Latest Articles about Georgia
TBILISI ARRESTS SUSPECT IN BUSH GRENADE INCIDENT, BUT MANY QUESTIONS REMAIN
After an intense search, on July 20 Georgian police arrested an individual suspected of tossing a hand-grenade towards U.S. President George W. Bush during his speech at Tbilisi's Freedom Square on May 10. Vladimir Arutyunian, 27, is an ethnic Armenian resident of Tbilisi. The police... MORE
RUSSIAN AND GEORGIAN MILITARIES BICKER OVER TANK MOVEMENTS
While the Russian military bases in Georgia are scheduled to close in 2008, their continued presence keeps the Georgian leadership on alert. Moscow appears to be using the bases to impede Tbilisi's efforts to bring stability to the country. On July 15, the Georgian military... MORE
SAAKASHVILI REPLACES TBILISI MAYOR WITH PRESIDENTIAL INSIDER
After weeks of vehemently denying media speculation about the imminent dismissal, Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili fired Tbilisi Mayor Zurab Chiaberashvili on July 12. Chiaberashvili had called the rumors "a well-planned campaign," coming from people he had accused of stealing from Tbilisi's budget. At the same... MORE
SOUTH OSSETIA AUTHORITIES REJECT GEORGIA’S OLIVE BRANCH
South Ossetia's pro-Moscow leaders have lost no time rejecting Georgia's offer for direct negotiations toward South Ossetian autonomy. President Mikheil Saakashvili's offer, unveiled at an international conference in Batumi on July 10, entails a preparatory stage during which Georgia and international donor organizations would provide... MORE
GEORGIA UNVEILS INNOVATIVE APPROACH TO SOUTH OSSETIA CONFLICT RESOLUTION
At a conference in Batumi on July 10, President Mikheil Saakashvili and the government of Georgia along with Georgian NGOs unveiled a blueprint for the stage-by-stage resolution of the conflict in South Ossetia. Foreign envoys accredited in Tbilisi, American and European experts, Georgian government officials,... MORE
GEORGIAN OPPOSITION, SAAKASHVILI GOVERNMENT COME TO BLOWS
For the first time since the November 2003 Rose Revolution, Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili's government has faced a large-scale, violent anti-governmental rally involving major opposition parties. The protest erupted June 30 on Tbilisi's central avenue after a court sentenced two popular wrestlers, Alexei Davitashvili, president... MORE
KOKOITI REJECTS GEORGIAN AUTONOMY PLAN, BRACES FOR MORE FIGHTING
The situation in South Ossetia is still teetering between war and peace. Unidentified Ossetian gunmen kidnapped four Georgians from the ethnic Georgian-populated villages inside this breakaway region on June 6, and they are still missing. Search efforts by Georgian and Ossetian law enforcement and the... MORE
GEORGIAN GOVERNMENT DEBATES DIRECT ELECTION FOR MAYOR OF TBILISI
A political debate about the method of electing the mayor of Tbilisi, as well as talks about the appropriate strategy for the forthcoming by-elections to the Georgian parliament, has led to a rapprochement among several opposition groups. Currently consultations are underway between the opposition New... MORE
TBILISI WARMS TO IDEA OF RESTORING RAIL LINK TO ABKHAZIA
The prospects of reopening the Georgian-Abkhaz railway line seem to be improving. The issue has been the subject of discussions at various high-profile meetings in recent months. The Georgian government has significantly softened its initial tough stance on the issue. Reopening the railway branch between... MORE
OPPOSITION DOUBTS FAIRNESS OF GEORGIA’S NEW ELECTORAL COMMISSION
The composition of Georgia's new Central Electoral Commission (CEC) has already raised doubts about the fairness of the coming elections. In April parliament amended the Georgian election code to change the composition of the CEC and lower-level election administrations. The main point of the change... MORE