The Georgian Ministry of Defense (MoD) has reintroduced compulsory military service in the army, eight months after then–defense minister Tina Khidasheli abolished military conscription (Civil Georgia, February 15). As early as November 2016, Georgian Minister of Defense Levan Izoria announced his plans to ultimately restore... MORE

For the past several weeks, a group of Armenian soldiers have been taking part in a joint exercise with their Georgian counterparts at the Sachkhere Mountain Training School—a training facility in Georgia established with assistance from the United States and France. Since 2010, the school... MORE

On January 26, Viktor Dolidze, Georgia’s state minister on European and Euro-Atlantic integration, declared that his country will “probably” not participate in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s (NATO) upcoming May summit at the new Headquarters, in Brussels (iPress.ge, January 26). Dolidze’s vague clarification raised eyebrows... MORE

After the election of Donald Trump to the White House, Georgian leaders have expressed hope that relations between the United States and Georgia will still continue to deepen in all areas. “Georgia remains America’s strong partner, and the historic friendship of the two countries is... MORE

Mukhammad Khangoshvili, a 24-year-old inhabitant of the village of Duisi, in Pankisi Gorge, Georgia, was killed, on November 7, 2016, in a bombing of the Islamic State’s (IS) positions in the Iraqi city of Mosul (News.ge, November 8, 2016). Khangoshvili previously served as a bodyguard... MORE

Following months of negotiations, on January 11, Russia and Georgia finally concluded a deal over the transit of Russian natural gas to Armenia via Georgia. According to the new, two-year-long contract, Russia plans to deliver 2.0–2.2 billion cubic meters (bcm) of gas to Armenia within... MORE

In a January 12 press briefing held at the United National Movement’s (UNM) central offices, the majority of the party’s leaders and most of its popularly recognizable members collectively declared their decision to leave UNM. The defectors from Georgia’s largest opposition party said they lost... MORE

On December 6, Georgian Defense Minister Levan Izoria and US Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Michael Carpenter signed a framework agreement on security cooperation for 2016–2019 that will promote further development of the Georgian defense system. After signing the agreement, Georgia’s Ministry of Defense stated... MORE

On November 21, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed into a law an agreement between the Russian Federation and Georgia’s breakaway region of Abkhazia on establishing a new joint military force (NG.ru, November 21). The Russian Duma ratified the agreement in early November, almost one year... MORE

On November 30, the Political Council of Georgia’s former ruling party, the United National Movement (UNM) decided, after intense internal debate, that it would hold a much larger congress on January 20, 2017, than initially proposed—instead of 2,000 delegates as suggested by some party leaders,... MORE