The Daily Beat: 13 August
The Georgian Dream Political Council stated on August 13 framing the 2008 war as a culmination of the repeated efforts of the United National Movement (UNM) administration, backed by its Western patrons, to “bring Russian troops to Georgia.” The statement says that having failed to provoke Russia earlier, “Saakashvili and his patrons realized that much more aggressive and large-scale actions were needed to achieve the goal” and that Saakashvili’s “adventurist actions in August 2008” were the “result of a well-planned betrayal on orders from the outside [the country].”
Aleko Elisashvili of the party Citizens joined the “Strong Georgia” Coalition, taking his place alongside the Lelo and For People parties and the Freedom Square political movement. Rumors about the expected coalition move have been circulating in recent days. This political move cemented a reconciliation between Elisashvili and Lelo leader Mamuka Khazaradze after years of strained relations following a harsh verbal conflict during a live broadcast in 2021.
Leader of the anti-occupation movement “Strength is in Unity,” Davit Katsarava, announced the launching of a new political party called “Chven” [Georgian for “Us”] without giving details about the party’s plans for the October 26 Parliamentary elections. Katsarava is known for his anti-occupation efforts, including patrolling at the occupation line along the occupied Tskhinvali region and reporting on the situation.
According to the press release, summarizing the visit of Senator Jeanne Shaheen and Congressman Mike Turner to Georgia, Senator Shaheen emphasized that “the first step to get back on track” in terms of bilateral relations “must come from the Georgian government” and that the U.S. “won’t sit back against democratic backsliding” of Georgia. Both U.S. lawmakers called for the free and fair parliamentary elections in Georgia in October.
The U.S. Embassy issued a statement, saying that the issue of former President Saakashvili was not discussed during the recent visit of Senator Shaheen and Representative Turner. The statement comes after former President Mikheil Saakashvili wrote earlier the same day in his social media post dedicated to the recent visit of Senator Jeanne Shaheen and Representative Mike Turner, that the issue of his “illegal and unjust political imprisonment was raised many times at various meetings.”
The ruling Georgian Dream lawmakers decried the U.S. Helsinki Commission’s statement on the ruling party’s financing from a network of scam call centers, describing the statement as “rude interference in the pre-election process” and “utter cynicism.” Civil.ge has collected reactions to the US Helsinki Commission statement from both the ruling party and the opposition.
On August 13, the newly appointed British Ambassador to Georgia Gareth Ward presented copies of credentials to the Foreign Minister Ilia Darchiashvili. He succeeded Ambassador Mark Clayton who had served in this position since 2020. “I look forward to strengthening Georgia-UK bilateral relations and working together to further enhance mutual understanding and cooperation. Welcome to Georgia!” FM Darchiashvili posted on X.
The Data of the Day
National Statistics Service of Georgia (Geostat) published express data indicating that the external merchandise trade (excluding non-declared trade) of Georgia increased by 1.6% in January-July 2024 compared to the corresponding period of the previous year, amounting to USD 12,564.5 million. According to Geostat, Georgia’s external merchandise trade saw exports decrease by 1.4% to reach USD 3.530 billion, while imports increased by 2.9% and totaled USD 9.035 billion.
