The News in Brief
Tuesday, July 1
Opposition leader’s son arrested
The son of Eka Beselia, a leading member of the United Opposition bloc, has been arrested and charged with “hooliganism,” a representative of the Interior Ministry announced yesterday.
The announcement comes days after Beselia asked the French Embassy to grant her son political asylum, stating he was about to be detained on charges that were politically motivated.
The Interior Ministry official said Rati Milorava, 15, had been charged in relation to an incident in March that resulted in a supermarket security guard sustaining knife wounds.
(Messenger Staff)
Group of Friends meet in Berlin
The UN secretary-general’s Group of Friends of Georgia met in Berlin yesterday.
Representatives from Germany, France, the US, Great Britain and Russia were due to discuss Georgia’s breakaway region of Abkhazia.
(Prime News)
National Bank workers protest dismissal
Employees of the National Bank of Georgia (NBG) protested yesterday, demanding the resignation of the bank’s supervisory board after 100 lost their jobs over the weekend.
Protesters said they were aware a reorganization was scheduled but that they had not been given a reason for their dismissal.
The acting NBG president said the job cuts were due to a reorganization of the bank carried out after a legislative amendment.
“NBG’s two major priorities before that amendment were: monetary policy and oversight on the banking system. This latter function has been lifted from the NBG as a result of the legislative amendment, so it naturally led to job cuts. It was not a mass job cut—about up to 100. All those who were dismissed—except only a few people—will be granted unprecedented compensation varying from GEL 20 000 to GEL 30 000,” online news source Civil.ge quoted him as saying.
(Prime News)
NATO workshop held
Yesterday a workshop was held at Tbilisi State University as part of the NATO educational program.
The Education Ministry said the theme of the workshop was “Georgian scientific and technological development policy as a security factor of the country.”
The Science Development National Fund of Georgia and the Estonian Scientific Fund Archimedes organized the workshop.
A total of 70 experts from Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Estonia, Greece and Great Britain participated in the seminar.
(Prime News)
Ukrainian president due to arrive in Georgia
Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko is due to arrive in Georgia today for a summit of the Georgia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan, Moldova (GUAM) organization in Batumi.
The theme of the summit is “GUAM—Integrating Europe’s East.”
Representatives from 25 countries and international organizations are expected to attend, among them Polish President Lech Kaczinsky.
Meetings are scheduled to be held in the GUAM+ format with US State Department representatives, the Foreign Ministry of the Czech Republic and a Japanese delegation.
Heads of GUAM member states, heads of invited delegations and GUAM Secretary General Valery Chechelashvili will participate in the plenary sitting.
(Prime News)
The son of Eka Beselia, a leading member of the United Opposition bloc, has been arrested and charged with “hooliganism,” a representative of the Interior Ministry announced yesterday.
The announcement comes days after Beselia asked the French Embassy to grant her son political asylum, stating he was about to be detained on charges that were politically motivated.
The Interior Ministry official said Rati Milorava, 15, had been charged in relation to an incident in March that resulted in a supermarket security guard sustaining knife wounds.
(Messenger Staff)
Group of Friends meet in Berlin
The UN secretary-general’s Group of Friends of Georgia met in Berlin yesterday.
Representatives from Germany, France, the US, Great Britain and Russia were due to discuss Georgia’s breakaway region of Abkhazia.
(Prime News)
National Bank workers protest dismissal
Employees of the National Bank of Georgia (NBG) protested yesterday, demanding the resignation of the bank’s supervisory board after 100 lost their jobs over the weekend.
Protesters said they were aware a reorganization was scheduled but that they had not been given a reason for their dismissal.
The acting NBG president said the job cuts were due to a reorganization of the bank carried out after a legislative amendment.
“NBG’s two major priorities before that amendment were: monetary policy and oversight on the banking system. This latter function has been lifted from the NBG as a result of the legislative amendment, so it naturally led to job cuts. It was not a mass job cut—about up to 100. All those who were dismissed—except only a few people—will be granted unprecedented compensation varying from GEL 20 000 to GEL 30 000,” online news source Civil.ge quoted him as saying.
(Prime News)
NATO workshop held
Yesterday a workshop was held at Tbilisi State University as part of the NATO educational program.
The Education Ministry said the theme of the workshop was “Georgian scientific and technological development policy as a security factor of the country.”
The Science Development National Fund of Georgia and the Estonian Scientific Fund Archimedes organized the workshop.
A total of 70 experts from Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Estonia, Greece and Great Britain participated in the seminar.
(Prime News)
Ukrainian president due to arrive in Georgia
Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko is due to arrive in Georgia today for a summit of the Georgia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan, Moldova (GUAM) organization in Batumi.
The theme of the summit is “GUAM—Integrating Europe’s East.”
Representatives from 25 countries and international organizations are expected to attend, among them Polish President Lech Kaczinsky.
Meetings are scheduled to be held in the GUAM+ format with US State Department representatives, the Foreign Ministry of the Czech Republic and a Japanese delegation.
Heads of GUAM member states, heads of invited delegations and GUAM Secretary General Valery Chechelashvili will participate in the plenary sitting.
(Prime News)