The Daily Beat: 1 August
Valentina Matvienko, Chair of the upper house of the Russian Parliament said that the Kremlin is ready for dialogue with Georgia. Her statement comes amid the unprecedented deterioration of relations between Georgia and its Western partners over the controversial Foreign Agents Law and Georgia’s democratic backsliding.
Speaking with local journalists in Zugdidi, U.S. Ambassador Robin Dunnigan said that despite strained U.S.-Georgia relations, the U.S. will continue providing assistance to Georgian society, including teachers, students, small business owners, activists, and CSOs. She also noted that “for now” the assistance that goes to Georgian Defense Forces “will also continue,” adding that “everything is under review.”
U.S. Senators Jim Risch (R-Idaho) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) issued a joint statement welcoming the U.S. State Department’s decision to pause USD 95 million in assistance to the government of Georgia following the passage of the Foreign Agents Law, which they say will be used “to target civil society and human rights organizations fighting for a free and democratic future.”
Leaders of the “European Georgia” party, Giga Bokeria and Tamar Chergoleishvili, have announced their decision to leave the party, citing the disagreements over primary results. According to Giga Bokeria, primary results and his chairmanship appeared unacceptable for some senior party members, adding that given the recently revealed fundamental disagreements, he could not take responsibility before voters ahead of the October parliamentary elections.
According to the press service of the ruling Georgian Dream party, its founder and honorary chairman Bidzina Ivanishvili contracted COVID-19 a couple of weeks ago and his health has worsened since then. The party claims that Ivanishvili’s poor health was the reason for not publishing a congratulatory letter dedicated to successful Georgian Olympians in due time. The ruling party assures that Ivanishvili’s health condition is currently satisfactory.
On August 1, the Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development and the first Vice Prime Minister, Levan Davitashvili announced that Belgian company Jan De Nul, one of the “Big Four” companies that own 80 percent of the global dredging fleet, has won the tender and will carry out the maritime infrastructure works for the Anaklia Deep Sea Port.
