Latest Articles about Georgia
PUTIN-SAAKASHVILI MIDNIGHT MEETING: FUTILE BUT NECESSARY
Presidents Vladimir Putin of Russia and Mikheil Saakashvili of Georgia held a three-hour meeting and joint news conference in St. Petersburg during the night of June 13-14. Saakashvili, who had solicited this meeting, succeeded in demonstrating Georgia's mature approach to the contentious issues beyond Western... MORE
OPPOSITION FEARS SAAKASHVILI WILL MANIPULATE — OR CANCEL — LOCAL ELECTIONS
The upcoming local elections in Georgia, and the controversial electoral code guiding the vote, have already triggered confrontations between the government and the opposition and even within the opposition camp. Currently the parliament is scrutinizing amendments to the election code proposed by the ruling National... MORE
CAN ABKHAZ AND GEORGIAN PEACE PLANS COEXIST?
As expected, the Abkhaz separatists rejected the peace plan that the Georgian government had offered in response to an earlier Abkhaz framework (see EDM, May 10). Sergei Shamba, the self-styled Abkhaz foreign minister, had officially submitted the Abkhaz plan while he was Tbilisi on May... MORE
LAW-ENFORCEMENT REVIEW PROVOKES CONFLICT IN SAAKASHVILI’S GOVERNMENT
A report presented to Georgia's Parliamentary Committee for Human Rights on May 19 exposed severe violations in Georgia's law enforcement system and correctional facilities. The unusually harsh report by State Ombudsman Sozar Subari, known as a staunch backer of the Rose Revolution and President Mikheil... MORE
SAAKASHVILI CONVENES COMMISSION ON CONSEQUENCES OF WITHDRAWING FROM CIS
One consideration that may influence Georgia's planned departure from the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) is whether Tbilisi will find itself alone and vulnerable to retaliation by an angry Russia. So far, the Georgian government seems confident of its future prospects. Following the recent Russian... MORE
INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMACY ON ABKHAZIA RESUMES IN TBILISI AFTER LONG HIATUS
The Coordinating Council, an overarching format for Georgian-Abkhaz dialogue also known as the Geneva Process, reconvened on May 15 in Tbilisi after a five-year suspension. The resumed Council and Process are meant to discuss Georgian and Abkhaz plans for a political settlement and, on parallel... MORE
GEORGIA NEAR EXIT FROM CIS
The presidents and other officials of Georgia and Ukraine have announced in recent days that they are considering the possibility of their countries' quitting the Commonwealth of Independent States or minimizing their participation. Stung, Russian officials are threatening severe retaliatory measures against the two countries... MORE
ABKHAZIA SLIDES TOWARD RUSSIA, BUT GEORGIA HOLDS ONTO ITS CLAIMS
May 6 marked the second anniversary of the restoration of Georgia's full jurisdiction over the Ajarian Autonomous Republic. Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili, attending the celebration in Batumi, Ajaria's main city, stated that this process "should surely be completed" in breakaway Abkhazia (TV-Imedi, Regnum, May 6).... MORE
GEORGIAN ARMY MARKS 15th ANNIVERSARY, BUT IS IT READY FOR NATO?
Fifteen years ago this week, Georgia created its own armed forces. Tbilisi celebrated this anniversary by taking major steps toward eventual NATO integration. Yesterday, May 2, Georgian Defense Minister Irakli Okruashvili presented Georgia's Strategic Defense Review (SDR) to a high-ranking audience of senior NATO policymakers... MORE
CRITICS PRESS FOR IMPROVED JUDICIAL INDEPENDENCE IN GEORGIA
Tbilisi has responded to international and domestic complaints that Georgia's judiciary frequently makes unfair, politically motivated decisions. President Mikheil Saakashvili, known as the "Godfather" of Georgia's 1997-98 judicial reforms, now admits that the reform drive has not been a complete success. During a meeting with... MORE