The Daily Beat: 19 August
In his interview with the Russian daily Izvestia, the de facto president of the Russian-occupied Tskhinvali region, Alan Gagloev, said that there are “certain prospects” for the “recognition” of this occupied region in Latin America. He noted that Venezuela and Nicaragua, which already recognize the “independence” of this occupied territory, “are ready to assist in building ties” with other regional states. Gagloev also said joining the Union State of Belarus and Russia was “one of the possible and most promising options.” Joining Russia, according to him, is not on the agenda “at the moment.”
The Ukrainian Chargé d’affaires in Georgia Mykhailo Kharyshyn spoke for the renewal of relations at the level of ambassadors, making it understood that Georgia needs to make a first step. “I want you to know that Ukraine is not against our diplomatic relations to be conducted at the level of ambassadors,” he is quoted as saying in his interview with the Georgian newswire IPN, published on August 19.
Georgia is seeking a 20-year loan of EURO 30 million from France to complete the project aimed at strengthening the water supply and sewerage systems of the eastern Georgian city of Khashuri and nearby settlements. The loan agreement has already been signed between the Ministry of Finance of Georgia and the French Development Agency. Many states have announced suspension of direct aid to the government following the “foreign agent law” debacle.
On August 19, the National Statistics Service of Georgia (Geostat) published preliminary data indicating that in January-July 2024, Georgia’s foreign trade increased by 1.6% year-on-year totaling USD 12.567 billion in value. In January-July 2024, Georgia’s exports fell by 1.3% to USD 3.532 billion, while imports grew by 2.9% to USD 9.035 billion. As a result, the country’s negative trade balance stood at USD 5.502 billion, representing 43.8% of its foreign trade turnover.
