The Daily Beat: 22 August
In a farewell interview with Radio Liberty, outgoing U.S. Ambassador to Georgia, Kelly Degnan, said she would have wished to have made “more progress in helping Georgians overcome deep polarization.” In a wide-ranging conversation, she highlighted the significance of people coming out to vote in upcoming parliamentary elections. She said long-term election observation was the key to instilling confidence in the process since “bad things happen not just on election day.”
Following the farewell interview, the ruling Georgian Dream party lawmaker Irakli Zarkua in his remarks to reporters, lambasted the diplomatic activity of the outgoing US Ambassador, accusing her of a failed attempt to drag Georgia into the war and stirring unrest in the country, describing her ambassadorship as a failed mission. “If you dare to question this [electronic voting system] in 2024, you are a pest, Madam Ambassador. I want to address you and tell you directly that you did not properly realize your mission. You failed to consider that you were not a party representative but of the state,” Irakli Zarkua told journalists, concluding with a farewell remark – “Goodbye, Darling.” Some colleagues from the ruling party also supported the spirit of Zarkua’s insulting statements.
Georgia’s absence at the Athens informal gathering and in a subsequent statement triggered criticism from the opposition and the media. Later in the day, the foreign ministry representative commented on Georgia’s absence, saying that the main topic of Athens’ gathering was the war in Ukraine and not the EU enlargement, adding that Ukraine and Moldova were invited to the meeting as the war-affected countries. The ruling Georgian Dream party lawmaker Givi Mikanadze took a different stance, saying that the Athens meeting was not directly linked with the Eastern Partnership. Against all the odds, the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, said that the informal meeting was focused on the EU enlargement.
Defense Ministy announced the kick-off of NATO’s multinational exercise “Agile Spirit 2023” for the eleventh time. On August 21, Commander of the Georgian Defense Forces, Maj.-Gen. Giorgi Matiashvili and Deputy Minister of Defense Grigol Giorgadze welcomed participants from 22 countries at the official opening at the NATO-Georgia Joint Training and Evaluation Center (JTEC). The U.S. Defense Department also announced that the multinational exercise “Agile Spirit” in Georgia brings together more than 3,500 troops from various countries, including from Germany, Romania, the United Kingdom, Belgium, Azerbaijan, and the United States.
State Security Service reported the Russian occupation forces’ illegal detention of two Georgian citizens near the village of Akhalubani, Gori region. According to State Security Service, international partners and co-chairs of the Geneva International Discussions were duly informed about the incident, and the EUMM hotline was also activated.
Interior Ministry reported that the death toll from the Shovi landslide has risen to 29. Twenty days after the Shovi landslide, rescue teams continue searching operation in the Shovi area as four people are still declared missing.
