in Ukraine – is a false narrative, while the Georgian Prime Minister thinks otherwise.
In the meantime, the ruling Georgian Dream chairman Irakli Kobakhidze threatened “to open its cards” if Georgia is not granted the EU candidate status again. “If the unfair decision is repeated in December, we will have to explain to the public more details than we did before,” claimed Kobakhidze. This is not the first time the “Georgian Dream” threatens to publicize the hidden reasons for not receiving the status. In June 2022, Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili also announced that if the country did not get the candidate status, “he would cover up everything and tell people the truth.”
OSCE Parliamentary Assembly adopted the Vancouver Declaration, calling for “the immediate and unconditional withdrawal of Russian military forces from the occupied Georgian regions of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali region/South Ossetia in line with the European Union-mediated ceasefire agreement of 12 August 2008”. It emphasizes the need for a peaceful conflict resolution, respecting Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders.
At the same OSCE parliamentary assembly session in Vancouver, Nikoloz Samkharadze, Chair of the parliament’s foreign relations committee from the ruling majority, was not re-elected as chairman of the Committee on Democracy, Human Rights and Humanitarian Affairs of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly (OSCE PA).
Russia’s Federal Air Transport Agency “Rosaviation” issued permits for 284 weekly flights between Russia and Georgia. According to Ekho Kavkaza, the Russian Red Wings airline, which intends to fly from various Russian cities to Tbilisi, Batumi, and Kutaisi, has received the most flight permits.
Georgia’s Young Lawyers’ Association (GYLA) issued a statement, saying that two years since the July 5-6 events in 2021, not all episodes of possible crimes have been properly investigated. “It is clear that, despite the punishment of certain perpetrators, the authority in charge of criminal proceedings does not have the necessary will to punish the organizer of violent actions, the leader, or the persons who publicly incited violent acts,” reads the GYLA statement. GYLA represents the victims, including 19 individuals (including 17 media representatives) who were physically attacked by violent groups on July 5-6 because of their association with the LGBT+.
The Kutaisi City Court issued a precedent-setting ruling, founding Paata Dograshvili, the coach of the women’s football club “Martve,” guilty of sexual harassment of female football players. According to the Partnership for Human Rights (PHR), an organization representing female football players’ interests in court, Dograshvili was charged with sexual harassment of 9 players.
Vato Shakarishvili, formerly one of the active members of the ruling Georgian Dream’s youth wing and founder of the “Conservative movement – Georgia Above All,” announced that “LGBT Pride will never be held in Georgia.” He urged that the “society will take a strong and clear position” in response to the Pride Week event, scheduled for July 8 near Lake Lisi, adding that a large-scale Pride Festival won’t be allowed to be held in front of children and society.
