The News in Brief
Friday, January 24
Chief Prosecutor’s first public address1
Protecting Georgia’s citizens and preventing crime are some of the issues Giorgi Badashvili will tackle in his new role as Georgia’s Chief Prosecutor.
In a special statement issued on Wednesday, the 32 year old promised all his efforts as Chief Prosecutor of Georgia would be directed towards protecting public safety and ensuring fair justice.
"I fully acknowledge there are high demands and expectations from the public towards the Chief Prosecutor’s Office,” Badashvili said, adding he was ready to meet these expectations together with the professional staff of the Office.
The Chief Prosecutor claimed proper attention needed to be paid on improving ways to collect evidence.
"This would be one of the prerequisites of finding the objective truth, especially in [Georgia where there are] so many high profile cases to investigate,” Badashvili said.
Improving the qualifications of Prosecutor Office employees and sharing international experiences were also named as priorities of the Prosecutor’s Office.
In addition, Badashvili said preventing a crime was as important as investigating it.
He thanked Prime Minister Irakli Garibahsvili and Justice Minister Tea Tsulukiani for the trust they had shown when they appointed Badashvili to "such a responsible post”. (Agenda.Ge)
Ilia II: ‘We pray that developments in Ukraine do not leads to bloody confrontation’
Catholicos Patriarch of Georgia Ilia II expresses concern over Ukraine’s developments. “We and the world look at the Ukrainian developments with concern. The country is in a difficult period and the tensions may get closer to the critical edge. We are very sorry that there are victims and a serious number of injured,” Ilia II said in a statement.
“We offer our prayers to God that the processes will not lead to bloody confrontation and the events do not become unruly. God Bless Ukraine and the Ukrainian people by praying to St. Andrew, St. Vladimir and St. Olga to let them peacefully solve the current problems,” the statement says. (InterPressNews)
French, German FMs to visit Moldova, Georgia
Foreign Ministers of France and Germany, Laurent Fabius and Frank-Walter Steinmeier, respectively, will pay a joint visit to Moldova and Georgia as part of their agreement to intensify coordination between France and Germany including towards regions and countries of particular interest for the EU.
The announcement was made after the French and German foreign ministers met in Paris on January 21. According to a joint declaration after the meeting, the two foreign ministers agreed “to significantly intensify cooperation between France and Germany” and to “consult one another routinely” before meetings of the EU Foreign Affairs Council. They also agreed to make joint trips “to regions of particular interest to both countries and the European Union” and to then report on these trips to their respective national parliaments.
Frank-Walter Steinmeier said at a news conference after the meeting that first such joint visit would be made to Moldova and Georgia. No exact dates have yet been announced.
Georgia and Moldova initialed their respective Association Agreements, including deep and comprehensive free trade treaties with the EU in late November at the Eastern Partnership summit in Vilnius.
EU leaders decided at a summit in Brussels in late December to speed up the process and to sign the Association Agreements with Georgia and Moldova “as soon as possible and no later than the end of August 2014.” (Civil.Ge)
Non-parliamentary opposition meets with GB ambassador
Representatives of some non-parliamentary opposition parties held meeting with the ambassador of Great Britain to Georgia, Alexandra Hall. The parties discussed the controversial Code of Self-governments. Opposition leaders introduced their vision regarding the amendments intended to the Code and their complaints regarding the rules for staffing election administration, change of threshold, voter list and other issues. (Rustavi 2)
Governors of two villages arrested for swindle
The investigation department of the Ministry of Finance of Georgia has arrested the governors of two villages, Salibauri and Kapreshumi, in the Khelvachauri region of Adjara. They are accused of selling state-owned land areas via machinations and document counterfeiting. According to the investigation, the two governors sold off 10,500 square meters of land areas thus inflicting 170,000 GEL damage to the state budget.
The investigation on aforementioned crime is still underway. (Rustavi 2)
State Minister pays official visit to Slovakia
State Minister on European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Aleksi Petriashvili pays official visit to Slovakia. The minister has already held a meeting with Slovak Minister for Foreign and European Affairs, Miroslav Lajchak. The parties discussed Georgia’s prospects for NATO and EU integration, process of Georgia’s EU associate membership and the importance of the NATO 2014 summit.
The challenges while on the road towards the Euro-Atlantic integration and the intensified pressure on the Eastern Partnership member states were also touched by the parties. (Rustavi 2)
Akaki Gachechiladze “Colored Thoughts” exhibition opens at Gallery Europa House
Personal exhibition of Georgian artist Akaki Gachechiladze called Colored Thoughts opens at Europa House gallery. The exhibition will continue until January 26.
JSC ENERGO-PRO Georgia, the company at which Akaki Gachechiladze has been working since 2005 as the chief dispatcher of the east Georgia branch, organizes and supports the exhibition. Gachechiladze is a power engineer by the specialization; however, he finds his identity in art.
His debut took place in Germany. His exhibitions were very successful in Marburg in 2010 (Exhibition Gruppe108 & Fruends), Marburg 2011 – personal exhibition of Impression, Emotion, Momentaufbahmen, Humbug 2011 group exhibition, Dusseldorf 2012 personal exhibition Akaki Aus Tiflis, and Dusseldorf 2012 personal exhibition Fantastic Realizm.
Gachechiladze took part in numerous events and Art festivals – 2013 Art Festival in Spain city of Marbela, 2013 charity exhibition in support of the children who suffered leukemia at the Event Hall in Tbilisi, 2012 Inter Art in Batumi.
Artworks of the artist are secured in private collections in Ukraine, Georgia, Germany, France, Israel, Russia, Czech Republic, Poland, and Spain. (InterPressNews)
Protecting Georgia’s citizens and preventing crime are some of the issues Giorgi Badashvili will tackle in his new role as Georgia’s Chief Prosecutor.
In a special statement issued on Wednesday, the 32 year old promised all his efforts as Chief Prosecutor of Georgia would be directed towards protecting public safety and ensuring fair justice.
"I fully acknowledge there are high demands and expectations from the public towards the Chief Prosecutor’s Office,” Badashvili said, adding he was ready to meet these expectations together with the professional staff of the Office.
The Chief Prosecutor claimed proper attention needed to be paid on improving ways to collect evidence.
"This would be one of the prerequisites of finding the objective truth, especially in [Georgia where there are] so many high profile cases to investigate,” Badashvili said.
Improving the qualifications of Prosecutor Office employees and sharing international experiences were also named as priorities of the Prosecutor’s Office.
In addition, Badashvili said preventing a crime was as important as investigating it.
He thanked Prime Minister Irakli Garibahsvili and Justice Minister Tea Tsulukiani for the trust they had shown when they appointed Badashvili to "such a responsible post”. (Agenda.Ge)
Ilia II: ‘We pray that developments in Ukraine do not leads to bloody confrontation’
Catholicos Patriarch of Georgia Ilia II expresses concern over Ukraine’s developments. “We and the world look at the Ukrainian developments with concern. The country is in a difficult period and the tensions may get closer to the critical edge. We are very sorry that there are victims and a serious number of injured,” Ilia II said in a statement.
“We offer our prayers to God that the processes will not lead to bloody confrontation and the events do not become unruly. God Bless Ukraine and the Ukrainian people by praying to St. Andrew, St. Vladimir and St. Olga to let them peacefully solve the current problems,” the statement says. (InterPressNews)
French, German FMs to visit Moldova, Georgia
Foreign Ministers of France and Germany, Laurent Fabius and Frank-Walter Steinmeier, respectively, will pay a joint visit to Moldova and Georgia as part of their agreement to intensify coordination between France and Germany including towards regions and countries of particular interest for the EU.
The announcement was made after the French and German foreign ministers met in Paris on January 21. According to a joint declaration after the meeting, the two foreign ministers agreed “to significantly intensify cooperation between France and Germany” and to “consult one another routinely” before meetings of the EU Foreign Affairs Council. They also agreed to make joint trips “to regions of particular interest to both countries and the European Union” and to then report on these trips to their respective national parliaments.
Frank-Walter Steinmeier said at a news conference after the meeting that first such joint visit would be made to Moldova and Georgia. No exact dates have yet been announced.
Georgia and Moldova initialed their respective Association Agreements, including deep and comprehensive free trade treaties with the EU in late November at the Eastern Partnership summit in Vilnius.
EU leaders decided at a summit in Brussels in late December to speed up the process and to sign the Association Agreements with Georgia and Moldova “as soon as possible and no later than the end of August 2014.” (Civil.Ge)
Non-parliamentary opposition meets with GB ambassador
Representatives of some non-parliamentary opposition parties held meeting with the ambassador of Great Britain to Georgia, Alexandra Hall. The parties discussed the controversial Code of Self-governments. Opposition leaders introduced their vision regarding the amendments intended to the Code and their complaints regarding the rules for staffing election administration, change of threshold, voter list and other issues. (Rustavi 2)
Governors of two villages arrested for swindle
The investigation department of the Ministry of Finance of Georgia has arrested the governors of two villages, Salibauri and Kapreshumi, in the Khelvachauri region of Adjara. They are accused of selling state-owned land areas via machinations and document counterfeiting. According to the investigation, the two governors sold off 10,500 square meters of land areas thus inflicting 170,000 GEL damage to the state budget.
The investigation on aforementioned crime is still underway. (Rustavi 2)
State Minister pays official visit to Slovakia
State Minister on European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Aleksi Petriashvili pays official visit to Slovakia. The minister has already held a meeting with Slovak Minister for Foreign and European Affairs, Miroslav Lajchak. The parties discussed Georgia’s prospects for NATO and EU integration, process of Georgia’s EU associate membership and the importance of the NATO 2014 summit.
The challenges while on the road towards the Euro-Atlantic integration and the intensified pressure on the Eastern Partnership member states were also touched by the parties. (Rustavi 2)
Akaki Gachechiladze “Colored Thoughts” exhibition opens at Gallery Europa House
Personal exhibition of Georgian artist Akaki Gachechiladze called Colored Thoughts opens at Europa House gallery. The exhibition will continue until January 26.
JSC ENERGO-PRO Georgia, the company at which Akaki Gachechiladze has been working since 2005 as the chief dispatcher of the east Georgia branch, organizes and supports the exhibition. Gachechiladze is a power engineer by the specialization; however, he finds his identity in art.
His debut took place in Germany. His exhibitions were very successful in Marburg in 2010 (Exhibition Gruppe108 & Fruends), Marburg 2011 – personal exhibition of Impression, Emotion, Momentaufbahmen, Humbug 2011 group exhibition, Dusseldorf 2012 personal exhibition Akaki Aus Tiflis, and Dusseldorf 2012 personal exhibition Fantastic Realizm.
Gachechiladze took part in numerous events and Art festivals – 2013 Art Festival in Spain city of Marbela, 2013 charity exhibition in support of the children who suffered leukemia at the Event Hall in Tbilisi, 2012 Inter Art in Batumi.
Artworks of the artist are secured in private collections in Ukraine, Georgia, Germany, France, Israel, Russia, Czech Republic, Poland, and Spain. (InterPressNews)