The Daily Beat: 24 October
Speaker Shalva Papushvili is in the Angolan capital, Luanda, where he is attending the 147th session of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU). Shalva Papushvili addressed the participants of the IPU, claiming that Russia is undermining Georgia’s territorial integrity and sovereignty by occupying two Georgian territories – Abkhazia and Tskhinvali region, and refusing to fulfill its international obligations. In his speech, Speaker Papushvili also accused Russia of stirring instability and criminal activity in the Georgian regions of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali Region.
Prime Minister Irakli Garibasvili left for Brussels to participate in the Global Gateway Forum organized by the European Commission. According to the official press release, while in Brussels, PM Garibashvili met with the European Commissioner for Neighborhood and Enlargement Olivér Várhelyi, discussing the fulfillment of 12 EU conditions and regional security challenges. At the meeting, Irakli Garibashvilii once again emphasized the importance of the EU candidacy for Georgia and expressed hope for EC’s positive assessment.
Following the failed impeachment attempt by the ruling party, President Salome Zurabishvili continues closed-door consultations around the country’s EU future, now holding a meeting with women MPs from opposition parties. Women MPs from the opposition parties told the journalists that Georgia’s EU candidacy was the main topic of the discussion, not providing any concrete details. In the meantime, rumors emerged that the President intends to create a pro-European political platform with the participation of various political forces.
Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence Service suggested Russia plans to move its warships from the Bay of Sevastopol to Russia-occupied Abkhazia. According to a spokesman for Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence, Vadym Skibitsky, the strategic relocation of Russia’s naval forces follows a series of strikes and special operations by Ukrainian Defense Forces in Russia-occupied Crimea. “There is active work going on in the town of Ochamchire in Abkhazia – the Russians have been dredging there, reconstructing the port infrastructure in some places to ensure that warships can be based there,” noted Skibitsky.
A Joint Communique adopted at the “3+3” Platform in Tehran reaffirmed the openness of this regional format for Georgia’s equal participation. Russian and Iranian foreign ministers also expressed hopes for Georgia’s full-fledged and constructive participation in this platform, calling on the country to follow the national interests and partake in future meetings. This time, the Tehran meeting themed “Time for peace, cooperation, and progress in the South Caucasus,” centered around Armenia-Azerbaijan peace talks and other regional developments.
The scheduled Discussion, “Protest and Resistance in Georgia in the 20th-21st Century,” organized by Indigo magazine and supported by Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES), triggered the ruling party chair, Irakli Kobakhidze‘s disturbance, saying that civil society organizations with Western funding are planning “revolutionary processes” in Georgia. “The title [of the discussion] is already disturbing… and I urge everyone to leave our country alone; let’s ensure peace in this country and not take steps to disrupt the peace; this is our persistent call,” Kobakhidze told journalists.
The State Security Service continues its quest for the “training plot,” reminiscent of best soviet traditions, further summoning Vice President of the International Publishers Association, Gvantsa Jobava, and Producer, Tiko Nadirashvili, for questioning. State security officials summon and question the representatives of the art community for attending the USAID-funded training on civic activism involving Serbian trainers. The State Security Service claims the training program aimed to recruit activists for the violent overthrow of Georgia’s elected government. The US Embassy and the U.S. State Department have strongly denied the allegations.
