The Daily Beat: 20 March
In her televised address, President Salome Zurabishvili announced that she has sent a joint letter to European leaders, urging them to ensure that Georgia is not overlooked at the upcoming European Council meeting scheduled for March 20-21. The letter, which was prepared in collaboration with opposition parties and civil society, characterizes the Georgian Dream (GD) government as a “Russian-inspired regime” that is systematically dismantling the country’s democratic institutions and threatening its sovereignty and European future.
In an interview with the Georgian Public Broadcaster, Georgian Dream Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze reiterated his views about what he calls the “Global War Party.” He claimed that this group operates as a “deep state” not only in the United States but also has a presence within the structures of the European Union. When asked to specify the individuals associated with the Global War Party, he provided no names.
In the same interview, Kobakhidze said that he is “cautiously optimistic” about the future of U.S.-Georgia relations under President Trump. He mentioned that the candidate for the future Georgian Ambassador to the U.S. has already been chosen, and he emphasized that the reset of relations between the two countries will largely depend on “how completely the new administration frees itself from the influence of the “deep state.”
Regina Jegorova-Askerova, a Lithuanian human rights defender who has lived in Georgia for 15 years, was denied entry into the country today, March 20. In her Facebook post, Jegorova-Askerova wrote that she was given “no explanation” for the denial. Jegorova-Askerova is the regional director for the South Caucasus of Kvinna till Kvinna (Women for Women), a Swedish women’s rights organization. She is a permanent resident of Georgia. Her husband and two minor children also live in Georgia.
The Social Justice Center (SJC) reports that Georgian courts are defying a European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) ruling by keeping Azerbaijani journalist Afgan Sadygov in “illegal” extradition detention. This is despite the ECtHR’s order on February 27 prohibiting his transfer to Azerbaijan pending a final decision. The Tbilisi City Court judge ruled that the ECtHR’s decision merely suspends extradition and does not warrant a change in detention status.
New studies on gender attitudes in Georgia show a generational divide. Younger Georgians favor gender equality in work and household duties, while older generations maintain traditional views on women’s roles. Additionally, structural barriers to women’s political participation were highlighted. These findings were shared at the “Gender Equality Perceptions in Georgia” conference on March 18, hosted by UNDP with support from Swedish-Sida and Swiss-SDC.