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Compiled by Salome Modebadze and Inna Egievy
Tuesday, October 21
Simon Gregoriev will be Russian Ambassador in Abkhazia
According to internet publication Gazeta.Ru, the Deputy President of the CIS Committee (Fourth Department) of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs is about to be appointed as the Russian Ambassador to Abkhazia, 24 saati writes. Gregoriev was previously in charge of the process of Russian military withdrawal from Georgia.
The de facto Abkhazian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sergey Shamba, has confirmed this information, adding that Gregoriev’s candidacy as an Ambassador has already been presented to the Russian President and relevant committees of the Russian Duma.
Speaking to Gazeta.Ru, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs hesitated to comment on this subject, but according to CIS Committee spokesman Aleksey Ostrovski, the Ministry presented the Ambassador to the Duma.
Is Sozar Subari under malign influence?!
According to Kviris Palitra, opposition MP Gia Tsagareishvili has declared that the Public Defender is ignoring the Parliamentary opposition, and he is inviting him to speak about this in Parliament. Tsagareishvili says that if Public Defender Sozar Subari is a democrat, and therefore everyone’s concerns are equally important to him, he should also be interested in the views of the Parliamentary opposition. As Tsagareishvili remarked, only the non-Parliamentary opposition has been invited to meetings held by the Public Defender.
“Why didn’t Subari invite the Parliamentary opposition? Does he too consider Tsagereishvili a traitor for entering Parliament, as Gamkrelidze, Orvelashvili and others do?” Tsagareishvili adds that Sozar Subari is “under particular people’s malign influence”.
Ambassador advises Davitaia to use “more balanced language”
Akhali Taoba reports that Eric Fournier, the French Ambassador to Georgia, has advised Paata Davitaia, the Chairman of Parliamentary Commission studying the August events, to use more balanced language when speaking about the Russian aggression, as the greater part of the European Commission members are sure that the aggression was started not by Russia, but Georgia.
Paata Davitaia has reminded the Ambassador that the Russian aggression began years ago, and August’s events were only a continuation of it. Davitaia also indicated that he is himself a refugee from Abkhazia, and international society had preferred to keep silent while Sokhumi was being bombed by Russian helicopters. “If the Georgian Government has made mistakes, that does not mean Russia can recognize parts of Georgia as independent,” Davitaia noted.
Paata Davitaia has informed the diplomatic corps of the partnership agreement between Garant Bank in Abkhazia and the Russian Zolotaia Korona. He said that Russia plans to invest solid amounts in Abkhazia, for the purpose of money laundering, through this partnership.
Parliament debates the draft law about the occupied territories
Parliament has received and studied the draft law about the occupied territories, Akhali Taoba reports.
The third reading of this law was postponed at the 16 October plenary meeting,” said Chairman of Parliament David Bakradze in a statement, adding that he wanted to hear the views of accredited diplomats about it. “They want this law to ensure as far as possible the protection of European Union observers in the conflict zones. That’s why it is better if an initiative group of observers takes a week to consult with international organizations who will officially and legally work in the conflict zone after this law is applied,” he said.
According to internet publication Gazeta.Ru, the Deputy President of the CIS Committee (Fourth Department) of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs is about to be appointed as the Russian Ambassador to Abkhazia, 24 saati writes. Gregoriev was previously in charge of the process of Russian military withdrawal from Georgia.
The de facto Abkhazian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sergey Shamba, has confirmed this information, adding that Gregoriev’s candidacy as an Ambassador has already been presented to the Russian President and relevant committees of the Russian Duma.
Speaking to Gazeta.Ru, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs hesitated to comment on this subject, but according to CIS Committee spokesman Aleksey Ostrovski, the Ministry presented the Ambassador to the Duma.
Is Sozar Subari under malign influence?!
According to Kviris Palitra, opposition MP Gia Tsagareishvili has declared that the Public Defender is ignoring the Parliamentary opposition, and he is inviting him to speak about this in Parliament. Tsagareishvili says that if Public Defender Sozar Subari is a democrat, and therefore everyone’s concerns are equally important to him, he should also be interested in the views of the Parliamentary opposition. As Tsagareishvili remarked, only the non-Parliamentary opposition has been invited to meetings held by the Public Defender.
“Why didn’t Subari invite the Parliamentary opposition? Does he too consider Tsagereishvili a traitor for entering Parliament, as Gamkrelidze, Orvelashvili and others do?” Tsagareishvili adds that Sozar Subari is “under particular people’s malign influence”.
Ambassador advises Davitaia to use “more balanced language”
Akhali Taoba reports that Eric Fournier, the French Ambassador to Georgia, has advised Paata Davitaia, the Chairman of Parliamentary Commission studying the August events, to use more balanced language when speaking about the Russian aggression, as the greater part of the European Commission members are sure that the aggression was started not by Russia, but Georgia.
Paata Davitaia has reminded the Ambassador that the Russian aggression began years ago, and August’s events were only a continuation of it. Davitaia also indicated that he is himself a refugee from Abkhazia, and international society had preferred to keep silent while Sokhumi was being bombed by Russian helicopters. “If the Georgian Government has made mistakes, that does not mean Russia can recognize parts of Georgia as independent,” Davitaia noted.
Paata Davitaia has informed the diplomatic corps of the partnership agreement between Garant Bank in Abkhazia and the Russian Zolotaia Korona. He said that Russia plans to invest solid amounts in Abkhazia, for the purpose of money laundering, through this partnership.
Parliament debates the draft law about the occupied territories
Parliament has received and studied the draft law about the occupied territories, Akhali Taoba reports.
The third reading of this law was postponed at the 16 October plenary meeting,” said Chairman of Parliament David Bakradze in a statement, adding that he wanted to hear the views of accredited diplomats about it. “They want this law to ensure as far as possible the protection of European Union observers in the conflict zones. That’s why it is better if an initiative group of observers takes a week to consult with international organizations who will officially and legally work in the conflict zone after this law is applied,” he said.