|
2006/06/13 - SAAKASHVILI TRAVELS TO ST. PETERSBURG FOR "PR" MEETING WITH PUTIN |
| On the eve of the G-8 summit in St. Petersburg, Russia, Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili met with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to discuss their two countries’ long-running feud.(Molly Corso - EurasiaNet) |
|
2006/06/12 - RUSSIA/GEORGIA: FRIENDSHIP STILL STRONG, DESPITE FROSTY POLITICS |
| Marina and her friends are celebrating a birthday party in one of the dozens of Georgian restaurants that dot Moscow.(Claire Bigg - EurasiaNet) |
|
2006/06/09 - GEORGIA SEEKS ENERGY INDEPENDENCE FROM RUSSIA |
| Dependent on Moscow for natural gas supplies – and partially dependent for electricity – the Georgian government has embarked on a multi-step process to free the country from its reliance on Russia. While the plan has some supporters, the authorities are facing opposition from energy analysts and consumers alike.(Molly Corso - EurasiaNet) |
|
2006/06/04 - HOW CLOSE IS GEORGIA TO NATO MEMBERSHIP? |
| On May 11, the Georgian parliament passed a resolution expressing support for the country’s aspirations to NATO membership.(Liz Fuller - RFE/RL ) |
|
2006/05/26 - Abkhazia Talks Moving Out Of Deadlock |
| Georgia and Abkhazia have in recent days exchanged proposals aimed at bringing peace in a conflict that has lingered unresolved since 1992.(RFE/RL) |
|
2006/05/25 - Rally Seeks Saakashvili's Resignation |
| TBILISI, Georgia — Thousands of opposition activists and supporters of a wanted former security minister rallied in the Georgian capital on Thursday to call for the resignation of President Mikheil Saakashvili and his government.(Misha Dzhindzhikhashvili - AP) |
|
2006/05/23 - GEORGIA GRAPPLES WITH BREWING DRUG ADDICTION CRISIS |
| With the number of Georgia’s recently registered drug users exceeding those in Armenia and Azerbaijan combined, the demand for narcotic treatment programs is rapidly rising in the Caucasus nation.(Paul Rimple - EurasiaNet) |
|
2006/05/22 - TELEVISION STATION IN GEORGIA OPERATES MYSTERIOUSLY, GENERATES CONTROVERSY |
| Seven months after it began broadcasting in Georgia, Alania TV, a pro-Tbilisi, Russian-language television channel, remains a subject of controversy and speculation.(Molly Corso - EurasiaNet) |
|
2006/05/18 - Azerbaijan, Georgia Launch Rail Project |
| As Azerbaijan hails a new railway project for the Caucasus, the mood in Georgia is less enthusiastic, and the Armenians are openly hostile.(Dmitry Avaliani, Nurlana Gulieva, Diana Markosian - IWPR) |
|
2006/05/18 - GEORGIA’S CRIME FIGHTING CAMPAIGN COMES UNDER SCRUTINY |
| Georgia’s efforts to curb crime underscore the country’s civil society growing pains. The government is quick to laud what it sees as a dramatic improvement in the performance of law-enforcement agencies. Critics, however, say that police and other Interior Ministry personnel are trampling basic rights and relying on excessive force to curb crime.(Molly Corso - EurasiaNet) |
|
2006/05/17 - TBILISI MEETING RAISES HOPES OF PROGRESS IN RESOLVING ABKHAZ CONFLICT |
| The Coordinating Council established by the UN in late 1997 to serve as a forum for discussing issues related to resolving the Abkhaz conflict convened in Tbilisi on May 15 for the first time since January 2001. (Liz Fuller - RFE/RL) |
|
2006/05/12 - PAGE SIX TO GEORGIA: READY OR NOT, HERE WE COME |
| Media baron Ruppert Murdoch’s News Corp. appears set to enter Georgia’s media market after agreeing in principle to take a stake in a Tbilisi television channel.(Molly Corso - EurasiaNet) |
|
2006/05/11 - Poachers Stalk Georgian “Paradise” |
| Georgian environmentalists say funds are lacking to combat rich and lawless hunters.(Zviad Ruadze - IWPR) |
|
2006/05/10 - PROSPECT OF GEORGIA’S CIS WITHDRAWAL DOESN’T FAZE RUSSIA |
| The Georgian government on May 10 announced the establishment of a government commission to weigh the pros and cons of a withdrawal from the Commonwealth of Independent States. The prospect of Georgia’s departure does not disturb Russian policymakers, who assert Tbilisi would suffer the most from such a move.(Sergei Blagov - EurasiaNet) |
|
2006/05/09 - RUSSIAN ECONOMIC PRESSURE HAS GEORGIA THINKING ABOUT LIFE OUTSIDE THE CIS |
| First it was wine. Then it was mineral water. Russia’s punitive moves to cut off imports of Georgian products have policymakers in Tbilisi thinking about withdrawing the country from the Commonwealth of Independent States.(John Mackedon - EurasiaNet) |
|
2006/05/09 - Power games in the Caucasus |
| Roman Gogoladze, a farmer living in the village of Dgvari, high up in the mountains of Georgia in the Caucasus, points at the foot wide cracks in the walls of his house. The whole structure looks as though it will soon collapse and slide down the valley.( Kieran Cooke - BBC) |
|
2006/05/06 - Moscow's restaurants pay the price for Georgian wine ban |
| Moscow"s most famous Georgian restaurant, Genatsvale, has it all: a mountain stream running through its main dining area, waiters dressed in traditional Caucasian garb, and as much skewered meat and cheese-filled bread as you can eat. However, there is one essential ingredient that is missing: Georgia"s exotic wines.( Andrew Osborn - The Independent) |
|
2006/05/04 - Despair of Landslide Villagers |
| The government is accused of failing the victims of environmental disaster.(Tedo Jorbenadze and Olesya Vartanian - IWPR) |
|
2006/05/04 - GEORGIAN OFFICIALS STRIVE TO BUILD MOMENTUM FOR NATO MEMBERSHIP |
| Georgian officials are striving to build momentum for the country’s NATO membership bid by emphasizing sustainable reforms.(Molly Corso - EurasiaNet) |
|
2006/05/02 - GEORGIA PUTS A MODERNIZED MILITARY ON DISPLAY |
| That Georgia’s new showcase military base is built upon reclaimed swampland is symbolic of the army’s efforts to shake the Soviet legacy.(Warren Hedges - EurasiaNet) |
|
2006/04/21 - Birdwatching by a Remote Monastery |
| On a trip last month through the Kakheti region of eastern Georgia, where we were reporting on the budding recovery of the Georgian winemaking traditions and efforts to combat wine fraud, we decided to take the long road back to Tbilisi, the capital, and use our travel time to tour Georgia"s border with Azerbaijan. There, we heard, we would see not only some of the earliest and most remote sites of Georgian Christianity, but we might glimpse the beginning of the spring raptor migration, a wonder even more timeless.(C. J. Chivers - NY Times) |
|
2006/04/19 - Russia Impounds Georgian Mineral Water |
| Just three weeks after Russia stunned Georgia by banning the import of Georgian wines, Russia"s Federal Consumer Protection Inspectorate has impounded more than 9,000 bottles of Georgian mineral water in Moscow Oblast.(Robert Parsons - RFE/RL ) |
|
2006/04/17 - GEORGIA PROMOTES PROPERTY PAYBACK FOR SOUTH OSSETIA PEACE |
| The Georgian government is billing property restitution as a key for restoring trust between Tbilisi and the breakaway region of South Ossetia, but a recent roundtable on the topic – the first ever since the 1992 cease-fire – has prompted some observers to caution that Georgia’s optimism may be premature.(Molly Corso - EurasiaNet) |
|
2006/04/14 - Land Reform Problems in Southern Georgia |
| Some Azerbaijani villagers are unhappy at the way land reform has worked, claiming they have yet to receive their fair share.(Ramila Alieva - IWPR) |
|
2006/04/14 - Georgian Agriculture Minister In Moscow For Talks On Wine Ban |
| Georgian Agriculture Minister Mikheil Svimonishvili is in Moscow today for talks on Russia"s embargo on the import of Georgian wines.(Robert Parsons - RFERL) |
|
2006/04/12 - RUSSIA PLAYS UP KOSOVO PRECEDENT FOR POTENTIAL APPLICATION IN THE CAUCASUS |
| United Nations-mediated talks on the future of Kosovo present Russia with a potential opportunity to radically alter the geopolitical balance in the Caucasus. If the former Yugoslav province gains independence, Russian leaders have indicated that they might try to use the development as a precedent to secure the separation of Abkhazia and South Ossetia from Georgia.(Igor Torbakov -EurasiaNet) |
|
2006/04/12 - GEORGIA FIGHTING LOSING BATTLE AGAINST DESIGNER DRUG |
| Forget about fighting corruption. Georgians now have a new battle on their hands: cracking down on a craze for subutex, a drug designed to fight opiate addictions that locals and international organizations say is taking the country by storm.(Paul Rimple - EurasiaNet) |
|
2006/04/11 - GEORGIAN OPPOSITION BOYCOTTS PARLIAMENT |
| Georgian opposition parties are boycotting parliament in a gamble to boost their ratings and influence in national politics. While members of the ruling party, the National Movement, have condemned the move as "unrealistic," some political analysts believe the struggling opposition may have found a chance for greater popular support.(Molly Corso - EurasiaNet) |
|
2006/04/08 - CRISIS BETWEEN OPPOSITION AND GOVERNMENT DEEPENS |
| Two of Georgia’s opposition parties have issued a memorandum setting out the conditions under which they will end their boycott of the country’s parliament.(Jean-Christophe Peuch - EurasiaNet) |
|
2006/04/04 - ANOTHER MEDIA STORM BLOWS ACROSS GEORGIA |
| The Georgian government is facing fresh allegations of attempted media manipulation. Over the past week, representatives from both the business sector and NGOs have criticized President Mikheil Saakashvili’s administration over the alleged pressuring of media outlets.(Molly Corso - EurasiaNet) |
|
2006/04/01 - Preventing a Russian-Georgian Military Confrontation |
| The pending appeal of Eduard Kokoity, leader of the secessionist territory of South Ossetia, to the Russian Federation’s Constitutional Court to allow his territory to join Mother Russia could trigger destabilization in the Caucasus, sparking a Russian-Georgian military confrontation and unpredictable consequences for the region and the world.(Ariel Cohen, Ph.D. - Heritage Foundation) |
|
2006/03/31 - Russia Pledges To Complete Military Pullout On Schedule |
| Russia has agreed on the practical details of its military pullout from Georgia. Envoys from Moscow and Tbilisi today signed two documents to that effect in the Russian Black Sea resort of Sochi. The agreements confirm a pledge given by Russia last year that the withdrawal would be completed within months.(Jean-Christophe Peuch - RFE/RL) |
|
2006/03/31 - GEORGIA PURSUES CAMPAIGN AGAINST ESPIONAGE |
| Amid rancorous exchanges between Georgia and Russia, Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili is pursuing a campaign to root out suspected spies operating in Tbilisi.(Molly Corso - EurasiaNet) |
|
2006/03/30 - LANGUAGE RIGHTS ISSUE FUEL DISCORD IN GEORGIA |
| Discontent is rising within Georgia’s Armenian community, the country’s largest ethnic minority, driven by complaints concerning the central government’s language policy, as well as perceptions of discrimination. The building tension between ethnic Armenians and Georgian government officials has been linked to recent rioting and violence.(Paul Rimple - EurasiaNet) |
|
2006/03/29 - SURROGATE MOTHERHOOD IN GEORGIA: A CHANCE FOR CASH |
| On Dr. Tamar Khachapuridze’s desk are two photographs of an attractive, red-haired young woman. "This is who the German couple has chosen," she said of the woman, an ethnic Ukrainian Georgian national.(Paul Rimple - EurasiaNet) |
|
2006/03/29 - TV Executives Receive Jail Sentences For Extortion |
| A Tbilisi court today sentenced the owner and former main anchorman of Georgia"s private 202 television channel to four years in prison. Shalva Ramishvili was convicted of attempting to extort money from a pro-government lawmaker. The channel"s director-general, Davit Kokhreidze, also received a three-year jail term on similar charges. Georgia"s opposition and rights campaigners have said the case is politically motivated, while the government says it shows media is not immune to corruption.(Jean-Christophe Peuch - RFE/RL) |
|
2006/03/29 - Prison Riot Fuels Destabilization Theory |
| Georgian police on March 27 used force to suppress a prison riot that purportedly aimed at aiding the escape of thousands of inmates. The authorities claim what they describe as an aborted jailbreak was part of plans to destabilize the country. They also suggest the criminal underworld and the opposition have a common interest in the alleged conspiracy. This is not the first time the government and its allies have leveled such accusations. But they have become more frequent lately, as the country"s leaders face mounting domestic criticism.(Jean-Christophe Peuch - RFE/RL) |
|
2006/03/27 - ATTEMPTED PRISON BREAKOUT IN GEORGIA HAD POLITICAL MOTIVATION – OFFICIALS |
| At least seven inmates were killed on March 27, as authorities in Georgia thwarted an attempted mass breakout at a Tbilisi prison.(Alexander Klimchuk - EurasiaNet) |
|
2006/03/25 - OSSETIAN LEADERS HINT AT REUNIFICATION PLANS |
| Russia’s southern Republic of North Ossetia and Georgia’s breakaway region of South Ossetia on March 22-23 held a joint cabinet session in Vladikavkaz.(Jean-Christophe Peuch - RFE/RL) |
|
2006/03/25 - Property Restitution Deal for South Ossetia |
| The Georgians have a plan for refugees on both sides of the South Ossetian conflict to receive compensation at last, but simmering political mistrust will make it hard to deliver.(Victoria Gujelashvili - IWPR) |
|
2006/03/23 - IS RUSSIA LOOKING FOR A FIGHT WITH GEORGIA? |
| A pending appeal by the leaders of Georgia’s breakaway territory of South Ossetia to Russia’s Constitutional Court has the potential to trigger a destabilizing chain of events in the region.(Ariel Cohen - EurasiaNet) |
|
2006/03/17 - Alarm over bird flu overtakes Georgians |
| TBILISI, Georgia In the early morning hours, the cobblestone alleys that wander this city"s slopes are normally crowded with schoolchildren, walking in groups with their backpacks and books. But such sights have lately become rare.(C.J. Chivers - New York Times) |
|
2006/03/17 - PROTESTERS DEMAND GEORGIAN INTERIOR MINISTER’S RESIGNATION |
| Public scandal and protests over the government’s investigation into the death of a banker have placed Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili’s administration in a delicate political position. While experts doubt that ongoing protests mark a serious crisis for the administration, they express concern that the government seems oblivious to growing unhappiness with the course of the investigation.(Molly Corso - EurasiaNet) |
|
2006/03/16 - Georgia’s Nato Test |
| The Tbilisi government wants Georgia to join NATO by 2008, but question marks remain.(Koba Liklikadze - IWPR) |
|
2006/03/14 - GEORGIA, DON’T FORGET ABKHAZIA |
| While Georgia and Russia focus their attention on easing tension in South Ossetia, recent developments in Abkhazia should not be overlooked.(David Young - EurasiaNet) |
|
2006/03/10 - Government Under Fire Over Trade Regulations, Murder Case |
| Hundreds of Georgian traders staged a protest rally in the center of Tbilisi today to demand that the government rescind a decision to make cash registers mandatory at all marketplaces.(Jean-Christophe Peuch - RFE/RL) |
|
2006/03/10 - GEORGIA’S OPPOSITION CASHES IN ON CASH REGISTER PROTESTS |
| In what could prove a key test for President Mikheil Saakashvili’s government, a wave of popular discontent over a new law that requires merchants to use cash registers has given Georgia’s opposition parties a potential platform for tighter political coordination.(Molly Corso - EurasiaNet) |
|
2006/03/09 - Thousands Protest Georgian Government |
| TBILISI, Georgia — About 8,000 Georgians took to the streets Thursday for the capital"s biggest anti-government demonstration since President Mikhail Saakashvili was swept to power after leading the Rose Revolution protests more than two years ago.(Misha Dzindzikhashvili - ABC News) |
|
2006/03/09 - MURDER PUTS SPOTLIGHT ON GEORGIA’S INTERIOR MINISTRY |
| A murder case that involves senior interior ministry officials is firing controversy about the Georgian government’s respect for the rule of law, with the interior ministry struggling to show that favoritism does not characterize its handling of the investigation.(Molly Corso - EurasiaNet) |
|
2006/03/08 - Government, Opposition Squabble Over Interior Minister |
| Georgian Interior Minister Vano Merabishvili earlier this week sacked four of his subordinates on suspicion of abducting and beating to death a bank employee.(RFE/RL) |
|
2006/03/07 - GEORGIA’S NEW PRESIDENTIAL RESIDENCE DEEMED TOP SECRET |
| Roughly two years in the works, President Mikheil Saakashvili’s new residence has been designated a state secret, with officials declining to discuss financing for the project and begging ignorance of construction details. The information shutdown comes even though, according to one government official, the construction is largely financed by proceeds from the sale of state-owned property.(Diana Petriashvili - EurasiaNet) |
|
2006/03/06 - GEORGIA’S PARLIAMENT: READY FOR BUSINESS? |
| After months of scandals and accusations, some members of the Georgian parliament are ready to consider bringing the "unofficial" business interests of MPs into the open, and allowing parliamentarians to own and/or operate businesses outright.(Molly Corso - EurasiaNet) |
|
2006/03/03 - GEORGIAN PEACEKEEPERS IN SOUTH OSSETIA: A DANGEROUS MOVE |
| Georgian officials have made it clear that they neither support nor trust Russia’s military peacekeeping force in South Ossetia. But what are the alternatives to this presence?(David Young - EurasiaNet) |
|
2006/03/03 - HUMAN TRAFFICKING TAKES TOLL ON GEORGIA |
| High unemployment and rampant poverty are driving large numbers of Georgians into trafficking schemes, according to experts at a recent conference on trafficking in Tbilisi organized by the Council of Europe.(Molly Corso - EurasiaNet) |
|
2006/03/02 - SUSPECTED BIRD FLU TRIGGERS STATE OF EMERGENCY IN GEORGIAN REGION |
| Initial reports of bird flu in the Georgian Black Sea region of Ajara have prompted officials in Tbilisi to introduce a nationwide ban on live poultry sales and to impose a state of emergency in the infected area.(John Mackedon - EurasiaNet) |
|
2006/03/02 - Georgia-Russian Relations at Boiling Point |
| Moscow and Tbilisi in war of words over South Ossetia, visas and the gas pipeline.(Mikhail Vignansky - IWPR) |
|
2006/02/23 - GEORGIAN MEDIA STRUGGLES FOR AN INDEPENDENT VOICE |
| Six months after President Mikheil Saakashvili pledged to protect the freedom of the press in Georgia, members of the media and local non-governmental organizations argue that media barons desirous of good ties with the government are still pressuring journalists.(Molly Corso - EurasiaNet) |
|
2006/02/23 - Shevardnadze Discusses 1992 South Ossetia Agreement |
| Georgia"s parliament on 15 February called upon the government to review the 1992 agreement that put an end to the war with South Ossetia and secure the withdrawal of all Russian peacekeepers stationed in the separatist republic.(RFE/RL) |
|
2006/02/23 - COMMUNICATIONS BREAKDOWN: RUSSIA AND GEORGIA ENGAGE IN WAR OF WORDS |
| On what was known during the Soviet era as Armed Forces Day, Russia and Georgia seem just a step away from a war footing, as they continue to assail each other over the separatist territory of South Ossetia. The acrimonious exchanges have prompted some Russian political analysts to embrace the concept of "regime change" in Georgia.(Igor Torbakov - EurasiaNet) |
|
2006/02/23 - Abkhaz Elite Signs Unity Pact |
| The president of Abkhazia and his recent political foes abandon hostilities for a display of national unity.(Inal Khashig - IWPR) |
|
2006/02/22 - NO END IN SIGHT FOR GEORGIA’S PRISON BLUES |
| The publication of two human rights reports and recent riots at two Georgian prisons have underscored the ongoing crisis facing Georgia’s crumbling penitentiary system.(John Mackedon - EurasiaNet ) |
|
2006/02/16 - Questions Linger About Zhvania Death |
| A year after Georgian prime minister"s mysterious death, the official explanation for the cause continues to be questioned.(Vakhtang Komakhidze - IWPR) |
|
2006/02/15 - GEORGIAN PARLIAMENT VOTES TO BOOT RUSSIAN PEACEKEEPERS FROM SOUTH OSSETIA |
| After weeks of escalating tension, Georgia’s parliament unanimously adopted a resolution February 15 calling for the replacement of Russian peacekeepers in the breakaway region of South Ossetia. The resolution did not set a deadline for the troops’ departure.(EurasiaNet) |
|
2006/02/14 - Peacekeepers' Vote Creates Dilemma For Saakashvili |
| Georgia"s parliament on 15 February will almost certainly vote to demand the swift withdrawal of the Russian peacekeeping force deployed in the South Ossetia conflict zone. (Liz Fuller - RFE/RL) |
|
2006/02/03 - ONE YEAR LATER, DOUBTS ABOUT ZHVANIA’S DEATH LINGER ON ONE YEAR LATER, DOUBTS ABOUT ZHVANIA’S DEATH LINGER ON |
| A year after the death of Georgian Prime Minister Zurab Zhvania, questions still surround the official investigation into his unexpected demise.(Molly Corso - EurasiaNet) |
|
2006/02/01 - Moscow and Tbilisi Point Fingers |
| When two explosions last month shut down the main pipeline delivering natural gas from Russia to Georgia, the last vestiges of dialogue between the two countries were destroyed. (Yulia Latynina - Moscow Times) |
|
2006/01/26 - ENERGY CRISIS BRINGS GEORGIA TO A STANDSTILL |
| Four days after explosions cut off natural gas and electricity supplies from neighboring Russia, Georgia finds itself gripped by a severe energy crisis.(Diana Petriashvili - EurasiaNet) |
|
2006/01/19 - Georgia’s Resilient Mafia |
| Experts are not hopeful that a new law can root out Georgia’s pervasive organised criminals.(Fati Mamiashvili - IWPR) |
|
2006/01/18 - GEORGIA STILL WAITING FOR MILLENNIUM CHALLENGE FUNDS |
| From the look of Millennium Challenge’s modern offices in Tbilisi, it might seem that the US government-funded program to reduce poverty in Georgia through economic growth is running full speed ahead.(Theresa Freese - EurasiaNet) |
|
2006/01/13 - A Tolerant Nationalism |
| Georgia is a country much in the news lately, what with the success of its Rose Revolution and the overthrow of President Eduard Shevardnadze, the visibility of Shevardnadze"s energetic and charismatic successor, Mikheil Saakashvili, and the visit to Tbilisi last year by U.S. President George W. Bush.(Ronald Grigor Suny - Harvard University Press) |
|
2006/01/11 - GEORGIAN NGOS: CASH TRAIL FOR DETAINEE FINES TRICKY TO TRACK |
| How much does crime pay in Georgia? The Georgian government says that it is using fines collected from those prosecuted for corruption or unpaid taxes to finance President Mikhail Saakashvili’s ambitious reform drive.(Paul Rimple - EurasiaNet) |
|
2005/12/09 - Ajaria’s Ex-Leader Charged |
| Arrest warrant against Aslan Abashidze adds to concerns that Tbilisi is not playing fair.(Eteri Turadze - IWPR) |
|
2005/11/28 - MOVING FROM REVOLUTION TO DEMOCRATIC INSTITUTIONS |
| Two years after the popular uprising that swept them to power, Georgian leaders stressed that they have moved beyond the euphoria of revolution to focus on the task of "building democratic institutions." For now, however, the Georgian government’s democratization plans remain largely undefined.(Elizabeth Owen - EurasiaNet) |
|
2005/11/28 - NATO Chief Says 'The Door Is Open' |
| NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer said today that the "door is open" for Georgia"s eventual membership of the alliance.(Ahto Lobjakas - RFE/RL) |
|
2005/11/22 - Ukrainians, Georgians See Few Social, Economic Improvements After Revolutions |
| On 22 November, Ukrainians will mark the first anniversary of the Orange Revolution. A day later is the second anniversary of Georgia"s Rose Revolution.(Jean-Christophe Peuch - RFE/RL) |
|
2005/11/22 - WEST GEORGIA FLOOD VICTIMS STILL WAITING FOR PROMISED PRESIDENTIAL AID |
| One month after floods damaged over 1,000 homes in Georgia’s western region of Guria, residents and local government say they are still uncertain about when President Mikheil Saakashvili’s promised aid will arrive.(Molly Corso - EurasiaNet) |
|
2005/11/21 - South Ossetia's Jailed Ex-Interior Minister Escapes To Georgia |
| South Ossetia"s former interior minister and Security Council secretary, Jemal Karkusov, escaped over the weekend from his prison cell in Tskhinvali where he was serving a four-year prison sentence.(Jean-Christophe Peuch - RFE/RL) |
|
2005/11/21 - KOFI ANNAN MAKES SURPRISE VISIT TO GEORGIA |
| In a surprise visit to Georgia on November 19, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan praised Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili for the accomplishments his administration has achieved in a "relatively short" period of time.(John Mackedon - EurasiaNet) |
|
2005/11/19 - Parliamentarians Prepare Blacklist Of Russian Politicians |
| Deputies in the Georgian parliament say they are drafting a blacklist of Russian politicians who will be banned from entering the country.(RFE/RL) |
|
2005/11/11 - Abkhazia Offers Citizenship to Diaspora |
| A new law will offer citizenship to anyone of Abkhaz origin, even if they were not born in the republic.(Inal Khashig - IWPR) |
|
2005/11/07 - Bendukidze Ditches 42% Stake in OMZ |
| Georgian minister Kakha Bendukidze and his business partners sold their 42 percent stake in heavy machinery manufacturer OMZ to a group of Russian investors last week, sparking speculation Gazprom may be behind the purchase.(Lyuba Pronina - Moscow Times) |
|
2005/10/28 - Has Bloom Faded from Rose Revolution? |
| As Salome Zourabichvili is dismissed from her ministerial post, observers say the rift is deepening between Georgia’s government and opposition.(Keti Bochorishvili - IWPR) |
|
2005/10/25 - GEORGIAN PRESIDENT MAY COME TO REGRET FOREIGN MINISTER’S FIRING |
| Some experts and politicians in Georgia believe President Mikheil Saakashvili may come to regret the decision to dump former foreign minister Salome Zourabichvili.(Molly Corso - EurasiaNet) |
|
2005/10/24 - FORMER GEORGIAN FOREIGN MINISTER: "I BECAME AN OBSTACLE" |
| A EurasiaNet Q&A with Salome Zourabichvili (John Mackedon - EurasiaNet) |
|
2005/10/21 - Georgia says US to help on rebel enclaves |
| TBILISI - The United States is planning new peace initiatives that Georgia hopes will win it control of two separatist enclaves backed by its giant northern neighbor Russia, Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili said.(Sean Maguire and Jonathan Thatcher - Reuters) |
|
2005/10/20 - Parliament Brings About Foreign Minister's Dismissal |
| In a move that the opposition New Rightist parliament faction believes heralds Georgia"s "return to the Russian orbit," Georgian Prime Minister Zurab Noghadeli dismissed Foreign Minister Salome Zourabichvili on 19 October.(Liz Fuller - RFE/RL) |
|
2005/10/20 - Foreign Aid Challenge |
| Huge infusion of US aid expected to directly benefit half a million Georgians, though some analysts have their doubts.(Tamar Khorbaladze and Manana Khidasheli - IWPR) |
|
2005/10/20 - GEORGIA NAMES NEW FOREIGN MINISTER |
| Gela Bezhuashvili was tapped October 20 to serve as Georgia’s foreign minister amid growing controversy surrounding the dismissal of his predecessor, Salome Zourabichvili.(Diana Petriashvili - EurasiaNet) |
|
2005/10/19 - Georgia's Foreign Minister Fired |
| TBILISI, Georgia -- Georgian Prime Minister Zurab Nogaideli late Wednesday sacked Foreign Minister Salome Zurabishvili, a French diplomat whose style proved too foreign for some of her subordinates.(Niko Mchedlishvili - Moscow Times) |
|
2005/10/19 - GEORGIA’S FOREIGN MINISTER IS FIRED |
| Georgian Prime Minister Zurab Nogaideli on October 19 announced the dismissal of Foreign Minister Salome Zourabichvili after parliament earlier passed a resolution demanding her resignation for "ineffectiveness." (Molly Corso - EurasiaNet) |
|
2005/10/12 - SALE OF GEORGIA’S RUSTING RUSTAVI SPURS PRIVATIZATION DEBATE |
| Georgia’s Rustavi Steel Works, a rusting monument to Soviet industrial might, has changed hands in a $27 million transaction that promises to fuel further controversy about President Mikheil Saakashvili’s campaign to turn state property into cash for government coffers.(Molly Corso - EurasiaNet) |
|
2005/10/06 - Move to Revive Georgian Wine Industry |
| One of the oldest wine cultures in the world has suffered since privatisation, but help may now be on the way.(Nato Alapishvili - IWPR) |
|
2005/10/04 - GOVERNING PARTY SWEEPS BY-ELECTIONS IN GEORGIA |
| President Mikheil Saakashvili’s administration appeared to receive an endorsement for its policy course, as the governing National Movement Party swept all five seats at stake in by-elections held October 1.(Molly Corso - EurasiaNet) |
|
2005/10/04 - Georgian wine: too many grapes, too many fakes |
| ZEGAANY, Georgia - Georgian wine drinkers are used to headaches, but now grape growers have them too.(Tea Lobzhanidze - IWPR) |
|
2005/10/02 - Russia Halts Talks With Georgia Due to Protests |
| Unprecedented agreement between North and South Ossetia greeted with scepticism by some Ossetians.(Alan Tskhurbayev - IWPR) |
|
2005/09/30 - US DIPLOMACY STRIVES TO KEEP SOUTH OSSETIA CONFLICT IN CHECK |
| For the past year-and-a-half, Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili’s administration has probed for settlements of what are known as the frozen conflicts – the separatist struggles involving Abkhazia and South Ossetia.(Mark David Simakovsky - EurasiaNet) |
|
2005/09/30 - Mixed Reactions to Ossetian Unity Accord |
| Unprecedented agreement between North and South Ossetia greeted with scepticism by some Ossetians.(Alan Tskhurbayev - IWPR) |
|
2005/09/27 - Tensions Again On The Rise In South Ossetia |
| The 20 September mortar attack on Tskhinvali, the capital of the unrecognized Republic of South Ossetia, has not only undermined the albeit remote possibility that the leadership of the breakaway republic might be persuaded to accept Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili"s peace proposal. (Liz Fuller - RFE/RL) |
|
2005/09/23 - GEORGIA’S OPPOSITION BETS ON PRIMARY TO BOOST POPULARITY |
| Over 11,000 Georgians went to the polls on September 17 to vote in Georgia’s first primary elections.(Molly Corso - EurasiaNet) |
|
2005/09/23 - SHELLING SHATTERS CHANCES FOR GEORGIA-SOUTH OSSETIA PEACE? |
| A new crisis in South Ossetia is threatening to undercut President Mikheil Saakashvili’s multilateral peace plan for the breakaway territory a mere two months after it was unveiled.(Molly Corso - EurasiaNet) |
|
2005/09/22 - Georgia calls on Europe for coherent policy |
| Europe must get its act together and work out a coherent policy to help sustain the young democratic governments on its fringes, according to Mikheil Saakashvili, the president of Georgia whose “rose revolution” nearly two years ago inspired similar movements.(Guy Dinmore - Financial Times) |
|
2005/09/22 - Georgia Pulls the Plug on Greenhouse Gas |
| As the government ends the free gas supplies it provided as a subsidy for an isolated mountain region, the future looks bleak for a community whose options have been drastically reduced.(Eteri Mamulashvili - IWPR) |
|
2005/09/19 - Citizens See No Improvement In Society, Economy After Revolutions |
| Presidents Mikheil Saakashvili of Georgia and Viktor Yushchenko of Ukraine both rose to power on a combination of factors, including public anger at rampant corruption in the then-ruling regimes.(Jean-Christophe Peuch - RFE/RL) |
|
2005/09/18 - Iranian Missionary Work Questioned |
| Religious groups from Iran are unsettling members of Georgia’s ethnic Azeri minority.(Ramilya Alieva - IWPR) |
|
2005/09/13 - Washington Signs $300 Million Aid Pact With Tbilisi |
| Top U.S. and Georgian officials have signed an agreement aimed at bringing nearly 300 million dollars worth of development aid to some of Georgia’s poorest areas.(Robert McMahon - RFE/RL) |
|
2005/09/10 - Abkhazia Unveils New Economic Development Concept |
| President Sergei Bagapsh, Prime Minister Aleksandr Ankvab, parliament speaker Nugzar Ashuba, together with government ministers, parliamentary deputies, and district administrators attended the presentation in Sukhum on 9 September of a new draft program for the socioeconomic development of the unrecognized Republic of Abkhazia, apsny.ru reported.(Liz Fuller - RFE/RL) |
|
2005/09/08 - Chechens Impatient With Life in Limbo |
| Refugees from the Chechen conflict say they can’t go back or forward, and life where they are in the Pankisi Gorge has become intolerable.(Jokola Achishvili and Giorgi Kupatadze - IWPR) |
|
2005/09/08 - Heading For A New Revolution? |
| Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili can claim quite a few impressive achievements since he took office in January 2004, including toppling authoritarian Adjar leader Aslan Abashidze in May 2004, building new roads, and launching the process of closing the two remaining Russian military bases in Georgia. But at the end of the day, his presidency will be considered successful only if he hands over his powers to his successor with due ceremony, at the appointed time, and with a broad smile on his face."(Ghia Nodia - RFE/RL) |
|
2005/09/02 - TELEVISION EXECUTIVE ARRESTS STIR MEDIA RIGHTS DEBATE |
| The recent arrest of two executives from a Georgian television station often critical of the government could have far-reaching implications for the status of media in Georgia, observers are saying.(Molly Corso - AurasiaNet) |
|
2005/08/29 - TWO GEORGIAN YOUTH ACTIVISTS REMAIN JAILED IN MINSK |
| Giorgi Kandelaki and Luka Tsuladze -- two activists of Georgia’s Kmara, an organization that was very instrumental in deposing the Georgian government during the bloodless Rose Revolution in 2003 -- were arrested in Minsk on August 24, reportedly because the authenticity of their passports raised official "doubts."(Jan Maksymiuk - EurasiaNet) |
|
2005/08/28 - Georgian Journalists Protest Government Meddling |
| Saakashvili’s commitment to a free press is questioned in the wake of controversial media closures.(Revaz Sakevarishvili - IWPR) |
|
2005/08/22 - ECONOMIC QUESTIONS SURROUND RUSSIAN BASE WITHDRAWAL IN GEORGIA |
| As Russia completes the first stage of its base withdrawal from Georgia, residents of Ajara are concerned about the economic implications of the departure of Russian troops.(Theresa Freese - EurasiaNet) |
|
2005/08/18 - Visiting Abkhaz Leader Continues To Court Russia |
| The president of Georgia"s separatist republic of Abkhazia vowed yesterday to strengthen economic ties with Moscow and bring republican legislation in line with that of Russia.(Jean-Christophe Peuch - RFE/RL) |
|
2005/08/15 - Georgia, Ukraine Call for New State Alliance, Deny Anti-Russian Plans |
| Leaders of Ukraine and Georgia on Friday called for an alliance that would champion democracy in the former Soviet lands — a move likely to anger Russian officials concerned about losing clout in the region, The Associated Press reported.(MosNews) |
|
2005/08/14 - Can Moves Toward Abkhaz-Georgian Rapprochement Continue? |
| Georgia (UNOMIG) is encouraged by the "constructive" atmosphere at the 4 August UN-mediated talks between Abkhaz and Georgian delegations and at a 10 August meeting in Sukhum between top Abkhaz leaders and the diplomatic representatives in Tbilisi of the five member states of the "Friends of the UN Secretary-General for Georgia" group, an UNOMIG spokeswoman told RFE/RL on 11 August.(Liz Fuller - RFE/RL) |
|
2005/08/11 - Russia’s Troop Withdrawal From Georgia: The Start of a New Friendship? |
| Russia’s military withdrawal from its two bases in Georgia is being heralded as a "new stage in Russian-Georgian relations."(Theresa Freese - EurasiaNet) |
|
2005/08/10 - South Ossetia Tensions Escalate |
| Detention of alleged bombers again pits South Ossetia against Tbilisi.(Alan Parastayev and Zurab Bendeniashvili - IWPR) |
|
2005/08/08 - GEORGIAN OPPOSITION CRIES FOUL OVER BY-ELECTIONS |
| A war of words is gathering steam after Georgia’s Central Election Commission revoked the registration papers for one leading opposition group. The decision, coming on the heels of the commission’s rejection of an opposition-sponsored referendum for direct mayoral elections, has fueled opposition claims that the government has little tolerance for political dissent. (Vladic Ravich - EurasiaNet) |
|
2005/08/05 - ABKHAZIA AND GEORGIA: READY TO RIDE ON THE PEACE TRAIN? |
| Spanning the Inguri River near Zugdidi are the rusty remains of the Sochi-Tbilisi railway bridge. For 13 years, its demolition has meant the severance of economic and communicative ties between Georgia and the breakaway territory of Abkhazia, as well as the disruption of rail trade between Armenia and Russia.(Paul Rimple - EurasiaNet) |
|
2005/08/02 - A GEORGIAN WAR ON TERRORISM? |
| Georgia’s charge that Russian-backed "terrorists" were responsible for a February bomb blast that killed three and injured dozens more is threatening to further acerbate relations between Moscow and Tbilisi, even as Russia begins its historic military pull-out from the South Caucasus state.(Theresa Freese - EurasiaNet) |
|
2005/07/28 - Tbilisi's Moves Raise Fears In South Ossetia |
| The authorities of the unrecognized breakaway Republic of South Ossetia have rejected three times, most recently earlier this month, successive offers by Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili to grant the region "the broadest autonomy" within a unitary Georgian state.(Liz Fuller - RFE/RL) |
|
2005/07/27 - Abkhaz Railway – Light at End of Tunnel? |
| The reopening of railway links with Georgia could bolster peace efforts.(Inal Khashig - IWPR) |
|
2005/07/27 - Georgia Frets Over Ethnic Tensions |
| TBILISI, Georgia -- President Mikheil Saakashvili warned Georgians against stoking ethnic tensions as authorities continue investigating the man who confessed to throwing a live grenade during a rally where U.S. President George W. Bush spoke.(Misha Dzhindzhikhashvili - Moscow Times) |
|
2005/07/26 - Tbilisi Says Russian Officers Behind Gori Bombing |
| Georgian officials on 25 July blamed Russian intelligence operatives for a recent series of attacks in the South Caucasus country.(Jean-Christophe Peuch - RFE/RL) |
|
2005/07/24 - Abkhazia Threatens to Drown Any Intruding Georgian Ship |
| The leader of the breakaway republic of Abkhazia on the Black Sea coast vowed Saturday to sink any Georgian ship that entered its waters after peace talks with Georgia broke down.(MosNews) |
|
2005/07/22 - Georgian Business Boost |
| The Georgian government hopes that real investment will finally begin in the country’s economy.(Gennady Abarovich - IWPR) |
|
2005/07/21 - SUSPECT IN GEORGIA CONFESSES TO THROWING GRENADE AT PRESIDENT BUSH |
| Less than three months after a grenade was tossed at US President George W. Bush during a visit to Georgia, a Georgian citizen, Vladimir Arutiniani, has admitted to the crime.(Molly Corso - EurasiaNet) |
|
2005/07/21 - Suspect In Grenade Incident Confesses In Police Video |
| Georgian police have announced the arrest of a man suspected of throwing a live hand grenade in the direction of President Mikheil Saakashvili and his U.S. counterpart George W. Bush during their joint public appearance in Tbilisi on 10 May.(Jean-Christophe Peuch - RFE/RL) |
|
2005/07/20 - Why Should The Country Need A Larger Army? |
| In the late 1990s, faced with budget constraints and acting on the advice of expert Western advisers.(Liz Fuller and Richard Giragosian - RFE/RL) |
|
2005/07/19 - PRIVATIZATION IN GEORGIA: SOLVING THE "SENSITIVE" ISSUES |
| Roughly a year after Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili’s administration launched an ambitious privatization campaign, the state has disposed of roughly 10 percent of the 1,800 enterprises up for sale, generating roughly $314 million in revenue.(Molly Corso - EurasiaNet) |
|
2005/07/14 - Minorities Tested to the Limit |
| Changes to university entrance exam system are driving talented students abroad, complain ethnic minorities. (Fati Mamiashvili - IWPR) |
|
2005/07/09 - TV TALK SHOW CANCELLATION STIRS MEDIA RIGHTS DEBATE |
| Georgian journalists are crying foul after a popular political talk show was taken off the air.(Molly Corso - EurasiaNet) |
|
2005/07/09 - U.N. Nuclear Agency Expands Treaty |
| VIENNA, Austria -- An 89-nation conference on Friday approved a beefed-up treaty on protecting enriched uranium and other dangerous nuclear substances -- a move that the head of the U.N."s atomic watchdog agency said would help tie the hands of terrorists.(AP - NY Times) |
|
2005/07/07 - GEORGIA NEEDS "IRREVERSIBLE" DEMOCRACY, PARLIAMENTARY SPEAKER SAYS |
| With Georgia’s democratic development under heavy scrutiny, Parliament Speaker Nino Burjanadze recently visited the United States to shore up support for President Mikheil Saakashvili’s reformist administration.(Theresa Freese - EurasiaNet) |
|
2005/07/07 - Georgia Hit by Wave of Political Turmoil |
| Opposition furious with government’s handling of street protests sparked by arrests of leading sportsmen.(Sofo Bukia - IWPR) |
|
2005/07/07 - Ex-President of Georgia Shevarnadze: We Love Russia as Much as America |
| The ex-president of Georgia, Eduard Shevarnadze, shows in a rare interview given to Argumenty i Fakty that it’s not really his successor, Mikhail Saakashvili, that he has a grudge against. (Inna Obraztsova - MosNews) |
|
2005/07/05 - Clashes in the Georgian Capital Point to Continued Instability |
| Prague -- As the situation continues to deteriorate in Georgia"s separatist republic of South Ossetia, Russia is showing signs of growing impatience.(C. J. Chivers - NY Times) |
|
2005/07/04 - Photographer focuses on republic of Georgia |
| Cliff Volpe didn"t expect to fall in love with Georgia when he began a round-the-world adventure in 2003.(Susan Palmer - The Register-Guard |
|
2005/07/04 - Is The Country Becoming Progressively Less Democratic? |
| Two developments in recent weeks have further tarnished Georgia"s claim to be the trailblazer of liberal democracy within the CIS.(Liz Fuller - EurasiaNet) |
|
2005/07/01 - Opposition Lawmakers Protest Violence Against Demonstrators |
| Opposition lawmakers in the Georgian parliament today demanded the resignation of the country"s interior minister. The call followed clashes yesterday between riot police and hundreds of protesters attempting to block a major road in the capital Tbilisi.(Gulnoza Saidazimova - RFE/RL) |
|
2005/07/01 - TBILISI PROTEST SPARKS POLITICAL FISTICUFFS IN GEORGIA |
| A street protest in central Tbilisi touched off a sequence of events that resulted in a furious debate in Georgia’s parliament -- punctuated by a fist-fight among MPs – over the governing methods of President Mikheil Saakashvili’s administration.(Vladic Ravich - EurasiaNet) |
|
2005/06/30 - Georgian Base Closure Shifts Strategic Balance |
| The transfer of Russian military hardware from Georgia to Armenia may alter the balance of forces in the South Caucasus.(Irakly Aladashvili - IWPR) |
|
2005/06/23 - Georgians Fight Power Reform |
| Electricity price rises and power cuts are causing tension in Samtskhe-Javakheti.(Ketevan Mishvelidze and Tsaulina Malazonia - IWPR) |
|
2005/06/23 - GEORGIAN DEFENSE MINISTER VISITS WASHINGTON, SEEKS TO STRENGTHEN US-GEORGIAN SECURITY TIES |
| Promoting Georgia’s bid to integrate into Western security structures, Georgian Defense Minister Irakli Okruashvili recently visited Washington for talks with "friends" and "allies," including US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.(Theresa Freese - EurasiaNet) |
|
2005/06/22 - WITHDRAWAL AGREEMENT CLEARS FIRST HURDLE |
| Senior Georgian politicians, including President Mikheil Saakashvili, Prime Minister Zurab Noghaideli, and Foreign Minister Salome Zourabichvili, hailed the agreement reached in Moscow on May 30 on the terms and time frame for the closure of the two remaining Russian military bases in Georgia as heralding a new era in bilateral relations. So too did international organizations, including NATO and the EU.(Liz Fuller - EurasiaNet) |
|
2005/06/21 - Cow power is Georgian answer to patchy gas supply |
| ZHUZHUNA Didebashvili is dreaming about warmth, hot tea, cheap power and most specifically about cow dung.(Niko Mchedlishvili - The Star) |
|
2005/06/17 - Pankisi Chechens Head Home |
| Returning Chechen refugees leave behind them a hard life in Georgia, but have little hope of finding a better one back home.(Jokola Achishvili - IWPR) |
|
2005/06/15 - UN to assess Georgia amid atomic security concerns |
| VIENNA - The U.N. nuclear watchdog said on Wednesday it was sending inspectors to the former Soviet republic of Georgia and diplomats said the team hoped to track down any lost bomb-grade atomic materials.(Louis Charbonneau - Reuters) |
|
2005/06/15 - Analyst Ghia Nodia Assesses Saakashvili's Attempts To Transform Country |
| In an extensive interview last week with RFE/RL, Georgian political scientist Ghia Nodia evaluated the success of President Mikheil Saakashvili"s efforts over the past 18 months to transform Georgia from a corrupt "failed state" into a flourishing democracy with a market economy. At the same time, Nodia admitted that Saakashvili"s inconsistent and sometimes contradictory statements have given rise to confusion about his "real" agenda(Robert Parsons- RFE/RL) |
|
2005/06/07 - A Social Explosion in the Pipeline |
| The opening of the new oil pipeline from Azerbaijan, through Georgia, to Ceyhan in Turkey represents a triumph for U.S. imperial policy over Russian ambitions in the southern Caucasus -- and the culmination of a 13-year campaign to open up the Caspian region to Western oil multinationals.(Tim Wall - Moscow Times) |
|
2005/06/03 - SOME IN GEORGIA WORRY THAT THE RUSSIAN BASE WITHDRAWAL DEAL COMES WITH A CATCH |
| Georgian leaders have hailed a deal on the withdrawal of Russian troops from two military bases in Georgia as an "historic event" that clears the way for the normalization of bilateral relations.(Molly Corso - EurasiaNet) |
|
2005/06/02 - Sad Plight of Underage Brides |
| Teenage Azerbaijani girls in Georgia often have no choice but to marry young.(Ramilya Alieva - IWPR) |
|
2005/05/31 - The lie about liberty |
| Uzbekistan has shown former Soviet states that the west tolerates the repression of peaceful protest in return for oil.(Nick Paton Walsh - The Guardian) |
|
2005/05/31 - Base Deal Seen As Mutually Acceptable Compromise |
| Moscow and Tbilisi yesterday announced an agreement on the closure of Russia’s two remaining military bases in Georgia by the end of 2008.(Jean-Christophe Peuch - RFE/RL) |
|
2005/05/30 - RUSSIA AGREES TO PULL TROOPS FROM GEORGIA BY 2008 |
| Russia and Georgia signed an agreement May 30 on the withdrawal of Russian military bases from Georgia by 2008.(Robert Parsons - EurasiaNet) |
|
2005/05/29 - There's Democracy, and There's an Oil Pipeline |
| WASHINGTON — Samuel Bodman, the new secretary of energy, led the United States delegation to Azerbaijan last week to celebrate a huge moment in America"s effort to diversify its sources of oil: The opening of a pipeline that will carry Caspian oil to the West, on a route that avoids Russia and Iran. (David E. Sanger - NY Times) |
|
2005/05/29 - Police, separatists say 4 killed in shootout in breakaway Georgian region |
| A Georgian police officer and three suspected insurgents from South Ossetia were killed in an exchange of gunfire in the breakaway region Sunday, Georgian police and a representative of South Ossetia"s separatist government said.(Canadian Press) |
|
2005/05/29 - First official group of Chechen refugees return to Russia from Georgia |
| Two Georgian soldiers have been killed in the latest overnight clashes with separatist forces in the breakaway region of South Ossetia.(AP) |
|
2005/05/28 - Family Challenges Official Stance On Prime Minister's Death |
| the late prime minister"s widow has cast doubt over the government probe. Also, his brother tells RFE/RL that he suspects foul play and demands an independent investigation.(Jean-Christophe Peuch - RFE/RL) |
|
2005/05/26 - Georgians, Armenians Row Over Vanishing Monuments |
| Ancient church is target of allegations from religious leaders of both countries(Sofo Bukia - IWPR) |
|
2005/05/26 - Mixed Feelings About Pipeline |
| The Georgian government welcomes Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan project - environmentalists are less happy.(Gennady Abarovich - IWPR) |
|
2005/05/25 - GEORGIA, RUSSIA INCH CLOSER TO TROOP WITHDRAWAL ACCORD |
| The stop-start negotiations over the Russian withdrawal from two military bases on Georgian territory may be finally drawing to a close.(EurasiaNet) |
|
2005/05/24 - Putin Lashes Out at Baltics and Georgia |
| President Vladimir Putin on Monday lashed out at the Baltic states over disputed territorial issues and at Georgia over its demands for a speedy withdrawal of Soviet-era military bases.(Oksana Yablokova - Moscow Times) |
|
2005/05/21 - Abkhaz Businessmen Challenge Russian Commander |
| Unclear legal ownership of a Russian military sanatorium provokes anger on the Black Sea.(Inal Khashig - IWPR) |
|
2005/05/20 - GRENADE INCIDENT WON’T DAMAGE US-GEORGIAN RELATIONSHIP |
| It turns out that a grenade tossed in the direction of US President George W. Bush during his recent speech in Tbilisi was live, and not a dud as Georgian security officials originally claimed.(Molly Corso - EurasiaNet) |
|
2005/05/18 - Bush's Security May Be Reviewed After Tbilisi Grenade Incident |
| The Secret Service may review security procedures after U.S. investigators determined that a hand grenade thrown within 100 feet of a stage where President George W. Bush was speaking May 10 in the former Soviet republic of Georgia was explosive, the president"s spokesman said.(Bloomberg) |
|
2005/05/18 - Georgia Grenade Was Real And Threat To Bush: FBI |
| TBILISI - A grenade thrown toward President Bush during a visit to Georgia last week was a threat to the American leader and only failed to explode because of a malfunction, the FBI said on Wednesday.(NY Times) |
|
2005/05/17 - Tbilisi, Moscow Continue To Negotiate On Bases |
| The foreign ministers of Georgia and Russia said in Warsaw today that talks on the withdrawal of Russia"s military bases from Georgia would resume soon.(Robert Parsons - RFE/RL) |
|
2005/05/17 - Georgia's rag-tag soldiers learn from US Marines -- and come to their help |
| KRTSANISI, Georgia - When US President George W. Bush addressed over 100,000 Georgians in an open-air speech in Tbilisi last week, most locals thought he was doing their tiny country a favor by putting it on the map. (AFP) |
|
2005/05/15 - Floods Devastate Western Georgia |
| Many provinces may be face with millions of dollars worth of flood damage following a week of torrential rain.(Irakly Lagvilava - IWPR) |
|
2005/05/15 - Georgia Ecstatic at Bush Visit |
| A euphoric reception for the US president in Tbilisi masks different interpretations of what his visit means.(Giorgy Kupatadze - IWPR) |
|
2005/05/15 - Calm Returns To Pankisi Gorge |
| In the last years of Eduard Shevardnadze"s presidency in Georgia, the country"s Pankisi Gorge came to be regarded as a symbol of global terrorism, kidnapping, and crime.(Robert Parsons - RFE/RL) |
|
2005/05/15 - U.S. places large bet on pipeline |
| NEW YORK - American-backed plans to build a nearly 1,100-mile-long oil pipeline from the Caspian Sea to the Mediterranean are about to go from what skeptics once called a "pipe dream" to a reality.(Candace Rondeaux - New York Times) |
|
2005/05/14 - In Georgia, Bush visit stirs hope that democracy can work there |
| Tbilisi, Georgia. President Bush may be unpopular in Western Europe, but he"s hailed as a hero in this corner of the former Soviet Union that has become a crucial testing ground in his effort to spread democracy across the globe.(Ron Hutcheson - The Seattle Times) |
|
2005/05/12 - Georgia and U.S. Study Origin of a Grenade Seen Near Bush |
| MOSCOW - American and Georgian security officials said Wednesday that they were investigating the origins of a hand grenade that was found Tuesday near President Bush as he gave a pro-democracy speech in Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia.(C. J. Chivers - NY Times) |
|
2005/05/12 - BUSH VISIT TO GEORGIA IS A "GREAT POLITICAL VICTORY" -- SAAKASHVILI |
| US President George W. Bush’s visit to Tbilisi has provided a boost for President Mikheil Saakashvili’s reformist government.(Molly Corso - EurasiaNet) |
|
2005/05/12 - Rice Espouses Peaceful Settlement of Georgia's Internal Conflicts |
| Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice says the United States and the international community will try to help Georgia to resolve the conflicts in South Ossetia and Abkhazia, but she predicts that as Georgia becomes more democratic and economically successful, “you will see that people want to be a part of Georgia.”(U.S. Department of State) |
|
2005/05/12 - Protecting the US president abroad |
| Questions are being asked about how a potentially lethal security breach was able to happen during US President George W Bush"s trip to Georgia on Tuesday.(BBC) |
|
2005/05/12 - Maintaining Good Ties With Russia An Important Undercurrent Of Bush's Trip |
| Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili has hailed George W. Bush"s visit as a "great political victory" for his country. Addressing crowds of supporters in Tbilisi yesterday, Bush said he values the Georgian leadership that emerged from the 2003 political upheaval as a strategic ally of the United States. However, the U.S. president also made it clear that it is equally important for his administration that Georgia not antagonize Russia.(Jean-Christophe Peuch - RFE/RL) |
|
2005/05/11 - Grenade Found Near Site Where Bush Spoke |
| TBILISI, Georgia - Georgia"s security chief said Wednesday that an inactive grenade was found near the site where President Bush made a speech in Tbilisi.(Mara D. Bellaby - AP) |
|
2005/05/10 - Bush delights in Georgians |
| TBILISI, Georgia -- He was roasted just days ago by his own wife as a dullard who goes to bed too early. But upon his arrival to this former Soviet republic Monday night, President Bush was suddenly overcome with the pulsating rhythms of local bands, throwing his hands in the air and gyrating his hips.(Peter Wallsten - Los Angeles Times) |
|
2005/05/10 - GEORGIANS EMBRACE BUSH, BUT EXPECTATIONS VARY FOR THE PRESIDENTIAL VISIT TO TBILISI |
| US President George W. Bush arrived in Tbilisi on May 9, marking the first ever official visit by an American chief executive to the South Caucasus. Georgia’s own ambitions to join the European Union and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization drive much of the official expectations for the Bush visit, but in the background lurks the question of how Tbilisi will define its relationship with Russia.(Molly Corso - EurasiaNet) |
|
2005/05/10 - Georgians Embrace Enthusiastic Bush |
| TBILISI, Georgia -- From an extraordinary display of Soviet-era imagery in Red Square and a showing of friendship with his Russian counterpart, President Bush returns Tuesday to the primary theme of his five-day European trip: a global push for greater democratic freedoms.(AP) |
|
2005/05/10 - Bush makes landmark visit to ex-Soviet Georgia |
| TBILISI - US President George W. Bush is expected to make a landmark speech in Georgia, the heart of a region torn with ethnic conflicts and long dominated by Russia, underscoring the dramatic geopolitical shifts under way in the former Soviet Union.(AFP) |
|
2005/05/10 - Stage in Georgia Lets Bush Show a Secret Talent |
| TBILISI - After a morning spent watching columns of Russian troops goose-step across Red Square in Moscow, President Bush arrived Monday night in this former Soviet republic, climbed up on a street stage of Georgian dancers, then swiveled his hips in tune to blasting folk music.(Elizabeth Bumiller - NY Times) |
|
2005/05/09 - Georgia spruces up for Bush visit |
| President George W Bush is already smiling at Georgians from numerous billboards in the capital Tbilisi.(Natalia Antelava - BBC) |
|
2005/05/09 - Georgian Prepare for Bush Arrival |
| TBILISI, Georgia -- President Bush"s visit to Georgia is billed by the White House as a celebration of democracy"s progress and seen by many Georgians as putting some muscle behind the country's efforts to break out of Russia's influence.(AP) |
|
2005/05/09 - Bush and Georgia's faded 'rose' |
| WASHINGTON - Unlike Iraq, Afghanistan, and Ukraine, where President Bush"s morally clear leadership has been instrumental in expanding freedom, following the 2003 Rose Revolution, Georgia has seen a dramatic downward spiral.(Irakly Areshidze -The Christian Science Monitor) |
|
2005/05/07 - Georgia Leader to Skip Moscow Celebration |
| Moscow. Georgia"s president will stay away from ceremonies in Moscow marking the 60th anniversary of Nazi Germany"s defeat, officials said Friday, a move that further strains ties between the two former Soviet republics.(Hehry Meyer - The Guardian) |
|
2005/05/07 - Georgia’s Incomplete Democracy |
| The country President George Bush is visiting on May 9-10 may look like a beacon of democracy from far away, but close up, its deficiencies are more glaring. (Ivlian Haindrava - IWPR) |
|
2005/05/07 - GEORGIA, RUSSIA RENEW BASE-WITHDRAWAL DISPUTE |
| As Tbilisi gears up to welcome US President George W. Bush, Georgian officials are facing a flare-up in tension with Russia -- fueled by the apparent collapse of a deal covering the withdrawal of Russian troops from Georgia.(Molly Corso - EurasiaNet) |
|
2005/04/29 - U.S. 'Challenge' Aid For Tbilisi Seen As Catalyst For Development |
| The U.S. government is expected soon to approve a large aid package to Georgia through its new Millennium Challenge Account program.(Robert McMahon - RFE/RL) |
|
2005/04/29 - Black Sea Dams Anger Georgia |
| Environmentalists claim flooding caused by Turkish dams is threatening Ajaria.(Giorgy Kupatadze - IWPR) |
|
2005/04/28 - Russia Nears Pact to Leave Georgia |
| Moscow has tentatively agreed to withdraw its troops and materiel from former Soviet bases, but a timetable has yet to be defined.(Kim Murphy - Los Angeles Times) |
|
2005/04/24 - "DIVERSITY IS OUR STRENGTH" – GEORGIAN PRESIDENT MIKHEIL SAAKASHVILI |
| Recent protests by ethnic Armenians, Georgia’s largest ethnic minority, against the closure of a Russian military base in the predominantly Armenian region of Samtskhe-Javakheti have helped underscore the difficulties faced by the Saakashvili administration as it promotes inter-ethnic accord in the country. (Theresa Freese - EurasiaNet) |
|
2005/04/22 - Smuggling Row Hits Georgian Town |
| Officials in the town of Gori say that charges of crooked dealing against them are politically motivated.(Nana Vilanishvili - IWPR) |
|
2005/04/07 - DEFENSE REFORM POSES CRUCIAL CIVIL SOCIETY TEST FOR GEORGIA |
| Georgia is fast becoming a center of attention for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, but government officials and foreign military advisors cite a range of problems that complicate Tbilisi’s attempt to become a member of the Atlantic alliance.(Theresa Freese - EurasiaNet) |
|
2005/04/06 - Some See Roots of Compassion in a Toothless Fossil Skull |
| The toothless skull of an early human ancestor, discovered in the Republic of Georgia, may attest to evolution"s oldest known example of some kind of compassion for the elderly and handicapped in society, scientists are reporting today.(John Noble Wilford - NY Times) |
|
2005/04/04 - BROTHER OF LATE GEORGIAN PM SKEPTICAL ABOUT INVESTIGATORS' CONCLUSIONS |
| TBILISI - Georgy Zhvania, brother to the late Georgian Prime Minister Zurab Zhvania, doubts the credibility of the conclusions made by the investigator team looking into the circumstances of his tragic death two months ago.(RIA) |
|
2005/04/04 - Trouble in Tbilisi |
| Despite the lofty rhetoric and strong Western support, many legal experts in Georgia, both local and foreign, say the level of justice in Georgia has seriously deteriorated since the Rose Revolution. (Whit Mason - In the National Interest (USA)) |
|
2005/04/03 - Georgian Resettlement Scheme Blamed for Tensions |
| In an ethnically mixed part of Georgia, tensions are high as locals blame new settlers for crime wave. (Zaza Baazov - IWPR) |
|
2005/03/26 - Presidents Discuss Common Policies |
| The Georgian and Ukrainian heads of state met in Kyiv on 25 March to affirm their mutual cooperation and to discuss both regional and bilateral issues. (Yuri Svirko- RFE/RL) |
|
2005/03/25 - Farmers Freed From Criminals’ Stranglehold |
| Hazelnut growers on the Abkhaz border reap the benefits of a government crackdown on criminal gangs in the area.(Irakly Lagvilava - IWPR) |
|
2005/03/22 - Thwarting Base Ambitions |
| In the early 1990s, as the Soviet Union collapsed, the remnant of the Soviet Army in the Transcaucasus region was harassed and its weapons stolen or expropriated.(Pavel Felgenhauer - Moscow Times) |
|
2005/03/22 - Can Georgia Form An Effective Opposition? |
| It took Mikheil Saakashvili a little over two years from the time he resigned as justice minister in the late summer of 2001 to emerge as the leader of an opposition alignment that succeeded in tapping popular disaffection with the corrupt and inept Georgian leadership and forcing the resignation of President Eduard Shevardnadze.(Liz Fuller - RFE/RL) |
|
2005/03/18 - OPPOSITION CALLS FOR EXTRAORDINARY PARLIAMENTARY ELECTION |
| TBILISI - The Government of the Future public movement, led by Georgy Maisashvili, has joined the opposition Coordination Council. Standing at its cradle were the Georgian Labor Party, led by Shalva Natelashvili, and the public movement, Forward, Georgia!, with Irakly Batiashvili at the head.(RIA) |
|
2005/03/17 - Arms smuggling sting shows need for vigilance |
| NEW YORK – A shadowy arms broker starts negotiating with some Russian mafia types to buy antitank weapons, surface-to-air missiles, rocket-propelled grenade launchers, and machine guns. The broker makes it clear: (Ron Scherer - The Christian Science Monitor) |
|
2005/03/17 - GEORGIAN DEFENSE MINISTER DISTANCES HIMSELF FROM CORRUPTION SCANDAL |
| In his first public comments on the topic, Georgian Defense Minister Irakli Okruashvili distanced himself from a corruption scandal in the Shida-Kartli region that has embroiled a political protege.(Theresa Freese - EurasiaNet) |
|
2005/03/17 - 18 charged in U.S. sting of arms-smuggling plot |
| NEW YORK -- U.S. authorities charged 18 people in an alleged scheme to smuggle grenade launchers, shoulder-fired missiles and other Russian military weapons into the United States.(Michael Weissenstein - AP) |
|
2005/03/15 - NO JOBS IN JEOPARDY IN BASE ROW |
| A parliamentary resolution that seeks an early Russian withdrawal from military bases from Georgian territory is stirring concerns about what a pull-out will mean for the economic welfare of one Georgian town.(Molly Corso - EurasiaNet) |
|
2005/03/12 - Georgia sees 'sea of democracy' emerging in Turkey's north |
| Rose Revolution, followed by change in Ukraine and perhaps in Moldova, is transforming Turkey’s northern neighborhood (Fatma Demirelli - Turkish Daily News) |
|
2005/03/11 - Russia Calls Parliamentary Resolution On Bases 'Counterproductive' |
| The Russian Defense Ministry has criticized as "counterproductive" a unanimous vote by the Georgian parliament pressuring Moscow to close two Russian military bases in Georgia.(Valentinas Mite - RFE/RL) |
|
2005/03/10 - Georgia MPs oppose Russian troops |
| Georgian MPs have voted unanimously to outlaw Russia"s military presence in the country unless Moscow withdraws its servicemen by 1 January 2006.(Natalia Antelava - BBC) |
|
2005/03/10 - Georgia Parliament Ups Ante On Russian Bases |
| Deputies in Georgia"s parilament voted unanimously on 10 March to call on the government to effectively blockade the bases if the two countries do not agree on their removal by mid-May.(Liz Fuller - RFE/RL) |
|
2005/03/09 - Georgian president reflects on `miracle' of country's changes |
| Mikhail Saakashvili ON HIS PROFILE: "We had the first televised revolution in history. We were live on CNN for four and a half hours without a commercial. So when I got to Davos (for the 2004 World Economic Forum), they all recognized me. Journalists and members of Parliament from Lebanon came up to me and said, `We want what happened in Georgia to happen in Lebanon."" |
|
2005/03/09 - NO GAS PIPELINE SALE – FOR NOW |
| Government talks to sell Georgia’s main gas pipeline to Russian energy giant Gazprom appear to have been put on hold, with both the energy ministry and economy ministry now denying that discussions are underway.(Diana Petriashvili - EurasiaNet) |
|
2005/03/03 - Georgia is interested in peaceful Sabre Rattling Over South Ossetia |
| Following South Ossetia’s rejection of a Georgian peace plan, is Tiblisi preparing for war? (Koba Liklikadze - IWPR) |
|
2005/03/03 - Georgia cites Russia tensions, sees EU border role |
| BRUSSELS - Georgia urged the European Union on Wednesday to study sending a mission to monitor its border with Russia and said it was alarmed by threats from Moscow to act against terrorists it says operate there.(Reuters) |
|
2005/03/02 - ORGANIZED CRIME TO BLAME FOR ABKHAZIA ATTACK? |
| Controversy continues to swirl around the assassination attempt on Abkhazian Prime Minister Aleksander Ankvab.(EurasiaNet) |
|
2005/03/02 - Foreign Minister Pushes For Greater EU Involvement In South Caucasus |
| Georgian Foreign Minister Salome Zurabishvili is in Brussels for a visit that coincides with moves by the European Commission to upgrade the status of the three South Caucasus countries in the EU"s European Neighborhood Policy.(Ahto Lobjakas - RFE/RL) |
|
2005/03/02 - Abkhaz Premier Escapes With His Life |
| The new government had not been even been formed in Abkhazia when an attempt was made to kill the prime minister.(Inal Khashig IWPR) |
|
2005/03/02 - Police Officers Arrested In Gongadze Case |
| Prague -- Ukraine"s prosecutor-general says two senior police officers were arrested in connection with the 2000 murder of journalist Heorhiy Gongadze.(Roman Kupchinsky - RFE/RL) |
|
2005/03/01 - Abkhaz Prime Minister Survives Assassination Attempt |
| Prague -- In Georgia"s separatist republic of Abkhazia, Prime Minister Aleksandr Ankvab survived an overnight assassination attempt as he was traveling to the Black Sea resort of Gudauta. (Jean-Christophe Peuch - RFE/RL) |
|
2005/02/28 - U.S. Diplomat Warns Georgia Over Energy |
| U.S. Diplomat Warns Georgia Against Surrendering Control Over Natural Gas Pipeline (AP) |
|
2005/02/27 - Georgia on her mind |
| Katie Melua recalls a childhood by the Black Sea but manages to lose herself in Australia. (Carl Wilkinson - The Observer) |
|
2005/02/26 - GEORGIA CAN OUTLAW RUSSIAN MILITARY BASES |
| TBILISI - Speaker of the Georgian parliament Nino Burdzhanadze does not rule out that the parliament can raise the question of outlawing the Russian military bases on Georgian territory.(RIA) |
|
2005/02/25 - Georgia: President Hints At Possible Gazprom Deal, U.S. Unhappy |
| Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili recently indicated that Russia could soon own all or part of the country’s import gas pipeline. The remarks sparked widespread criticism in Tbilisi, with the opposition accusing the government of selling strategic assets to a neighbor that is largely perceived as being hostile to Georgia. Yesterday, the United States entered the fray, urging its South Caucasus ally to not let Russia to deal for the pipeline.(Jean-Christophe Peuch - RFE/RL) |
|
2005/02/24 - Moscow, Tbilisi Clash Over Bases |
| Talks are bogged down on the closure date of two Russian bases on Georgian soil.(Olesya Vartanian - IWPR) |
|
2005/02/23 - In shift, Russia calls ex-Soviet states free |
| The Kremlin signaled a fundamental foreign policy shift yesterday, acknowledging that two former Soviet republics, Ukraine and Georgia, are no longer part of the Russian orbit.(Mike Eckel - Boston Globe) |
|
2005/02/23 - Georgia and Russia at impasse, says new premier |
| Relations between Russia and Georgia have reached a stalemate that jeopardises Georgia"s efforts to restore stability and its territorial integrity, Zurab Nogaideli, the country"s new prime minister, has told the Financial Times.(Financial Times) |
|
2005/02/23 - In former Soviet republics, high-profile deaths spark rumors |
| MOSCOW - The dioxin attack on Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko isn"t the only intrigue involving the health of high-profile figures in the former Soviet Union.(Mark McDonald - Knight Ridder Newspapers) |
|
2005/02/23 - No Threat in Privatizing Gas Pipelines |
| State Minister for Economic Reform Issues Kakha Bendukidze said on February 22 that privatization of the gas pipeline system poses no threat to Georgia’s energy security.(BakuToday) |
|
2005/02/22 - Communist era ski resort offers a different kind of charm |
| GUDAOURY, Georgia - Perched 3,000 meters (1,000 feet) up a Caucasian mountainside and left behind from another era, the Georgian ski resort of Gudaoury just may have everything to please those looking for a change from the crowded, copycat resorts of France and Switzerland.(AFP) |
|
2005/02/21 - Zurabishvili Aims to 'Civilize' Russia |
| For most of her life, Georgia"s foreign minister was able to see the country only in her mind, through the stories her emigre parents told her as she was growing up in France."(Jim Heintz - Moscow Times) |
|
2005/02/21 - Lavrov and Georgians Disagree |
| TBILISI, Georgia -- Persistent disputes over Russian military bases, borders and other issues prevented any agreements from being reached during a visit Friday by Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Georgian officials said.(Misha Dzhindzhikhashvili - Moscow Times) |
|
2005/02/18 - Smuggling Crackdown Hurts Azeris |
| Ethnic Azerbaijanis claim that raids by Georgia’s financial police are targeting their community unfairly.(Ramilya Alieva - IWPR) |
|
2005/02/18 - BLACK GOLD, HARD TIMES? |
| The Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline could prove a vital source of revenue for cash-strapped Georgia, pumping an estimated $50 million per year into government coffers.(Bruno De Cordier - EurasiaNet) |
|
2005/02/18 - Russia-Georgia Talks Fail to End Years of Distrust |
| TBILISI - Russia and Georgia failed to put years of mutual distrust over Moscow"s role in its neighbor behind them Friday, agreeing only to continue talks that Tbilisi said could be a "last chance" to mend relations.(Niko Mchledishvili - Reuters) |
|
2005/02/18 - LAVROV TRIP DOES LITTLE TO EASE GEORGIAN-RUSSIAN TENSION |
| Completing a visit to Tbilisi, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov voiced cautious optimism that Russian and Georgia could find solutions to an array of bilateral disputes.(Molly Corso and Jaba Devdariani - EurasiaNet) |
|
2005/02/18 - Frequent Shake-Ups, Politics Hinder Military Reforms |
| Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili has made military reform a high priority of his domestic policy agenda. Experts, however, note little real progress in that direction, notably because of the frequent changes in personnel among the top army leadership in the past 12 months.(Jean-Christophe Peuch - RFE/RL) |
|
2005/02/17 - Negotiations On Treaty Hit Deadlock |
| Already strained, ties between Russia and Georgia appeared to suffer a new setback last week when talks on a framework bilateral treaty reached a stalemate.(Jean-Christophe Peuch - RFE/RL) |
|
2005/02/15 - A Georgian Crisis of Confidence |
| Stability was supposed to be the main theme in the days that followed the death of Georgian Prime Minister Zurab Zhvania on Feb. 3. But the leadership"s insistence on maintaining "order and discipline in the country" did little more than betray its own concerns on this score.(Regis Gente - Moscow Times) |
|
2005/02/14 - The History of Man is being rewritten in Georgia, Dmanisi |
| No taller than 1.50m, the skull oblong and flat, the face cast forward : Homo Georgicus is the man who revolutionized the History of Man in 2001. Or more exactly, 1.8 million years ago when the latter would have letf the African craddle for Europe.(Marie Anderson - CAUCAZ) |
|
2005/02/14 - GEORGIA UNSHELVES AMERICAN'S MURDER CASE OF 12 YEARS AGO |
| TBILISI - The Georgian Prosecutor General"s office has reopened the Fred Woodrough murder case upon discovery of new facts, the top prosecutor"s press center said to Novosti/Georgia news agency.(RIA) |
|
2005/02/14 - ABKHAZ INAUGURAL CONTRIBUTES TO A SPIKE IN RUSSIAN-GEORGIAN TENSION |
| During inauguration ceremonies in Georgia’s separatist region of Abkhazia, the territory’s new "president," Sergei Bagapsh, vowed to press ahead with efforts to forge a "strategic union with Russia." Bagapsh’s comments have contributed to another spike in tension between Georgia and Russia.(EurasiaNet) |
|
2005/02/11 - GEORGIA’S LIKELY PM: TERRITORIAL INTEGRITY IS TOP PRIORITY |
| In one of his first interviews with a foreign correspondent since his nomination as Georgia’s new prime minister, Zurab Noghaideli vowed that the country’s economic reforms would not be derailed by the unexpected death of former premier Zurab Zhvania.(Theresa Freese - EurasiaNet) |
|
2005/02/11 - FBI rules that Georgian PM's death accidental |
| TBILISI - The US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI (news - web sites)) said that it believed that the death of Georgia"s prime minister Zurab Zhvania last week was accidental, as officials in Tbilisi originally announced.(AFP) |
|
2005/02/11 - SAAKASHVILI: GEORGIA NOW A "MODEL" COUNTRY |
| Declaring Georgia "a proper state," President Mikheil Saakashvili delivered his annual state of the nation speech to parliament on February 10.(EurasiaNet) |
|
2005/02/10 - Premier’s Death Heralds Challenging Days for Georgia |
| President Saakashvili has appointed a new prime minister to replace the late Zurab Zhvania, but filling the space he left will be more difficult.(Mikhail Vignansky - IWPR) |
|
2005/02/10 - Georgia Delays Vote on Premier |
| TBILISI, Georgia -- President Mikheil Saakashvili presented his nominee for prime minister to parliament Thursday, one week after the late prime minister, Zurab Zhvania, was found dead, apparently from carbon monoxide poisoning, in a Tbilisi apartment, but deputies postponed the confirmation vote for one day.(Misha Dzindzhikhashvili - Moscow Times) |
|
2005/02/10 - OPPOSITION CALLS FOR INDEPENDENT COMMISSION TO EXAMINE ZHVANIA’S DEATH |
| An opposition leader has called on President Mikheil Saakashvili to form an independent commission to investigate the death of Prime Minister Zurab Zhvania, saying that the government’s handling of the case has raised more questions than answers.(Molly Corso - EurasiaNet) |
|
2005/02/09 - New Georgian PM will complete predecessor's economic reforms |
| This week Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili will be awarded the prize of the American Bar Association, which recognises world leaders" contribution to strengthening law and order.(AFP - TurkishPress) |
|
2005/02/09 - UNANSWERED QUESTIONS SWIRL AROUND GEORGIAN PROBE INTO PRIME MINISTER’S DEATH |
| Political allies of Georgia’s former prime minister, Zurab Zhvania, are expressing concern about the circumstances surrounding his unexpected death. (Molly Corso - EurasiaNet) |
|
2005/02/09 - Georgian President Nominates New Premier |
| Prague -- Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili has tapped 40-year-old Zurab Nogaideli to succeed the late Prime Minister Zurab Zhvania, who was found dead of apparent gas poisoning in a Tbilisi apartment last week.(Jean-Christophe Peuch - RFE/RL) |
|
2005/02/08 - Georgian PM's vision 'will live on' |
| TBILISI: Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili has presided over the burial of prime minister Zurab Zhvania, his friend and ally, pledging to stick with the liberal course threatened by Zhvania"s accidental death.(The Australian) |
|
2005/02/08 - MANY QUESTIONS REMAIN UNANSWERED IN ZHVANIA’S DEATH |
| Doubts in Tbilisi seem to be growing about the Georgian government’s handling of the investigation into the shocking death Prime Minister Zurab Zhvania. However, officials show no signs of backing away from their initial conclusion that Zhvania’s death was a case of accidental carbon-monoxide poisoning.(Molly Corso - EurasiaNet) |
|
2005/02/08 - POST-ZHVANIA, GEORGIA-RUSSIA TIES FACE NEW CHALLENGES |
| Russian analysts and media outlets believe the death of Georgian Prime Minister Zurab Zhvania could have significant repercussions for bilateral relations between Russia and Georgia, as well as for stability within Georgia itself.(Sergei Blagov - EurasiaNet) |
|
2005/02/08 - GEORGIAN INTERIOR MINISTER: ZHVANIA’S DEATH, GORI BLAST NOT LINKED |
| Georgian Interior Minister Vano Merabishvili insisted that the death of Prime Minister Zurab Zhvania and the terrorist car-bombing in the city of Gori were not connected.(Theresa Freese - EurasiaNet) |
|
2005/02/07 - ZHVANIA BURIED, GEORGIA PLEDGES TO SOLDIER ON |
| Georgia held a state funeral for Prime Minister Zurab Zhvania on February 6 amid government calls for national unity and vows to continue Georgia’s reform drive.(Elizabeth Owen - EurasiaNet) |
|
2005/02/07 - FBI to Probe Georgian PM's Death |
| TBILISI, Georgia — The FBI is sending a team of experts to look into last week"s death of Georgia"s premier and a car bombing that killed three policemen days earlier, the U.S. ambassador said Monday.(Jim Heinz - ABC News) |
|
2005/02/07 - Georgia Buries Prime Minister, Pledges to Stay Course |
| TBILISI - Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili presided over the burial of his friend and ally Prime Minister Zurab Zhvania on Sunday, pledging to stick with the liberal course threatened by Zhvania"s accidental death.(NY Times) |
|
2005/02/07 - Georgia considers candidates for premiership |
| TBILISI -- Georgian parliamentary speaker Nino Burdzhanadze believes that in the current situation the one who takes the prime minister’s post does not have to be a strong politician. (Itar-Tass) |
|
2005/02/06 - Worried Georgians Mourn Prime Minister |
| Georgians bid farewell Sunday to late Prime Minister Zurab Zhvania, who died three days earlier in a friend"s apartment, amid worries for the future of their struggling country and doubts about the official explanation of his death.(Jim Heinz - The Ledger) |
|
2005/02/06 - Georgia mourns prime minister |
| The people of Georgia have been paying their last respects to Prime Minister Zurab Zhvania, who died of carbon monoxide poisoning earlier this week.(BBC) |
|
2005/02/06 - Georgian PM's death heightens uncertainty |
| TBILISI- Georgian Prime Minister Zurab Zhvania"s death, apparently caused by a faulty gas heater, prompted a slew of conspiracy theories in the media Friday, heightening uncertainty in a country still struggling to define its future.(Agence France-Presse ) |
|
2005/02/05 - Georgia state official found dead |
| A Georgian government official has been found dead in an apparent suicide, two days after the country"s prime minister died from accidental gas poisoning.(BBC) |
|
2005/02/05 - Associate of Georgian PM Commits Suicide |
| TBILISI, Georgia -- A member of the Georgian presidential clemency commission has committed suicide, police said Saturday, two days after the death of Prime Minister Zurab Zhvania. Officials denied any political connection between the victim and the premier.(Jim Heinz- Herald Tribune ) |
|
2005/02/05 - Aide to dead Georgian PM commits suicide: official |
| TBILISI - An aide to Georgian prime minister Zurab Zhvania, who died apparently after breathing toxic fumes leaked by a faulty heater, committed suicide late Friday, an interior ministry spokesman said.(AFP) |
|
2005/02/04 - Zhvania's Death Likely To Affect Balance Of Forces In Government |
| Zurab Zhvania, the Georgian prime minister who died yesterday in an apparent gas poisoning accident, was generally viewed as a stabilizing element in the youthful team that took the reins of power 15 months ago.(Jean-Christophe Peuch- RFE/RL) |
|
2005/02/04 - GORI RESIDENTS SEARCH FOR REASONS BEHIND RECENT CAR-BOMBING |
| As various theories circulate about who carried out a devastating car-bombing in the city of Gori, local residents express concern that the attack, followed by with the shocking death of Prime Minister Zurab Zhvania, could be a harbinger of broader instability and violence.(Theresa Freese - EurasiaNet) |
|
2005/02/04 - Georgia PM Death Confirmed from Gas Poisoning |
| TBILISI, Georgia - Georgian Prime Minister Zurab Zhvania"s death was, as initially thought, caused by carbon monoxide poisoning, a justice ministry expert said Friday after an autopsy.(Reuters - NY Times) |
|
2005/02/04 - Georgia will feel loss of Zhvania |
| President Mikhail Saakashvili says Georgia has lost a "great patriot" with the death by accidental gas poisoning of his close associate, Prime Minister Zurab Zhvania.(Steven Eke - BBC) |
|
2005/02/04 - Georgia's Premier Dies of Gas Poisoning |
| TBILISI, Georgia -- Prime Minister Zurab Zhvania was found dead following an apparent gas leak from a heater Thursday, dealing a blow to President Mikheil Saakashvili"s efforts to wipe out corruption and resolve two separatist conflicts in Georgia.(Misha Dzhindzhikhashvili - Moscow Times) |
|
2005/02/04 - GEORGIAN GOVERNMENT STRESSES STABILITY AS SEARCH FOR NEW PRIME MINISTER BEGINS |
| The search for a replacement for Prime Minister Zurab Zhvania, who died February 3 of carbon-monoxide poisoning, is underway. Political analysts in Tbilisi say there is "no obvious candidate" that can match Zhvania’s technocratic skills.(Elizabeth Owen - EurasiaNet) |
|
2005/02/04 - Shocked Georgians Mourn Prime Minister |
| TBILISI, Georgia -- Hundreds of shocked Georgians gathered Friday in the snow in central Tbilisi to mourn Prime Minister Zurab Zhvania, whose death has left the struggling former Soviet republic worried for its future.(AP - NY Times) |
|
2005/02/03 - Gas Poisoning Accident Kills Georgian PM |
| Freak accident removes key figure of Georgian revolution at a critical stage.(Sebastian Smith - IWPR) |
|
2005/02/03 - Saakashvili steps in as PM dies |
| Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili has said he is taking charge of the government following the death of his prime minister on Wednesday.(BBC) |
|
2005/02/03 - Funding for Quake Victims “Inadequate” |
| Opposition politicians in Tbilisi claim authorities are short-changing locals whose homes were damaged or destroyed.(Nata Alapishvili - IWPR) |
|
2005/02/03 - Carbon Monoxide From Heater Kills Georgia Premier |
| MOSCOW - Prime Minister Zurab Zhvania of Georgia, a youthful reformer and ally of President Mikhail Saakashvili, died early Thursday in what officials described as a bizarre but accidental poisoning.(Steven Lee Myers - NY Times) |
|
2005/02/02 - SAAKASHVILI: GORI BLAST IS TERRORIST ATTACK |
| Georgia’s government is characterizing the February 1 car explosion that left at least three dead and more than two dozen injured as a terrorist attack designed to disrupt plans for returning South Ossetia and Abkhazia to Georgian control.(EurasiaNet) |
|
2005/02/02 - Georgian aide suspects Russia behind car bomb |
| TBILISI - A close confidant of Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili on Wednesday pointed the finger at Russian involvement in a car bomb that killed three policemen in the Black Sea state.(Margarita Antidze - NY Times) |
|
2005/02/02 - Deadly Gori Blast Sparks Confused Reactions Among Officials |
| A car bomb yesterday killed three policemen in the central Georgian city of Gori, just a few kilometers away from the separatist republic of South Ossetia.(Jean-Christophe Peuch - RFE/RL) |
|
2005/02/01 - Bomb blast kills three in Georgia |
| A car bomb has exploded outside a police station in the Georgian town of Gori, killing three policemen and injuring at least 10 others.(BBC) |
|
2005/02/01 - Bomb Explodes Near Georgia Police Station |
| TBILISI, Georgia -- A car bomb exploded Tuesday outside a police station in Georgia, killing three policemen, injuring nearly two dozen others and raising fears of renewed violence in the nearby breakaway region of South Ossetia.(NY Times) |
|
2005/01/28 - UN: Security Council Urges Resumption Of Georgia-Abkhaz Political Process |
| The UN Security Council has called for new efforts to revive political talks between Georgia and Abkhazia in the aftermath of elections in the separatist republic.(Robert McMahon - RFE/RL) |
|
2005/01/28 - GEORGIAN PRESIDENT UNVEILS SOUTH OSSETIA PEACE PLAN |
| «Ossetian-Georgian conflict is flaring up! The duty of each Russian patriot is to defend Ossetian Christian Orthodox brothers from…» But what should Christian Orthodox Georgians be called then, who have been similar "brothers" until recently?(Molly Corso - EurasiaNet) |
|
2005/01/28 - Leaders Remain Noncommittal On Meskhetian Repatriation Issue |
| The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe this week reiterated its concern about the fate of the former Soviet Union"s Meskhetian community, and revived calls for Georgia to urgently organize their repatriation.(Jean-Christophe Peuch - RFE/RL) |
|
2005/01/28 - South Ossetia Standoff Continues |
| Tskhinval blames Georgia for “provocations” designed to undermine the breakaway republic’s credibility. (Irina Keleskhaeva - IWPR) |
|
2005/01/28 - Russia says Georgia should seek settlement with separatist through existing channels |
| Russia said Thursday that Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili should use existing channels to settle the conflict with South Ossetia and warned that more trust is needed between his government and the breakaway region before they can resolve their differences.(AP) |
|
2005/01/27 - Saakashvili Offers Regional Autonomy |
| STRASBOURG, France -- Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili said Wednesday that an offer of regional autonomy to the breakaway province of South Ossetia could be also extended to the rebel region of Abkhazia.(Constant Brand - Moscow Times) |
|
2005/01/27 - Georgia accuses Russia over UN Abkhazia meeting |
| UNITED NATIONS - Georgia"s U.N. ambassador accused Russia on Wednesday of excluding it from Security Council deliberations on the peace process between the Tbilisi government and breakaway Abkhazia.(Irwin Arieff - AlertNet) |
|
2005/01/27 - Armenian Atomic Dilemma |
| Aging nuclear power station is a vital source of energy for Armenia, but its future is uncertain given its location on geological and political faultlines.(Kerob Sarkisian in Yerevan, Sophie Bukia in Tbilisi and Idrak Abbasov in Baku - IWPR) |
|
2005/01/26 - NEITHER RUSSIA NOR GEORGIA SATISFIED WITH THEIR RELATIONS |
| MOSCOW - Russo-Georgian relations are unlikely to satisfy both parties, Russian Security Council Secretary Igor Ivanov said Wednesday during a meeting with his Georgian counterpart Gela Bezhuashvili. (RIA) |
|
2005/01/26 - Plan Offers Autonomy for Enclave in Georgia |
| MOSCOW - Seeking to renew negotiations in a stalemated internal conflict, President Mikhail Saakashvili of Georgia on Monday released details of a proposal offering autonomy to a breakaway region along Georgia"s northern border with Russia.(C. J. Chiners - NY Times) |
|
2005/01/26 - President Unveils South Ossetian Peace Plan In Strasbourg |
| Addressing the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili on Wednesday reiterated an offer to extend broad autonomy to the secessionist republic of South Ossetia in return for its recognition of Tbilisi"s authority. But Tskhinvali immediately rejected the offer.(Jean-Christophe Peuch - RFE/RL) |
|
2005/01/26 - Georgia unveils settlement offer |
| Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili has offered a broad autonomy to the breakaway republic of South Ossetia.(BBC) |
|
2005/01/25 - FILM SHEDS LIGHT ON GEORGIA’S HEART OF DARKNESS |
| EurasiaNet is re-running this review from December, 2003 to coincide with the broadcast of Power Trip on PBS"s Independent Lens.(Alec Appelbaum - EurasiaNet) |
|
2005/01/25 - PROMISES STILL POWER GEORGIA’S ELECTRICITY SYSTEM |
| This New Year’s, the television was on at Imzari Chartishvili’s home in the West Georgian village of Lesa.(Molly Corso - EusrasiaNet) |
|
2005/01/24 - An Only Child Finds a Singular Love in Basketball |
| Georgia accused Russia of moving armored vehicles into South Ossetia, an autonomous region that Georgia"s central government wants brought back under its control, Interfax reported.(Liz Robbins - NY Times) |
|
2005/01/24 - Stalin Monuments to Appear in Moscow, Central Russia, Crimea |
| A monument to Joseph Stalin will be erected in Moscow to commemorate the 60th anniversary of victory in World War II.(MosNews) |
|
2005/01/24 - SOUTH OSSETIAN PRESIDENT'S MOSCOW VISIT WILL LAST INTO WEEKEND Salzburg |
| MOSCOW/TBILISI - The working visit to Moscow by Eduard Kokoity, the President of the self-proclaimed Republic of South Ossetia, will last into the weekend, Irina Gagloyeva, the head of South Ossetia"s Information and Press Committee, told RIA Novosti on the telephone.(RIA) |
|
2005/01/23 - Hostage surprised at jail claim |
| A businessman who was held hostage in Georgia in the former Soviet Union is trying to confirm reports that a man has been jailed for the crime. Peter Shaw said he is surprised at claims in a news agency report, that a man has been sentenced his kidnapping.(BBC) |
|
2005/01/22 - Iran & Georgia signed MOU to promote cultural heritage & tourism |
| TEHRAN — Iran and Georgia signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) in the fields of cultural heritage and tourism.(CHN) |
|
2005/01/21 - LITTLE OPTIMISM FOR GEORGIA’S ABKHAZIA PEACE PLAN |
| Tbilisi is pushing a new peace plan for Abkhazia, but Georgian analysts and locals near the border with the breakaway region say they see little chance that the plan will reverse years of animosity.(John Mackedon and Molly Corso - EurasiaNet) |
|
2005/01/19 - YOU SAY YOU WANT A REVOLUTION? |
| Many Georgians experienced a feeling of "deja vu" as they watched the pictures broadcast from Kiev’s Independence Square last December. (Giorgi Kandelaki - EurasiaNet) |
|
2005/01/19 - PACE criticizes Georgia’s democracy |
| STRASBURG. On the verge of the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly’s meeting, scheduled for January 25 in Strasburg, the PACE Monitoring Committee has circulated its report on the situation in Georgia, rating the new authorities’ anti-corruption controls as fair, but at the same time showing displeasure at the methods used to control corruption.(The Russia Journal) |
|
2005/01/18 - Russia: Up to 300 Rebels in Pankisi Gorge |
| TBILISI, Georgia -- The Russian Embassy in Tbilisi said Monday that up to 300 Chechen militants, including international terrorists, have found refuge in Georgia"s Pankisi Gorge and that Tbilisi is turning a blind eye to the problem.(AP) |
|
2005/01/18 - SAAKASHVILI'S WRONG MOVES ARE CONTAGIOUS |
| MOSCOW - The ability of the West to regain clear vision evokes mixed emotions. Russia has long talked about the stagnation of democratic reforms in Georgia with Mikhail Saakashvili"s coming to power. Now, the "sensational" realization has finally reached Europe, too.(Pyotr Romanov - RIA) |
|
2005/01/17 - Fire damages Georgia film archive |
| Staff from Georgia"s national film archives are examining material saved from a devastating fire in Tbilisi. (BBC) |
|
2005/01/17 - CONTINUED CHECHEN TERRORIST THREAT TO RUSSIA FROM GEORGIAN TERRITORY |
| TBILISI - The threat of acts of terrorism still persists from Georgian territory, challenging the security of both Russia and Georgia, says the Novosti-Georgia news agency with reference to a statement circulated Monday by the Russian embassy in Tbilisi.(RIA) |
|
2005/01/16 - Abkhazia’s New Leader Vows Closer Ties with Moscow |
| Central Election Commission (CEC) of breakaway Abkhazia confirmed on January 14 Sergey Bagapsh as the President-elect of the unrecognized republic.(Baku Today) |
|
2005/01/16 - EUROPEAN LAWMAKERS FEAR STRENGTHENING OF PRESIDENTIAL AUTHORITY IN GEORGIA |
| TBILISI - The monitoring group under the Council of Europe prepared a draft of a resolution, which contains criticism of the new Georgian leadership. (RIA) |
|
2005/01/15 - Georgia Border Mission Closes |
| The OSCE loses its mandate to monitor the Georgian-Chechen border after Russia vetoes extension bid.(Irakly Aladishvili - IWPR) |
|
2005/01/14 - Breakfast with the FT: Outsider insight |
| Our legs are gently rubbing, but there really is no alternative. Four of us have piled into the official car of Salome Zurabashvili, Georgia’s foreign minister...(Andrew Clark - Financial Times) |
|
2005/01/13 - Bagapsh Set For Landslide Victory In Abkhaz Presidential Poll |
| Prague -- Partial results released by election officials in Georgia"s separatist republic of Abkhazia show Sergei Bagapsh winning yesterday"s presidential election in a landslide.(Jean-Christophe Peuch - RFE/RL) |
|
2005/01/13 - PRIVATIZING GEORGIA: DOLLARS ARE THE GUIDE |
| The Georgian government is betting on privatization to keep the state treasury balance in the black, but transparency issues could muddy the process with the public. (Elizabeth Owen - EurasiaNet) |
|
2005/01/11 - Abkhazia To Elect President In New Vote Amid Concerns Over Low Turnout |
| Voters in Georgia"s secessionist republic of Abkhazia will elect their new president tomorrow in a rerun election called after last year"s political crisis that drove the tiny Black Sea province to the brink of civil war. i>(Jean-Christophe Peuch - RFE/RL) |
|
2005/01/11 - Abkhazia to re-run disputed vote |
| Georgia"s breakaway province of Abkhazia re-runs October"s disputed presidential election on Wednesday, with the result apparently sewn up. (BBC) |
|
2005/01/08 - Independent churches win new respect |
| IN EARLY November last year the staff of Viktor Yushchenko, soon to be installed as Ukraine’s new President, found a stock of some 10,000 unsigned leaflets in an Orthodox church calling him “a partisan of the schismatics and an enemy of Orthodoxy” and his American-born wife, Kateryna Chumachenko, a “CIA agent”. (Michael Bourdeaux - Times Online) |
|
2005/01/08 - GEORGIA RELEASES TWO CHECHENS. RUSSIA'S FOREIGN MINISTRY OBJECTS |
| MOSCOW - Georgian authorities have released two Chechens detained, August 2002, as they were trespassing the Russian-Georgian frontier. (RIA) |
|
2005/01/07 - Georgia - 2004 Annual report |
| The resignation of President Edvard Shevardnadze at the end of November 2003 raised fresh hopes for press freedom in Georgia.(Reporters Without Borders) |
|
2005/01/07 - NGO Activists Take Control |
| Kutaisi’s local government is now mostly composed of former civil society workers – leaving nobody to keep a critical eye on the authorities.(Natia Kuprashvili - IWPR) |
|
2005/01/06 - What's Behind Defense Minister's Fraud Charges? |
| When he acceded to power nearly a year ago, Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili pledged to improve his country"s defense capabilities and to modernize its armed forces with a view toward integrating with NATO. (Jean-Christophe Peuch - RFE/RL) |
|
2005/01/03 - GEORGIA’S NEW CABINET EMPHASIZES DEFENSE AND ECONOMY |
| Nearly a year into his presidential administration in Georgia, Mikheil Saakashvili continues to tinker with his cabinet as he promotes his Westernization agenda. (Jaba Devdariani - EurasiaNet) |
|
2004/12/29 - Mikhail Saakashvili, was the first foreign leader to congratulate Mr Yushchenko |
| Yushchenko sweeps to victory but opponent refuses to accept result. (Askold Krushelnycky - The Independent) |
|
2004/12/28 - Georgia calls its talented children home |
| TBILISI, Georgia — Her hands fluttering like butterflies as she talks in the darkened theater, Nino Ananiashvili is the lithe and graceful embodiment of a trend Georgia"s leaders see as a national-security priority.(David R. Sands - Washington Times) |
|
2004/12/24 - Reporter-at-Large: Black Sea Blues |
| Maxim Gunjia sits down in an armchair opposite a plush couch. His spacious office is filled with abstract art.(Charles King - National Interest) |
|
2004/12/23 - Repression Despite the Rose Revolution |
| Of all the former Soviet republics, only one has signed a formal concordat with its historically dominant church but with no other religion.(Lawrence A. Uzzell - Moscow Times) |
|
2004/12/23 - Georgian Government Carousel |
| President Saakashvili turns to his closest loyalists in ministerial changes.(Mikhail Vignansky - IWPR) |
|
2004/12/22 - GEORGIAN PRESIDENT SAAKASHVILI’S CAMPAIGN AGAINST CORRUPTION |
| Corruption has plagued Georgia -- as well as its neighbors Armenia and Azerbaijan -- for generations.(Molly Corso - EurasiaNet) |
|
2004/12/21 - Long-Range and Pointless |
| In the last several weeks, military officials, including Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov, have announced that Russia is ready to deliver long-range preventive and pinpoint strikes on terrorist targets.(Pavel Felgenhauer - Moscow Times) |
|
2004/12/21 - Mikheil Saakashvili - Europe's third wave of liberation |
| For those of us who remained behind the iron curtain during Europe"s first great wave of liberation after the demise of Nazi Germany, western European states served as the standard bearers of freedom and liberty, generated by the power and promise of democracy. (Mikheil Saakashvili - Financial Times) |
|
2004/12/21 - Stalin's Admirers Celebrate 125th Birthday |
| TBILISI, Georgia - Dozens of residents of Josef Stalin"s hometown celebrated the 125th anniversary of his birth Tuesday, singing, dancing and drinking champagne toasts to the late Soviet dictator.(Misha Dzhindzhikhashvili - ABC News) |
|
2004/12/17 - WITH US HELP, GEORGIA GETS ITS CAKE AND EATS IT, TOO |
| The expansion of a US military assistance program in Georgia, along with Washington’s promise to assist the Georgian government with the cost of closing down two Russian military bases in the country, could provide President Mikheil Saakashvili administration with a much-needed boost as it promotes the country’s integration into the Western security framework.(John Mackedon - EurasiaNet) |
|
2004/12/17 - Georgia Split by New Education Law |
| Draft bill aimed at stamping out corruption is denounced as “anti-Georgian” by nationalists and viewed with suspicion by students and minorities.(Dali Kuprava - IWPR) |
|
2004/12/17 - Saakashvili Blows Hot And Cold On Separatist Issue |
| The president of Georgia has sent mixed signals this week to the breakaway republics of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. (Jean-Christophe Peuch i RFE/RL) |
|
2004/12/17 - Education Minister Determined To Proceed With Controversial Reforms |
| Like other CIS countries, Georgia inherited a well-developed education system from the Soviet Union.(Jean-Christophe Peuch - RFE/RL) |
|
2004/12/15 - Azeris Angry Over Georgia Killing |
| A local land dispute has escalated following the death of an elderly Azerbaijani woman in southern Georgia.(Sofo Bukia - IWPR) |
|
2004/12/11 - Kidnap victim's justice plea |
| A businessman held hostage in Georgia for five months is waiting to hear whether he will be able to give evidence against his kidnappers.(BBC) |
|
2004/12/11 - Honoring a Democrat From Georgia |
| When Prime Minister Zurab Zhvaniya of Georgia was a child, he was given a full measure of his country"s terrain, its gorges and lakes, its traditions and monuments, during hiking trips with his father every summer.(Nora Boustany - Washington Post) |
|
2004/12/11 - MENTAL HEALTH CARE IN GEORGIA -- FORGOTTEN BY THE REVOLUTION? |
| Forty minutes outside of Tbilisi, past decaying Soviet apartment blocks and an overflowing city dump, lies a harrowing reminder of the derelict state of health care in Georgia.(John Smock - EurasiaNet) |
|
2004/12/09 - Tensions rise on Georgia's border |
| New tensions have emerged on Georgia"s border with Azerbaijan over allegations of smuggling and a rail cargo dispute.(Natalia Antelava - BBC) |
|
2004/12/09 - RUSSIA DID NO ECONOMIC ARM TWISTING FOR POLITICAL PRESSURE ON GEORGIA |
| TBILISI - Gazexport denies allegations that Russia pressed Georgia via gas companies.(RIA) |
|
2004/12/08 - Could Abkhaz Election Deal Prove A Pyrrhic Victory For Russia? |
| The two rivals in Abkhazia"s disputed presidential election agreed yesterday to stand together in a new poll in early January.(Jean-Christophe Peuch - RFE/RL) |
|
2004/12/08 - Tbilisi and Baku Quarrel Over Cargos |
| Georgian businessmen hit by a row over whether freight cars from Azerbaijan are destined for Armenia. (Lela Iremashvili, Rufat Abbasov - IWPR) |
|
2004/12/07 - PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES STRIKE DEAL IN ABKHAZIA |
| A last-minute deal between opposition leader Sergei Bagapsh and former Prime Minister Raul Khajimba appears to have ended a two-month stalemate over the outcome of Abkhazia’s presidential elections.(Sergei Blagov - EurasiaNet) |
|
2004/12/07 - Four explosions reportedly shake Abkhazian capital |
| TBILISI, Georgia (AP) — Four explosions shook the capital of Georgia"s breakaway region of Abkhazia early Monday but caused no casualties or damage, the Interfax news agency reported.(USA Today) |
|
2004/12/07 - Georgia: Abkhazia Presidential Rivals Strike Tentative Last-Minute Deal |
| Soviet Georgia-born British sensation Katie Melua is only 19. On disc, she could pass for 40.(Jean-Christophe Peuch - RFE/RL) |
|
2004/12/06 - Abkhazia Candidates Agree to Joint Ticket |
| TBILISI, Georgia (AP) -- The two candidates vying for the presidency of Georgia"s breakaway region of Abkhazia agreed Sunday to conduct new elections, and run on a joint ticket.(Misha Dzhindzhikhashvili - MoscowTimes) |
|
2004/12/06 - US general in Georgia to train troops |
| TBILISI - A top US general arrived in the former Soviet republic of Georgia on Sunday for a mission aimed at training thousands of soldiers in the impoverished Caucasus republic for joint missions with the West.(Space War UAV) |
|
2004/12/06 - The Activists: Resistance Is (Not) Futile |
| If the scenes of young people blowing whistles, banging drums and handing out cough drops amid the throng of protesters in Kiev last week looked familiar, they should...(Andrew Purvis - Time Magazine) |
|
2004/12/05 - Abkhazia:Declared Presidential Victor Gears Up For Inauguration Amid Russian Threats |
| Tensions are running high between Russia and Sergei Bagapsh, the official winner of October"s presidential election in Abkhazia.(Jean-Christophe Peuch - RFE/RL) |
|
2004/12/04 - ABKHAZIA: AT WAR WITH ITSELF |
| Entering the headquarters of Sergei Bagapsh in Sukhumi, the capital of Abkhazia, you could be forgiven for thinking that Bagapsh is already the president of this self-styled independent state. (Theresa Freese - EurasiaNet) |
|
2004/12/04 - BOOSTING DEFENSE CAPABILITIES A TOP PRIORITY FOR GEORGIA IN 2005 |
| The Georgian government finalized a draft budget on December 3 that projects government expenditures to be 2.2 billion lari, or about 1.2 billion US dollars.(Justyna Mielnikiewicz - EurasiaNet) |
|
2004/12/03 - In Ukraine, a franchised revolution |
| "A huge geopolitical battle is being fought in Ukraine." - Nouvel Observateur, Paris..(K Gajendra Singh - Asian Times) |
|
2004/12/03 - GEORGIAN PERFORMER STORMS GUINNESS RECORD IN SIBERIAN GUITAR MARATHON |
| IRKUTSK - Prominent guitar player Temur Kvitelashvili is out to beat a world playing length record and make a Guinness Book entry. (RIA) |
|
2004/12/03 - Award winner shakes up Georgian winemaking |
| A Georgian winemaker aims to radically change his country"s vinification techniques – after winning a trip to France with the Geoffrey Roberts Award. (Eleonora Scholes - Decanter) |
|
2004/12/02 - GAGLOYEVA: SOUTH OSSETIAN REMOTE VILLAGES ON THE BRINK OF HUMANITARIAN CATASTROPHE |
| MOSCOW/TBILISI - The prohibition to deliver humanitarian aid to remote villages of the Leninogorsky district of South Ossetia (self-proclaimed republic on Georgian territory) puts them on the brink of a humanitarian catastrophe.(RIA) |
|
2004/12/02 - Georgian Church Letter Raises Storm |
| The Georgian Orthodox Church rejects criticism that it is abusing its special status in society.(Sofo Bukia - IWPR) |
|
2004/12/02 - Russia Steps Up Pressure On Abkhaz Opposition |
| Tensions have been heightening between Russia and the declared winner of October"s presidential election in Abkhazia.(RFE/RL) |
|
2004/12/02 - Moscow threatens blockade of defiant Abkhazia |
| MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia on Wednesday told Georgia"s breakaway region of Abkhazia to hold a rerun of presidential polls, after a pro-Moscow candidate was defeated, or face an economic blockade.(AlertNet) |
|
2004/12/01 - Putin's Impossible Dream |
| The falsification of election results in Ukraine"s presidential runoff, carried out by a corrupt local oligarchy with Kremlin support, seems finally to have ended the four-year romance between Russia"s authoritarian president and the West. (Pavel Felgenhauer - Moscow Times) |
|
2004/11/30 - THE CON-TRACT OF THE CENTURY |
| How BP tried to cover-up up its flawed operations in the Caspian that could lead to an environmental disaster. The investigation also reveals breaking news that the first bank consortium led by Italy’s largest bank, Banca Intesa, has pulled out over concerns about safety flaws and reputation risk.(Michael Gillard - Spinwatch) |
|
2004/11/30 - STATES IN CAUCASUS, CENTRAL ASIA CLOSELY MONITOR DEVELOPMENTS IN UKRAINE |
| Developments in Ukraine, where protests over the controversial presidential election are continuing, are being closely monitored throughout the Caucasus and Central Asia. (EurasiaNet) |
|
2004/11/27 - Ex-Soviet bloc states mull election |
| Several countries in the former Soviet bloc have lined up behind Russia in endorsing the disputed result of Ukraine"s presidential election.(BBC) |
|
2004/11/27 - Abkhaz MPs back election 'winner' |
| The parliament of Georgia"s breakaway Abkhazia region has voted to recognise the opposition candidate as the victor in disputed presidential elections.(BBC) |
|
2004/11/27 - The revolution televised |
| The western media"s view of Ukraine"s election is hopelessly biased.(John Laughland - The Guardian) |
|
2004/11/27 - US campaign behind the turmoil in Kiev |
| With their websites and stickers, their pranks and slogans aimed at banishing widespread fear of a corrupt regime, the democracy guerrillas of the Ukrainian Pora youth movement have already notched up a famous victory.(Ian Traynor - The Guardian) |
|
2004/11/26 - Ajaria: Concern Over Missing Funds |
| Public discontent with Tbilisi’s new regime in Ajaria mounts, not helped by officials’ refusal to talk about where revenues have gone.(Eter Turadze - IWPR) |
|
2004/11/26 - Reforming Georgia |
| Democracy"s not had smooth sailing in the former Soviet states. Some such countries have reverted to totalitarianism, others to tin-horn dictatorships and many to kleptocracies. Overall, it"s a disappointing lot.(Ken Adelman - Washington Times) |
|
2004/11/26 - RUSSIA THREATENS ABKHAZIA |
| MOSCOW - Yesterday, Alexander Tkachov, the governor of the Krasnodar territory, which borders on Abkhazia (a self-proclaimed republic in Georgia), accused the opposition leader Sergei Bagapsh of "splitting Abkhaz society" into two camps.(RIA) |
|
2004/11/26 - OSCE supports Georgia’s fight against money-laundering |
| TBILISI - International crime-fighting experts will work with Georgian officials to develop tougher measures to combat money-laundering at a two-day OSCE workshop in Tbilisi starting on Thursday.(Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe) |
|
2004/11/26 - Saakashvili Says Georgia to Turn Corner Next Year |
| Economic transformation will help resolve Georgia’s armed conflicts, president says on first anniversary of “Rose Revolution”.(Sebastian Smith - IWPR) |
|
2004/11/24 - Georgia remembers Rose Revolution |
| ISTANBUL - President Mikheil Saakashvili of Georgia has invited Turkish businessmen to invest in Georgia. (Natalia Antelava - BBC) |
|
2004/11/24 - Ukraine Protests Parallel Georgia's Past |
| KIEV, Ukraine -- No one passing the thousands of protesters crowding Kiev"s main street asks why Georgian flags are waving in Ukraine -- the parallels with Georgia"s ``Rose Revolution"" are strong, even eerie.(New York Times) |
|
2004/11/23 - One year after 'rose revolution,' Georgia's economy putts along GEORGIA |
| TBILISI -- One year after Mikhail Saakashvili swept away the old regime in Georgia"s "rose revolution," promising to lift the nation out of its poverty, the economy of this strategic country is struggling to leave behind its post-Soviet malaise.(AFPt) |
|
2004/11/23 - GEORGIA’S ROSE REVOLUTION: MOMENTUM AND CONSOLIDATION |
| Georgia’s Rose Revolution has succeeded in making positive changes in the country’s economic and political direction, said panelists at a recent roundtable, convened to evaluate developments in Tbilisi over the past year.(Eric A. Miller - EurasiaNet) |
|
2004/11/22 - Saakashvili Says Treaty With Russia Will Ease Tension |
| Georgia"s President Mikhail Saakashvili said his government would sign a military and economic treaty with Russia in February to ease tensions that brought the neighboring countries to the brink of war this year.(Bloomberg) |
|
2004/11/22 - For reformers, Georgia's on their minds |
| Last year"s peaceful Rose Revolution has brought positive changes.(Mark Mackinnon - Globe and Mail) |
|
2004/11/21 - GEORGIA TO SIGN A FRAMEWORK AGREEMENT WITH RUSSIA |
| ST PETERSBURG - The framework agreement between Georgia and Russia has been 90% drafted, Georgian Ambassador to Russia Valery Chechelashvili said.(RIA) |
|
2004/11/21 - Georgia on a wild ride to democracy |
| TBILISI, Georgia — A year after the peaceful Rose Revolution transformed this small South Caucasus country, the symbolism of President Mikhail Saakashvili"s bandaged right hand is almost too perfect.(David R. Sands - Washington Times) |
|
2004/11/21 - British Media Issue Rumors on Possible Suspension of BTC Construction |
| British Sunday Times newspaper reports that construction of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline may be postponed indefinitely. The British parliament intends to investigate BP’s activity in Turkey and Azerbaijan, it said.(AssA-Irada - Baku Today) |
|
2004/11/21 - Traffic cops, symbol of Saakashvili's new Georgia |
| TBILISI - Ghia Tsibiashvili, a Tbilisi taxi driver, like many others used to roar through red lights, go the wrong direction on one-way streets and often was at the wheel drunk -- but all that was before US-style traffic police patrols set in.(AFP) |
|
2004/11/21 - Georgia's media under pressure a year after aiding 'rose revolution' |
| TBILISI - One year after the media played a crucial role in bringing Mikhail Saakashvili to power in Georgia, the freedom of the press is under attack in the tiny nation as those critical of authorities are coming under increasing pressure to toe the official line.(AFP) |
|
2004/11/20 - One Year Later, Bloom Fading On 'Rose Revolution' Despite Achievements |
| One year ago, former Soviet Politburo member Eduard Shevardnadze stepped down as president of Georgia. Shevardnadze"s resignation ended a three-week political crisis triggered by disputed legislative polls and paved the way for the rise to power of young opposition leader Mikheil Saakashvili.(Jean-Christophe Peuch - RFE/RL) |
|
2004/11/19 - Abkhaz Crisis Deepens As Police Reportedly Desert The Government |
| The political crisis over the disputed presidential poll in Georgia"s separatist Republic of Abkhazia intensified yesterday, with all regional police chiefs saying they can no longer obey government orders.(Jean-Christophe Peuch - RFE/RL) |
|
2004/11/19 - Georgia is getting to grips with culture of corruption |
| When Levan Isoriabecame head of Georgia"s police academy this summer he found most of his students did not have the minimum educational qualifications required for entry.(Andrew Jack - FT) |
|
2004/11/18 - South Ossetia: Tentative Steps to Peace |
| Governments of South Ossetia and Georgia try to make a compromise agreement work, but the situation on the ground remains tense. (Irina Kelekhsayeva - IWPR ) |
|
2004/11/18 - New Solution Proposed For Abkhaz Election Deadlock |
| Former Abkhaz Prime Minister Raul Khadjimba, who refuses to accept the 11 October ruling by Abkhazia"s Central Election Commission that his rival, Chernomorenergo head Sergei Bagapsh, won the 3 October presidential ballot with 50.08 percent of the vote.(Liz Fuller - RFE/RL ) |
|
2004/11/18 - Abkhazia’s Political Roulette Goes On |
| Even seizing the presidential palace is not enough to bring the opposition to power. (Inal Khashig - IWPR) |
|
2004/11/18 - Abkhazian police defy government |
| Police in the breakaway Abkhazia region of Georgia have refused to obey government orders, as a crisis over controversial elections continues.(BBC) |
|
2004/11/17 - Cracked joints found in BP's Georgia pipeline |
| Aslan Abashidze"s long reign in the Georgian province of Adzharia was made possible by the continuous support of Moscow, which skillfully wielded the dictator to influence the political process in Georgia. (Terry Macalister - The Guardian) |
|
2004/11/16 - ABKHAZIA CRISIS ADDS TO RUSSIA’S POLITICAL HEADACHES IN THE CAUCASUS |
| Relative calm has returned to Abkhazia following a confrontation linked to the Georgian breakaway region’s disputed "presidential" election.(Sergei Blagov - EurasiaNet) |
