Giorgi Menabde

Giorgi Menabde is a journalist based in Georgia.

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    Articles by Giorgi Menabde

    Ukrainian-Georgian Relations Reach New Low

    Executive Summary: Relations between Tbilisi and Kyiv have reached an all-time low as the two governments remain at odds over Russia’s war against Ukraine and the release of former Georgian

    Georgia Intensifies Its Relationship With China

    On September 6, China’s ambassador to Georgia, Zhou Qian, made an important declaration regarding Beijing’s interest in the development of the deep-water Port of Anaklia in Georgia. Zhou made clear

    Abkhazia Rejects Putin’s Mobilization

    On September 21, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed the decree on the “partial mobilization” of Russian citizens (TASS, September 21). This decree caused mixed reactions across Russian society, despite the

    NATO-Georgia: A Pause in the Integration Process?

    In early July, James Appathurai, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s (NATO) special representative for the Caucasus and Central Asia, held a series of top-level meetings in Georgia. The Georgian authorities

    Georgia Is Rebuilding Its Air Force

    On March 6, a modernized Georgian Su-25UB Grach (NATO classification: “Frogfoot”) ground-attack/close air support (CAS) jet, successfully completed a post-repair test flight (Business-partner.ge, March 6). The reconstruction and modernization of

    NATO Again Demonstrates Strong Support for Georgia

    Georgia and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) held NATO-Georgia Exercise 2019—a computer assisted/command post exercise (CAX/CPX)—at the Joint Training and Evaluation Center (JTEC), between March 18 and 29. The

    US and NATO Send Reassuring Messages to Georgia

    A few weeks before Georgia’s presidential elections, scheduled for October 28, the authorities in Tbilisi are trying to demonstrate their unwavering support for closer links with the United States and

    Georgia Remains on Path to NATO

    Four years ago, then–United States President Barack Obama famously stated that Georgia is not presently on the path to membership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) (Civil Georgia, March

    Georgia Moves to Adopt ‘Total Defense’ Posture

    The Georgian Parliament endorsed in its first hearing the country’s new military reserve system, concluding a nearly year-long working process on its reform (Civil Georgia, January 30, 2017; see EDM, May 25, 2017).

    Gazprom Presents Harsh Ultimatum to Georgia

    The Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Energy of Georgia, Kakha Kaladze, and a top official at the Russian energy giant Gazprom, Yelena Burmistrova, failed to reach an agreement during

    Growing Threat of Russian Influence in Georgian Army

    Since the Bucharest summit of April 2008, when the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) pledged that Georgia (and Ukraine) “will become members of NATO” (Summitbucharest.ro, April 3, 2008), the South

    Gazprom Tries to Seduce Georgia

    The leader of Azerbaijan, President Ilham Aliyev, arrived in Georgia, on November 5, for a two-day official visit (Vestnik Kavkaza, November 5). This was Aliyev’s first trip to Tbilisi in

    Is the Georgian Government Turning Toward China and Russia?

    Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili presented his government’s newly appointed minister of foreign affairs, Giorgi Kvirikashvili, at the annual gathering of Georgian diplomats, in Tbilisi. Until September 1, Kvirikashvili headed

    Russia Threatens Georgia With Renewed Trade War

    The Russian government regularly uses its agency for consumer protection, Rospotrebnadzor, for trade discrimination and blocking imports from countries whose policies Moscow does not like (see EDM, March 28, 2006;

    Are Georgians Participating in the Ukrainian War?

    In July 2014, when the war in eastern Ukraine was becoming increasingly intense and bitter, former president of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili accused the new Georgian authorities of persecuting “the officers

    Is Russia Resuming a Trade War Against Georgia?

    The Russian government has announced the imminent suspension of the Free Trade Regime between the Russian Federation and Georgia, which had been in place since 1994, following Georgia’s accession to

    Will Russia Annex Abkhazia and South Ossetia?

    Against the backdrop of the quickly unfolding situation in Ukraine—the annexation of Crimea and the guerrilla war in eastern Ukrainian—there are growing fears in Georgia that Russia will also use

    The Olympic Truce Between Russia and Georgia

    The chief of the Federal Security Service of Russia (FSB), Alexander Bortnikov, stated at an April 9 meeting of the Russian security services and law enforcement agencies that the FSB

    Georgian Soldiers Go to Africa

    In his annual State of the Nation address in the parliament (https://www.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=26971), Georgian President Giorgi Margvelashvili stated that he agreed to the request of Catherine Ashton, the High Representative of

    Is Georgia Too Close to Sochi?

    Several days prior to the opening of the Winter Olympic Games in Sochi, peculiar events started to take place at the Russian-Georgian border. According to multiple accounts, Georgian border guards

    Georgia Reviews Results of Its Military Reform

    Following the United National Movement’s complete hand-over of power to the Georgian Dream coalition, experts in Georgia have begun assessing the results of the decade of rule by former president

    Tensions on the Border Between Georgia and South Ossetia

    For the past several days, Georgian politicians and experts have extensively discussed the alarming development of the situation around the village of Ditsi (https://en.ria.ru/world/20130527/181373355.html), located at the border between Georgia

    Will Georgia Reenter the CIS?

    The issue of Georgia’s possible return to the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) and its participation in other post-Soviet space organizations became topical after the January 29 statement of the

    Georgia Proposes to Unblock the Trans-Caucasus Railway

    One of the closest associates of Georgia’s Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili, State Minister for Reintegration Paata Zakareishvili, has unveiled the government’s idea to unblock the railway link that connected Russia