Slovak foreign minister visits Georgia

Slovak Foreign Minister Jan Kubis, who is chair of the Council of Europe Committee of Ministers, began a two-day trip to Georgia on November 27.

He is scheduled to meet with acting president Nino Burjanadze, Prime Minister Lado Gurgenidze, and the ruling National Movement party presidential candidate Mikheil Saakashvili.

Kubis will also meet with State Minister for Conflict Resolution Davit Bakradze and opposition and NGO representatives. (Prime News)



Georgian and Russian foreign ministers may meet in Madrid

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Georgian Foreign Minister Gela Bezhuashvili could meet in Madrid at the sidelines of the OSCE Ministerial Council session.

Deputies from the Russian and Georgian Foreign Ministries discussed the possibility of the meeting in a phone conversation, according to a statement released by the Russian Foreign Ministry.

The session of the OSCE Ministerial Council will be held from November 29–30. (Black Sea Press)



Renovated metro station opens in Tbilisi

The renovated Varketili metro station was officially opened on November 27 by Tbilisi City Mayor Gigi Ugulava.

Two more metro stations are due to re-open after renovation works in December. Ugulava recently stated that Tbilisi’s metro service will reach European standards in the near future. (Prime News)



Coast guard rescued two fishermen

The Batumi coast guard rescued two fishermen in the waters of Gonio, a coastal town in Adjara province.

Sasha and Sergo Blujhnikoves were swept out by strong currents. Two coast guard boats were deployed in time to save the pair. (Prime News)



Agriculture minister visits Belarus

Minister of Agriculture Petre Tsiskarishvili is on a three-day visit to Belarus.

The Agriculture Ministry’s press department said the goal of the trip is to deepen bilateral economic ties between the two post-Soviet nations.

Tsiskarishvili will meet counterpart Leonid Rusak and as well as businessmen in the apple and citrus industries.

Georgia’s apple and citrus harvests this year have been fruitful, however fruit growers are having difficulty finding markets for their produce, partly due to a Russian embargo that was imposed last year. (Prime News)



FM: Georgia wants as many observers as possible for upcoming election

Foreign Minister Gela Bezhuashvili reiterated the government’s demand for as many international observers as possible during the upcoming presidential elections, on November 27.

“We want as many observers as possible to come to Georgia, because the holding of open and free elections is in our national interest,” Bezhuashvili declared. (Black Sea Press)



Defense Ministry hosts conference on joint military exercise

A conference dedicated to planning the joint UK-Georgia military exercise “Georgian Express 2008” began at the Defense Ministry on November 26.

The three-day conference discussed the duration, scale and location of the exercise.

The exercise will involve 160 British and Georgian servicemen and will take place over two weeks in September 2008.

Similar joint exercises were held this year and in 2004. (Black Sea Press)