The Daily Beat: 9 September
At a press briefing, Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze announced the government’s initiative to open a grant fund for CSOs registered in the Foreign Agents Registry. “Against this background and in general, based on the interests of the country, we have decided to establish a grant program for Georgian NGOs, which will be fully financed from the state budget of Georgia with the money of Georgian taxpayers,” said Prime Minister Kobakhidze.
The newly-appointed Ukrainian Foreign Minister, Andrij Stbiha, announced the recall of Ukraine’s temporary Chargé d’Affaires in Georgia, Mykhailo Kharyshyn, citing “his complete lack of understanding of the realities of diplomacy in a wartime state.” Prime Minister Kobakhidze also commented on this recall, saying “According to our information, this is not a political act. A certain representative, who, if I am not mistaken, also has diplomatic status, bought household items and this was considered inappropriate in light of the ongoing war.”
On September 8, the honorary chairman of the ruling Georgian Dream party, Bidzina Ivanisvili, again addressed the crowd from behind the bulletproof glass at the party’s rally in the southwestern town of Akhaltsikhe. His speech echoed the similar narratives voiced at previous rallies, with a special accent on banning opposition parties and preventing “attempts to impose pseudo-liberal values from abroad.”
The Culture Ministry has fired Lasha Bakradze, Director of the State Museum of Georgian Literature, following a disciplinary procedure over ‘sexist’ statements. The move came after Lasha Bakradze made a controversial statement about female representatives of the ruling Georgian Dream party. In July, Bakradze joined the opposition United National Movement party.
Prosecutor’s Office announced that four people have been arrested for their alleged involvement in the fraudulent call center activities. Prosecutor’s Office also implied the alleged involvement of Davit Kezerashvili, former Defense Minister and stakeholder of the opposition Formula TV, and his close relatives in the case. Kezerashvili denies allegations, accusing the prosecutor’s office and other state agencies of pursuing a slander campaign against him.
The Data of the Day
Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in Georgia reached USD 574.3 million in the second quarter of 2024, according to the preliminary data published by the National Statistics Office (Geostat) on September 9. This marks a 10.3% increase compared to the adjusted data of the second quarter of 2023. Geostat notes that an increase in equity and debt instruments is the main reason for the FDI growth.
