
The Daily Beat: 27 January
The EU’s Foreign Affairs Council discussed the developments in Georgia and decided to suspend visa liberalization for holders of Georgian diplomatic and service passports. Since unanimity was not required, only 15 countries’ votes were sufficient for the decision to be adopted. Hungary and Slovakia voted against the decision.
The credentials of the Georgian delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) were challenged on substantive grounds on the opening day of the 2025 winter plenary session. The challenge was immediately referred without debate to the Assembly’s Monitoring Committee for a report and to the Rules Committee for an opinion, and the Assembly will debate it on 29 January.
On January 26, GD Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze, accompanied by his ministers, visited the United Arab Emirates, where they met with UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Minister of Tolerance Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan,mostly focusing on the economy and investments.The Georgian government claims that after signing a cooperation memorandum with EMAAR Properties in Abu Dhabi, the development company will invest USD 6 billion in Georgia, marking the largest investment in the country’s history.
Shalva Papuashvili, Speaker of GD Parliament, arrived in Budapest, holding talks with his Hungarian colleague László Kövér,Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, and President Tamás Sulyok.The speakers signed a framework agreement for cooperation. Framework agreement provides for the sharing of Hungarian experience in EU integration matters, according to the official press release.
The Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association issued a statement, indicating that Mzia Amaglobeli, the founder and director of Batumlebi/Netgazeti, was in danger. They urged the authorities to take immediate action. In its statement, the GYLA stresses that the system is punishing Mzia Amaglobeli for her activities, for political reasons, and not because she has broken the law.
Gigi Gigiadze, a senior researcher at the Economic Policy Research Center and former ambassador to Denmark as well as former deputy foreign affairs minister, is facing accusations of obstructing traffic in the bus lane during the protests that occurred on December 17 in central Tbilisi. Today, the Tbilisi City Court adjourned the hearing without announcing a ruling on Gigiadze’s case and scheduled the next court hearing for February 19. For more updates on resistance-related developments, visit our live blog.