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“Temur Iakobashvili advises the separatists to stop issuing ultimatums”

Akhali Taoba writes that Temur Iakobashvili, the nominee for state minister for reintegration issues, advised the South Ossetian separatist leadership to stop issuing ultimatums.

Separatist officials reportedly said that if Tbilisi does not officially recognize an Ossetian genocide, de facto secessionist authorities will refuse any and all cooperation with Tbilisi.

“First and foremost, such ultimatums will not be helpful for the separatists. And no one should forget that the Georgian government is responsible not only for those people which died during the [secessionist conflict in the early 90s] but is also in charge of those which remain alive,” Iakobashvili said.

He added that Tbilisi has no intention to cut back on its development projects in the conflict zone, despite strong statements from secessionist authorities.



“Tbilisi will have new parks soon”

By the end of March, the country’s capital should be sporting a few rebuilt parks, according to Sakartvelos Respublika.

Deputy head of the City Improvement Service Goga Datunashvili said parks in central Tbilisi are being renovated now.

“In all three parks, the infrastructure will be totally changed, and ultramodern lights and decorative chairs will be installed,” Datunashvili stated.

Construction works were interrupted in January by the freezing weather, he added.



“7307 Salomes live in Georgia”

There are 7307 women over the age of 16 named Salome in Georgia, Akhali Taoba learned from the Civil Registry.

The Church celebrated January 28 as the day of Saint Salome Ujarmeli, daughter-in-law of the first Christian king of Georgia.

A popular name for at least a century name, Salome is particularly prevalent in the western Imereti and Samegrelo regions.



“Giorgi Baramidze: the government will correct its mistakes”

Rezonansi carried an account of Russian newspaper Kommersant’s interview with Georgian vice-premier Giorgi Baramidze.

Baramidze reportedly said Georgia’s opposition used to be so weak that the government, inadvisably decided to ignore it.

“The people don’t approve of behavior like this from the government,” Baramidze admitted.

He added that the source of most voter antipathy is the radical reform Georgia has undergone in the past four years, but insisted that the reforms were essential to developing the country’s economy.

“I must admit that the government made many mistakes, but all of them will be corrected soon. President Mikheil Saakashvili and the rest of the government will fulfill its promises, which means a Georgia without poverty,” he told Kommersant.

Baramidze also touched on Georgian-Russian relations, warning that Moscow must cease its support for the South Ossetian and Abkhazian separatist regimes.

“The Georgian administration is ready to consider Russia’s interests in the South Caucasus, but if Moscow continues supporting the de facto regimes, our friendship will fail,” the official reportedly said.