Ministry of Internal Affairs: mobilization point of the military registration and enlistment office to be placed on the border with Georgia in the near future The flow of transport towards Georgia is growing, the Ministry of Internal Affairs noted. The department decided to take a number of measures to reduce the risks of conflicts and illegal behavior at the border, including deploying a mobilization point of the military enlistment office
The head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia did not see a reason to restrict entry into the country for Russians max-width: 320px) and (-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 2), (max-width: 320px) and (min-resolution: 192dpi)” >
Opposition deputy announced Georgia's plans to close the border for men from Russia Representatives of the Georgian authorities did not confirm the words of the deputy from the opposition 756641397039415.jpg 673w” media=”(max-width: 320px) and (-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 2), (max-width: 320px) and (min-resolution: 192dpi)” >
< img class="aligncenter" src="https://s0.rbk.ru/v6_top_pics/media/img/5/41/756641397039415.jpg" alt="An opposition MP announced Georgia's plans to close the border with Russia" />< /p>
From September 26, the Georgian authorities may close the borders for men from Russia due to the large flow of Russians arriving in the country, said the deputy of the opposition party of Georgia “United National Movement” in the Georgian Parliament Nona Mamulashvili on the air of the Ukrainian TV channel FreeDom.
“The Georgian government has so far done nothing to stop this massive influx of Russians into Georgia. As far as they explained to us, on Monday they will close the borders. This is the only thing they could do at this stage,»— she said.
According to her, the entry ban may primarily affect men aged 18 to 55.
Mamulashvili pointed out that no official statements have yet been received from the Georgian government.
< /p>
Early on the morning of September 23, at the Upper Lars border checkpoint, there was a record queue of cars for 2022— 1.7 thousand
According to the data of the Federal Customs Service (FTS) of Russia on the workload of automobile checkpoints, the most significant queues (the number of vehicles in front of the checkpoint) were then recorded at the following points:
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The next day, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of North Ossetia called on Russians to refrain from traveling to Georgia due to the fact that at the checkpoint “Upper Lars” there were large queues of people waiting for the passage— only about 2.3 thousand cars.
On September 21, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a partial mobilization in the country. According to Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, it is planned to mobilize 300 thousand Russians, or about 1% of the total mobilization reserve.
After that, traffic jams were reported on the border with Georgia, Finland, Mongolia, and airlines sold out tickets for the next direct flights to Istanbul, Yerevan, Baku.
Kazakhstan's National Security Committee reported that on September 25, the country's border guards detained three Russians who violated the border, bypassing the existing checkpoint.
« The violators explain their actions by the desire to evade the partial mobilization being carried out on the territory of Russia,»,— noted in the message.
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The ruling party of Georgia allowed a referendum after Kyiv's calls to open a “second front” The position of the Georgian authorities is unchanged: they oppose the opening of a second front against Russia in the country. But amid calls from Kyiv, Tbilisi is ready to hold a referendum to find out if the people agree with it, Kobakhidze said
< img class="aligncenter" src="https://s0.rbk.ru/v6_top_pics/media/img/3/97/756630877139973.png" alt="Georgian ruling party responded to Kyiv's calls to open a 'second front' " />
Irakli Kobakhidze
The leadership of Georgia, after the calls of representatives of Ukraine to open a “second front” in the country, is ready to organize a referendum against Russia in order to find out the position of the population, but does not support this idea itself, the chairman of the ruling Georgian Dream party said at a briefing. Irakli Kobakhidze.
“We can hold a poll, a plebiscite, whether people want to open a second front in Georgia or not. <…> People must decide whether they agree with high-ranking officials of the Ukrainian government or whether they agree with our position regarding the non-opening of a second front,— Georgian Channel One cites Kobakhidze's words.
According to the chairman of the Georgian Dream, a number of high-ranking Ukrainian officials directly stated how desirable it was to open a second front in Georgia.
“This is their position, and I will repeat once again: we must ask people whether they want a second front in Georgia or not. If people want, we can discuss this issue together later. If not, then we must make a different choice and stick to the decision already made, — noted Kobakhidze.
A number of Ukrainian politicians have previously made various statements regarding Georgia against the background of the Russian special operation. The day before, on September 12, Verkhovna Rada deputy Fyodor Venislavsky said that the Georgian people have a unique opportunity to force the authorities to “take concrete steps and liberate Abkhazia and South Ossetia,” since Russia is now completely focused on Ukraine, Sputnik Georgia reports.
The fact that Georgia should “rise and defend its country”, said the Secretary of the Security and Defense Council of Ukraine Oleksiy Danilov. Advisors to the head of the office of the President of Ukraine Mykhailo Podolyak and Oleksiy Arestovich also made similar statements.
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Aleshkovsky lives in Tbilisi with his family, but flew to Yerevan for two days. According to his mother, historian Tamara Eidelman, the border guards did not explain the reason and simply sent him back. 673w” media=”(max-width: 320px) and (-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 2), (max-width: 320px) and (min-resolution: 192dpi)” >
Journalist and philanthropist Mitya Aleshkovsky (recognized as a foreign agent) was deported from Georgia to Yerevan, where he flew from. This was announced on Facebook (the social network belongs to the extremist and banned Meta company recognized in Russia) by his mother, historian and honored teacher of Russia Tamara Eidelman.
According to her, Aleshkovsky lives in Tbilisi, where his wife and daughter are waiting for him. He went to Yerevan for two days together with Eidelman for her lecture. She accused the Georgian authorities of “fawning” in front of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Eidelman told RBC that her son was already in Yerevan. She added that the Georgian border guards “didn't explain anything, they just refused entry.” RBC sent a request to the press service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia.
Aleshkovsky— journalist, photographer, director of the publication “Takie Dela” and one of the founders of the Need Help Foundation. He opposed the Russian military operation in Ukraine. In July, the Ministry of Justice entered him into the register of media-foreign agents.
In August last year, opposition politician Lyubov Sobol (recognized as a foreign agent) was denied entry to Georgia. She attributed the refusal to Tbilisi's unwillingness to spoil relations with Russia. In January, another oppositionist was not allowed into Georgia— Dmitry Gudkov.
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More than 20 largest NGOs in Georgia demanded that the ruling Georgian Dream party and the government introduce a visa regime for Russians . The newspaper Kommersant writes about this.
Georgian NGOs are concerned about the latest statistics from the National Tourism Administration, which indicate an influx of Russian travelers.
The official letter from representatives of the NGOs states that in the first half of 2022, the number of Russians who arrived in Georgia increased significantly. Also, after the start of the special operation, about 6.4 thousand Russian companies were registered in Georgia, which is seven times more than in the whole of 2021.
NPOs believe that the solution to this problem is “a matter of national security of the country” . They said that the Russian Federation would be able to use the fact that a large number of its citizens were in the country as a “pretext for occupation”.
GEU Diplomacy Lava Borrell speaks of Georgia's “failures” in reforms for European integration Georgia is implementing reforms in difficult conditions, there are difficulties in important areas – in relation to human rights and the rule of law, Borrell believes. He stressed that official Tbilisi should comply with the stated goals ” media=”(max-width: 320px) and (-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 2), (max-width: 320px) and (min-resolution: 192dpi)” >< source srcset="https://s0.rbk.ru/v6_top_pics/resized/1010xH/media/img/6/71/756604223004716.webp 1010w" type="image/webp" media="(max-width: 640px) and (-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 2), (max-width: 640px) and (min-resolution: 192dpi)" >
The European Union supports Georgia in carrying out reforms on the path to European integration, in this process “some progress” is observed, but problems have emerged in a number of areas, the EU annual report says. The document was released ahead of the EU-Georgia Council meeting scheduled for September 6.
“We have witnessed failures in key areas of the rule of law, governance and human rights,”— said EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell.
He noted that Georgia, at the same time, continued “its path of reforms in difficult conditions”, among them the head of European diplomacy called the economic recovery after the COVID-19 pandemic, the events in Ukraine and the “tense political situation”. Borrell stressed that Georgia should pursue a conscientious approach to reform that is in line with “its declared goals and the aspirations of its citizens.” Georgia is entering a new stage in its relations with the European Union, he noted.
The development of the situation on the issue of European integration depends on Georgia, said Commissioner for Enlargement and Policy Oliver Varhelyi. He noted that the European Commission is ready to grant the status of a candidate for accession to the European Union, after all conditions are met. “The ball is now on the side of Georgia”, — he stressed.
Georgia applied for EU membership after Ukraine and Moldova in early March. The aspiration of the republic for membership in the EU and Euro-Atlantic security structures is enshrined in the Constitution of Georgia.
In mid-July, the European Commission recommended granting candidate membership status to Ukraine and Moldova, but Georgia was offered a “European perspective.” Tbilisi should fulfill “a number of identified priority tasks” until the end of 2022, the EC said in a statement. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen expressed confidence that Georgia now needs to “politically unite” to determine the general line in the field of structural reforms. Evaluation of reform progress postponed until 2023, the EC warned later.
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“After careful discussion, we have decided not to rush the political elite of Georgia in trying to achieve depolarization in order to sit down at the same negotiating table, and to work carefully over the reforms»,— Michael Rupp, head of the EC group for Georgia and Moldova, explained. Prime Minister of the Republic Irakli Garibashvili expressed confidence that Georgia “for ten heads” ahead of Ukraine and Moldova in all areas, and ahead of a number of EU countries in some of them. “If status is defined by war, we don't want war. We demand a well-deserved status, — he insisted.
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Head of the State Oil and Gas Agency of Georgia Georgy Tatishvili announced the discovery of gas deposits of 16 billion cubic meters, which is equivalent to eight years of gas consumption throughout the country.
“Reserves were discovered in a well drilled by Schlumberger near Tbilisi,” Tatishvili said in an interview with Business Media.
He also noted that in the license area horizontal drilling required.
This is due to the lack of intersections with Russia
The EU Heads of State Summit expressed its readiness to grant Georgia the status of a candidate for joining the EU if the country fulfills a number of conditions. Political scientist Alexander Asafov believes that the reasons for the refusal to grant this status to Georgia are exclusively political in nature, since Ukraine and Moldova received it.
In an interview with NEWS.ru, Asafov said that Georgia does not have any contours of intersection with Russian or pro-Russian interests, so the country will “wait”. According to the political scientist, everything else is a symbolic gesture, as it was said at the summit of the EU leaders. The expert added that Georgia will not be granted the status of an EU candidate country, even if it imposes sanctions against the Russian Federation.
However, Asafov predicted that it is very likely that Moldova will impose anti-Russian sanctions, as the speaker of the Moldovan parliament had previously spoken about Igor Grosu. According to the political scientist, this scenario is “absolutely probable”, and now they will look at what will cause more damage to Russia than to Moldova, and if the European Union is able to compensate for this damage, then sanctions will be introduced.
Expert considers this position quite obvious and does not see anything surprising in it. However, as Asafov noted, the question is what measures can have a serious impact on the economy and trade, which is now “not very positive.”
Read also:Political scientist told why the EU is going to expel Ukrainian men
The European Commission recommended granting candidate status for EU accession to Ukraine and Moldova, but not to Georgia .jpg” alt=”Tbilisi announced Kyiv's request not to give Georgia the status of an EU candidate” />
Irakli Garibashvili
Head of the Servant of the People faction in the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine David Arakhamia and the parliamentary opposition of Georgia in the person of the “United National Movement” asked Brussels not to give Georgia the status of a candidate member of the EU, said Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili.
“Together with you, dear opponents, persistently demanded that Georgia not receive the status of a candidate, the representative of the Ukrainian authorities, Mr. is your friend. Europe was practically given an ultimatum: if Georgia gets the status of a candidate, we will be very disappointed,— Newsgeorgia portal quotes Garibashvili.
He also called opposition MP Salome Samadashvili (Lelo for Georgia) a “traitor to the motherland”, saying that she went to Brussels and asked that Georgia not be granted EU candidate status.
“United National Movement” (END)— the ruling party during the presidency of Mikheil Saakashvili. Salome Samadashvili was formerly a member, but in February 2022 she moved to the Lelo party, which advocates a multi-party system in the Georgian parliament, dominated by the UNM and the current ruling Georgian Dream.
As noted by Newsgeorgia , during the Saakashvili years, Samadashvili was the ambassador to the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg, and also headed the Georgian mission to the EU. Representatives of the country's ruling party have said that it is using its connections in Brussels to damage the reputation of the Georgian Dream government.
On June 17, the European Commission recommended granting Ukraine the status of a candidate for EU membership. The head of the commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said Kyiv had shown “a desire and determination to live up to European values and standards.” At the same time, the EC noted, Ukraine needs to continue the reform of the judiciary, the fight against corruption and the influence of oligarchs, as well as bringing the legislation in line with the European one.
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Moldova also received a positive recommendation from the European Commission, and it was decided not to give it to Georgia until a number of conditions were met. Georgian authorities said that Tbilisi deserved the status of a 30-year “struggle for democracy”; and the reforms implemented by the government over the past nine years.
The final decision on granting the status of candidates for EU accession to Ukraine and Moldova should be taken by European leaders at the summit on June 23–24.
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Senator Karasin: Russia will work on resuming flights with Georgia The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs called “the cessation of the Russophobic campaign” among the conditions for lifting the ban alt=”Russia will work on resuming flights with Georgia” />
Russia will work on resuming flights with Georgia. Grigory Karasin, head of the Federation Council Committee on International Affairs, stated this in a conversation with TASS.
“Let's hope we will work in this direction,” — he said on the sidelines of the XIII International Economic Summit “Russia” Islamic World: KazanSummit 2022».
In January, the Russian Foreign Ministry recalled that among the conditions for lifting the ban on air travel with Georgia— “stopping the Russophobic campaign”, “a more balanced policy” against Russia and the “disappearance of threats to security” Russians.
Moscow remains committed to the goals of normalizing Russian-Georgian relations and restoring bilateral ties, but such a process should be a “two-way street,” the ministry stressed.
Ban on flights with Georgia is temporary, the Foreign Ministry emphasized.
Russia severed direct flights with Georgia on June 21 amid protests in Tbilisi. The reason for the protests was that State Duma deputy from the Communist Party Sergei Gavrilov sat in the speaker's chair during the opening of the meeting of the Inter-Parliamentary Assembly of Orthodoxy in the Georgian parliament.
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After that, the opposition Georgian parties “United National Movement” and “European Georgia” considered that a deputy from Russia cannot be in the Georgian parliament and take the chair.
The protesters demanded the resignation of speaker Irakli Kobakhidze and the holding of early parliamentary elections. Kobakhidze complied with their demands by resigning on June 21.
According to the decree of Russian President Vladimir Putin, flights of Russian airlines to the country ceased on July 8. Later, the Russian Ministry of Transport announced that from that date a temporary ban on flights to Russia of Georgian airlines would also be introduced.
The head of the Ministry of Transport at that time, Yevgeny Dietrich, then warned that due to the decision to close direct flights with Georgia, Russian airlines will lose about 3 billion rubles.
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Georgian ruling party rules out recognition of South Ossetian referendum Georgian authorities do not recognize the de facto referendum in South Ossetia on unification with Russia, as well as the presidential elections in this country and its government, said the head of the ruling party. Voting will take place on July 17
Tskhinvali, South Ossetia
The Georgian authorities do not intend to recognize the referendum in South Ossetia on the issue of unification with Russia, which will be held on July 17, as well as its results, said the head of the ruling Georgian Dream party. Irakli Kobakhidze, quoted by Imedinews.
"With regard to such initiatives, we have a clear policy, and we do not recognize either the de facto government, or the de facto elections, or the de facto referendum. Our position on this matter is very clear, very clear. Therefore, it is natural to follow the same line, — he said.
The day before, Anatoly Bibilov, the current president of South Ossetia, which the Georgian authorities consider an occupied region, signed a decree on holding a referendum on the question of the republic's entry into Russia. Voting will take place on July 17th. Bibilov stated that he “was guided by the historical desire of the people of the Republic of South Ossetia for reunification with Russia and in accordance with paragraph 16 of Article 50 of the Constitution of the Republic, such wording is given in his decree. On the night of May 14, the document was approved by the Supreme Court of South Ossetia.
On voting day, citizens will have to answer the question of whether they support “unification of the Republic of South Ossetia and Russia”.
Bibilov lost the presidential election to his rival, the head of the opposition Nykhas party. Alan Gagloev, he is expected to take office after May 20. After the election, Gagloev emphasized that the authorities would organize a referendum when they received a signal from Moscow, since the decision should be made by both sides. “The main factor here is the willingness of the Russian Federation to take on such responsibility,” — he said.
In response to the initiative, the Kremlin noted that they would respect the results of the vote, but noted that Moscow did not participate in this process in any way from a legal point of view. Deputy head of the commission “United Russia” for International Cooperation Andrei Klimov and Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on CIS Affairs Artem Turov said that there are no obstacles for the region to join the country.
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Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili handed over the answers to the first part of the questionnaire required for joining the EU. Tbilisi plans to send answers to the sectoral part by May 13. A decision on Georgia's EU membership is expected at the end of June
Karl Khartsel and Irakli Garibashvili
The Prime Minister of Georgia, Irakli Garibashvili, handed over the answers to the first part of the questionnaire for obtaining the status of a candidate for EU membership, to the head of the EU Delegation in Tbilisi, Karl Hartzel, the press service of the administration of the Georgian government reports.
Gharibashvili added that the government Georgia and all relevant departments continue intensive work on filling out the second, sectoral part of the questionnaire, which includes 33 chapters and up to 2300 questions. According to him, Tbilisi wants to transfer the second part of the questionnaire to the EU by May 13.
The press service noted that after receiving the completed questionnaire, the European Commission will start preparing its own assessment report, which will then be submitted to the Council of the European Union, and a corresponding decision on Georgia's possible accession to the EU is expected by the end of June.
Georgia applied for EU membership together with Moldova in early March, following Ukraine. The desire for EU membership and Euro-Atlantic security structures is enshrined in the country's Constitution.
Georgia and Moldova received a questionnaire for obtaining the status of a candidate for EU membership on April 11, Ukraine— two days earlier. The head of the Moldovan Foreign Ministry, Nikolai Popescu, then said that he expected Chisinau to fill out the document within a few weeks. Ukraine handed over the completed questionnaire on April 18.
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Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili called on Western partners, including the United States, to “remember” Georgia and Moldova and demonstrate political support for these countries, which will be an “important signal” to Moscow
Georgia now needs the political support of Western partners, including the United States , as an “important signal” for Moscow, President Salome Zurabishvili said in an interview with The Hill.
She said she hoped to see Georgia among the talking points released by the Biden administration, saying it would send “an important message” for Moscow. Zurabishvili stressed that this is not about increasing military assistance, but about demonstrating political support for Georgia, as well as Moldova.
According to her, despite the fact that Moscow cannot now deploy troops to start a new operation, Russia “can still play on nerves,
and this is what it is doing in Transnistria, trying to sow fears, destabilize the population”
“In this way, Russia shows that even if it is focused on Ukraine, it does not forget Moldova and [Georgia]. So, again, our Western partners should, for their part, not forget Georgia, — she said.
Zurabishvili also indicated that Georgia does not intend to back down from its NATO aspirations, as it seeks security guarantees.
In early April, after announcing the resignation of Georgian Foreign Minister David Zalkaliani and his appointment as the country's ambassador to the United States, Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili called Washington the most important strategic partner of Georgia. According to him, the task of Tbilisi — bring relations between the two countries to a new, higher level. “I believe David can do it,” — he said.
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In mid-February, Reuters reported that Georgian Defense Minister Juansher Burchuladze, while on a visit to Brussels, said that the country's accession to NATO is the only way to preserve the country's territorial integrity. In early March, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said that the issue of membership of Georgia and Ukraine in NATO is not currently on the agenda. Presidents of the United States and France Joe Biden and Emmanuel Macron and Secretary General of the alliance Jens Stoltenberg also spoke about this.
Photo: pixabay.com
Georgia will not be drawn into the “game” imposed by the EU and the US, and will not become a platform for evasion of sanctions imposed on Russia because of Ukraine, said Irakli Kobakhidze, chairman of the ruling Georgian Dream – Democratic Georgia party, ex-speaker of parliament.
In an interview with the Georgian TV channel Imedi, he explained that he did not will allow the country to be manipulated by both European and Russian partners.
Let us recall that Tbilisi and Moscow have developed close relations and they are negotiating to establish a “smuggling route” for the transport of weapons Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine Irina Vereshchuk said earlier this week.
In an interview with the Georgian TV channel Formula, she recalled that Georgia had refused to impose sanctions against Moscow.< /p>
Photo: Global Look Press
NATO will not send ground troops into Ukraine and close the sky over it so as not to provoke Russia. But the alliance intends to provide Kiev with military assistance and will significantly increase its own presence in Eastern Europe.
This was announced by Secretary General of the military bloc Jens Stoltenberg following an emergency summit held in Brussels. Ukraine, in particular, will receive equipment for protection against biological, chemical, radiological and nuclear thunderstorms. NATO allies have also agreed to provide Kiev with further humanitarian assistance.
In addition, four tactical battle groups will be established in Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary and Slovakia. 40,000 troops have already been deployed on the eastern flank of the alliance.
NATO Secretary General announced the creation of the Diana military innovation fund, which will include more than 60 scientific sites.
Against the backdrop of the situation in Ukraine the alliance will strengthen military support for Georgia, Herzegovina and Bosnia.
See also: The essence of the American Lend-Lease for Ukraine was clarified
But Tbilisi is not even thinking about the forceful restoration of territorial integrity
The President of Ukraine said that the Ukrainian ambassadors to Georgia and Morocco would return to Kyiv. He believes that they are not doing their job: “With all due respect: if there are no arms supplies, sanctions and restrictions for Russian business, then please look for another job,” Zelensky said. Secretary of the Security Council of Ukraine Oleksiy Danilov recently unequivocally called on Georgia to open a “second front” against Russia.
Photo: pixabay.com
Many questions were also raised by the recent visit to Tbilisi by Deputy Minister of the British Armed Forces James Happy, who met with Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili and Georgian Defense Minister Juansher Burchuladze. Some observers interpreted these talks as yet another attempt by the West to draw Georgia, if not into a war, then at least into a more open confrontation with the Russian Federation and force it to join the anti-Russian sanctions.
In Tbilisi, provocations by functionaries of the Kiev regime are still assessed negatively. Representatives of the ruling party “Georgian Dream” say that the war with Russia is not in the interests of the Georgian people. Even the announcement of South Ossetian President Bibilov about a referendum on joining Russia did not shake the peaceful rhetoric of the Georgian leadership. Recall that the Ukrainian Ambassador to Georgia, Igor Dolgov, was recalled to Kyiv on March 1, after Tbilisi refused to join the economic sanctions against Moscow. However, on March 15, he returned to Georgia.
Ex-head of the State Chancellery of Georgia, Petre Mamradze, commented on the situation especially for MK.
– No, there is nothing similar from the West. There was no call to somehow join the war or somehow return the territories in Abkhazia and South Ossetia.
I have constant contact with Western diplomats, and I have not heard anything like this from them.
You know that Georgia has joined Ukraine on all political platforms. In the Council of Europe, Georgia first voted to suspend Russia's membership, and then to expel it. Voted for the investigation in The Hague. Georgia voted in the UN General Assembly and condemned the actions of the Russian Federation as aggression.
Georgia did not join the economic sanctions against Russia, but Hungary, a member of NATO and the European Union, Turkey, and Israel did not join the sanctions.
For comparison: Armenia abstained during the vote in the General Assembly, the Azerbaijani delegation left altogether from the hall. The countries of Central Asia did the same. Only Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine voted “yes” from the post-Soviet states. So, as the American ambassador recently stated, Georgia has done everything a democratic country can do to support Ukraine.
– There are Georgian volunteers there. But these are volunteers. The government cannot interfere with a person if he himself goes to Poland and from there makes his way to Ukraine.
Zelensky and his company, by the way, have been categorically warned by the United States and the West not to touch Crimea. Because Crimea is already the territory of the Russian Federation, and there will be a Patriotic War.
Yes, there are calls from Kyiv to “take a walk” towards Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Our government answered this very clearly: even if all the Russian military were withdrawn from there, Georgia would never think of resolving the problem by force. Because Abkhazians and Ossetians will fight there with the weapons they have. How they fought against the Georgian troops in 2008, when there were no Russian troops yet. This will be bloodshed, which we will not allow.
– This is complete insanity after all that Georgia has done for Ukraine politically. The people now donate everything they can for Ukrainians: clothes, food, medicines. There are queues at the reception points. The ambassador from Georgia is recalled when the ambassador from Belarus has not yet been recalled.
– Because Vano Merabishvili is in Kyiv, released from prison, the backbone of the Saakashvili regime. There sits the right hand of Misha Zurab Adeishvili, who is present at the meetings of the Security Council of Ukraine. Gia Lordkipanidze, a former deputy, is sitting there. Merabishvili, who staged a bloody tragedy in Lapankuri. Now he has become the head of the military counterintelligence of Ukraine. This is a criminal, a man for whom the rope cries. Here is such a company.
According to Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili, Tbilisi takes part in all international financial sanctions imposed against Russia because of the situation around Ukraine .
“Our country participates in all international financial sanctions imposed by the EU against Russia, and this really already means something for our financial sector. Now our country participates in all international resolutions that are created to support Ukraine “, she said to CNN.
Recall that on February 25, Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili said that Tbilisi had no plans to impose sanctions against Russia. Later, in the national bank of the republic, the Georgian branch of VTB Bank was deprived of the right to serve individuals.
The Bank of Georgia has canceled the special conditions for Russians that it introduced for opening an account. Previously, citizens were asked to sign a number of provisions, including “condemn the special operation in Ukraine” .jpg” alt=”The Bank of Georgia has ceased to require the Russians to “condemn the special operation”” />
The largest private bank in Georgia Bank of Georgia (Bank of Georgia) canceled the requirement to “condemn the special operation” in Ukraine for Russians who want to open an account, RIA Novosti reported in the bank.
“The regulations that were previously introduced by our bank no longer exist. A citizen of Russia will not have to sign these documents, while the person's application for opening a bank account will be considered by the commission, the decision is made on an individual basis, — said in a financial institution.
RBC sent a request to the press service of the Bank of Georgia.
Another Georgian bank, Terabank, told RIA Novosti that it had not introduced “any new regulations.” All Russian citizens in Georgia, except for those under sanctions, like other foreigners, can open a bank account and receive appropriate services, it noted. The same was noted in the TVS bank. “We do not force any documents to be signed”, — told the agency there.
The fact that the Bank of Georgia began to require Russians who want to open accounts to sign a number of provisions became known on March 4. As Interpressnews reported, a statement in English appeared on the bank's website. According to him, the Russians had to assure that they “condemn Russia's aggression against Georgia and Ukraine”, consider their country an “occupier”; and recognize the territorial integrity of Georgia.
As Kommersant reported on March 5, due to unwillingness to sign such a document, the Bank of Georgia refused three Russian families who arrived in Georgia on vacation.
At the same time, Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili stated that he condemns cases of discrimination against Russian citizens on ethnic grounds and called on law enforcement agencies to take measures to prevent and suppress any physical clashes and attempts to incite ethnic hatred. Those responsible for such actions should be punished to the fullest extent of the law, he said.
The Russian Foreign Ministry, in turn, asked Russians and compatriots abroad to report “facts of violations, pressure, blackmail, threats, any form of discrimination. According to the representative of the department, Maria Zakharova, a round-the-clock hotline has been set up in almost every embassy and consulate. “We will systematize all this in order to work with local authorities, in international organizations, in order to put an end to the persecution of Russians where there are such manifestations,” — she said.
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German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said that the refusal of Ukraine and Georgia to join NATO was correct, ZDF reports.
During a conversation with the channel's correspondents, he noted that currently this issue is not on the agenda of the North Atlantic Alliance.
“It was the right decision, then there were very long negotiations in NATO on this issue,” Scholz noted.
At the same time, he also stressed that there was allegedly no plan to deploy alliance missiles on the territory of Ukraine.
On February 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the start of a military special operation on the territory of Ukraine. According to the head of state, its goal is the demilitarization and denazification of the country. At the same time, he stressed that Moscow's plans do not include the occupation of Ukrainian territories.
Earlier it was reported that Germany intends to supply Ukraine with 1,000 anti-tank guns and 500 Stinger missiles.
Volodymyr Zelensky motivated the recall of the ambassador from Georgia by “an obstacle to volunteers” and Tbilisi’s position in relation to sanctions. Georgia does not want to be drawn into the conflict, Georgian Dream responded ” alt=”Georgia promised not to be drawn into the conflict in Ukraine” />
Irakli Kobakhidze
The decision of the President of Ukraine to recall the ambassador from Georgia is inconsistent and indicates that Kyiv wants to drag the country into the war, said Irakli Kobakhidze , chairman of the Georgian Dream party, Rustavi 2 reports.
“We cannot get involved in a military conflict. There was a direct attempt [in Georgia] to organize the sending of volunteers to participate in the conflict, it was not achieved, and this was followed by this very sad step, — said Kobakhidze, commenting on the decision of the Ukrainian leader.
According to him, this step is unacceptable and unjustified, especially given the actions of Georgia in recent days. Kobakhidze stressed that Georgia understands that Ukraine is in a difficult situation and it would be wrong to criticize Kyiv.
Earlier, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky announced the immediate recall of the ambassador from Georgia “for obstacles volunteers who want to help us for <…> position on sanctions. Zelensky pointed out that the country's diplomats in the current situation are making “fair and absolutely necessary decisions”; in relation to those states that “changed their word and international law.”
After the start of Russia's military operation in Ukraine on February 24, Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili said that Tbilisi would not join the sanctions against Moscow, because intends to be guided by “only national interests”, and supporting Western sanctions will harm the country.
At the same time, Garibashvili condemned Moscow's actions and called them contrary to international law. According to him, the Georgian government is making every effort to provide Kiev with political and humanitarian assistance.
NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg: the alliance will hold military exercises in Georgia before the end of the year At the same time, the Georgian Defense Minister said that the country's entry into the alliance is the only way to preserve the country's territorial integrity
NATO will hold military exercises in Georgia before the end of the year, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said at a press conference following the meeting of the defense ministers of the countries— members of the organization, broadcasted by the Guardian News YouTube channel.
“There will be exercises in Georgia later this year, NATO will take part in them, since we are conducting these exercises together. These exercises demonstrate how closely we cooperate, — he said.
Stoltenberg once again announced the presence of Russian troops on the borders of Ukraine and stressed that the alliance does not observe their withdrawal from the border. “They have enough troops, enough capabilities to launch a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in a very short time or without any warning,” & mdash; he said and stressed that the alliance will continue to support the sovereignty of Ukraine and Georgia.
At the same time, Georgian Defense Minister Juansher Burchuladze, who is visiting Brussels, said that the country's entry into NATO is the only way to preserve the country's territorial integrity, reports Reuters.
The aggravation in the east of Ukraine has been going on since last autumn, when the Western media began to report that Russia was preparing an invasion of the republic. Repeatedly called the date of the invasion. The Kremlin has repeatedly denied information about the preparation of a military operation and pointed to an increase in the NATO contingent near the Russian borders.
Against the background of the escalation, Russian President Vladimir Putin said in early December that Moscow needed legal security guarantees. At the end of the year, the Russian side submitted security proposals to the United States and NATO, including points about not accepting Ukraine and Georgia into the alliance and not using the territory of Russia's neighboring states for the deployment of offensive weapons.
Later, the North Atlantic Alliance sent Russia responses in writing , however, as Putin noted, the key problems of Russia were not taken into account there. At the same time, the United States, in its response, expressed its readiness to discuss confidence-building measures in organizing exercises in Europe, not to deploy nuclear weapons in its eastern part, and to continue discussing security issues.
In 2008, NATO summit in Bucharest adopted a political statement that Ukraine and Georgia would become members of the organization, but refused to provide them with an action plan, which is the first step in the legal procedure. Today, both countries enjoy NATO Enhanced Opportunities Partner status, which provides broad access to the alliance's programs and exercises. Australia, Jordan, Finland and Sweden also have this status.
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An earthquake with a magnitude of 6.2 occurred in southern Georgia, TASS reports citing the Center for Seismic Monitoring at the University of Elijah.
The epicenter was in the village of Sameba, not far from the border with Armenia. Tremors were felt in Tbilisi and Batumi, as well as other parts of the country.
There were no reports of damage or casualties. According to local media, there was a temporary failure in the mobile network, but now the situation has returned to normal. The power line system is also operating normally.
Earlier last week, tremors of magnitude 5.1 on the Richter scale were recorded off the coast of Cyprus.
Against the backdrop of a rapid increase in the number of cases, the Georgian government came to the conclusion that a new wave of infections does not significantly increase the burden on hospitals
The Georgian authorities decided to cancel the so-called green passports, which were issued to those who had been vaccinated against COVID-19 or had been ill. In a message published by the government press service, it is indicated that such a decision was made following a meeting of the Interdepartmental Coordination Headquarters to Combat the Spread of the Pandemic.
The government noted that despite the sharp increase in the number of infections, the situation remains manageable, and the burden on hospitals has not increased significantly. “Most of the patients are treated at home, and their health is monitored by family doctors, whose number has increased in recent days,” — the authorities explained.
The government explained that those who wish to obtain a COVID-passport to travel abroad will continue to be able to use this opportunity.
«Green passport» from December 1, it became mandatory in the republic to visit public places— cafes, restaurants, entertainment centers, cinemas, museums, casinos, hotels and gyms. It was possible to receive it either indefinitely after completing the full course of vaccination, or temporarily in case of a negative test.
Over the past day, 24,201 new cases of infection were detected in Georgia, which was a record number since the beginning of the pandemic. 36 people died (at the peak of the spread of the delta strain, the number of deaths reached 86 per day).
Earlier, the United Kingdom announced the rejection of COVID-passports and a series of other quarantine measures. A similar decision was made in Denmark. There, a vaccination document will be required only from tourists entering the country. Subscribe to Instagram RBC Get news faster than anyone else
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The Russian futsal team won the 1/4 finals of the European Championship over the Georgian team with a score 3:1. This was reported by Sport Express.
Goals against the Georgian team were scored by Artem Niyazov and Ivan Chishkala. From the Georgian side, Bruno Petri scored the only goal for the Russians.
Now the Russian team will play with the Ukrainian team. The futsal match between the two teams will take place on February 4, 2022. Recall that the European Futsal Championship began on January 19, 2022 in the Netherlands.
Oppositionist Dmitry Gudkov said that he would be deported from Georgia to Ukraine Dmitry Gudkov, following Lyubov Sobol, was not allowed into Georgia. The Russian opposition calls this decision “political”
Dmitry Gudkov
Russian oppositionist and former State Duma deputy Dmitry Gudkov was not allowed into Georgia, he said in his Telegram channel. Gudkov came to the country to meet with activists and diplomats.
In the video posted by the oppositionist, he is walking along the corridor of the airport, accompanied by people in uniform. According to Gudkov, he will be deported back to Kiev, despite the fact that he had an issued invitation. “At the state level, a decision was made to deport me back to Kiev. The solution is political,— he emphasizes.
Gudkov says that no one officially explained this decision to him.
RBC asked the Border Police Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia and Tbilisi International Airport for comment.
From 2011 to 2016, Gudkov was a State Duma deputy from A Just Russia. In the 2016 elections, he ran for deputies from the Yabloko party. Gudkov was detained on June 1, 2021 as part of a criminal case on causing particularly large property damage by deceit or breach of trust (paragraph “b” of part 2 of article 165 of the Criminal Code). It was about non-payment of a debt under a lease agreement for non-residential premises in 2015–2017.
Before the arrest, the oppositionist's dacha and apartment in Moscow were searched. Also, Aunt Gudkova— was detained as a suspect in the case. Irina Ermilova. 48 hours after the arrest, on June 3, Gudkov was released, having taken from him an obligation to appear. On the same day, the court released Ermilova without a measure of restraint. On June 6, Gudkov announced that he was leaving Russia. The opposition leader left for Ukraine.
In August, Alexei Navalny's colleague Lyubov Sobol was already denied entry to Georgia. She said that at the border she was checked at the base and stated that entry was denied. She attributed the refusal to the unwillingness of the Georgian authorities to spoil relations with Russia.
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Stoltenberg: Russia must withdraw its troops from Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova s0.rbk.ru/v6_top_pics/media/img/0/47/756432508261470.jpg” alt=”NATO Secretary General urged Russia to withdraw troops from Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova” />
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that Russia should withdraw troops from territories that the alliance considers belong to Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova, noting that the Russian military are there without the consent of the authorities of these states. He said this during a briefing after giving Russia a response to its security proposals.
“Russia should refrain from threatening deployment of forces, aggressive rhetoric against NATO countries and other states. Russia must also withdraw its troops from Ukraine, from Georgia and Moldova,»,— Stoltenberg said. He added that Russian troops are “deployed there without the consent of these countries.”
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Stoltenberg did not explain which troops and which specific areas of these countries are in question. NATO does not recognize the entry of Crimea into Russia, and does not consider the self-proclaimed DPR and LPR independent. In addition, the alliance regards Abkhazia and South Ossetia as part of Georgia. In addition, NATO considers Transnistria, where Russian peacekeepers are deployed, to be Moldovan territory.
During the briefing, Stoltenberg also said that, according to the bloc, progress with Russia is possible in three areas: the restoration of contacts between Russia and NATO; a real discussion of concerns, including Russian ones; conducting exercises.
The Alliance offered Russia to establish a direct line of communication and make maximum use of military contacts, as well as to restore offices in Moscow and Brussels.
After the responses to Russia's security proposals were handed over to Russia, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken also spoke. He stated that Washington is ready for negotiations in case of de-escalation and generally prefers the diplomatic way of resolving the conflict. In its response, the United States indicated areas where cooperation between the two states is possible, Blinken explained. According to him, the United States is ready to discuss with Russia the non-deployment of missiles in Ukraine, military exercises in Europe, arms control, transparency and risk mitigation measures. The Secretary of State also emphasized that the principle of “open doors” remains in NATO.
NATO and US responses to Russian proposals were received on Wednesday, they were brought by US Ambassador to Russia John Sullivan.
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German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said that NATO cannot guarantee Russia's non-expansion. However, the entry of new Eastern European countries into the alliance, as he pointed out, “is not on the agenda.” According to the newspaper S & uuml; ddeutsche Zeitung, against the background of this fact, Scholz does not understand why this demand from Russia.
“There can be no such guarantee,” he stressed. The Chancellor added that a transatlantic defense alliance is necessary.
Interestingly, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said earlier that the alliance had already decided to accept Ukraine with Georgia. At the same time, he pointed out that the terms of entry into the alliance for new members were not set.
Meanwhile, Russia's position on NATO expansion reads as follows: neither Ukraine nor Georgia should become members of the alliance. Moscow needs reinforced concrete guarantees that these two countries will not be accepted there.
Ryabkov: Russia is ready to consider a US guarantee not to vote for Ukraine's entry into NATO =”https://s0.rbk.ru/v6_top_pics/media/img/7/16/756425980505167.jpg” alt=”Ryabkov offered the US another “option” on Ukraine and Georgia in NATO” />
Sergey RyabkovRussia is ready to consider an alternative to NATO's refusal to accept Ukraine into the bloc— a unilateral commitment by the United States not to vote for the country's entry into the alliance. About this at the site of the discussion club «Valdai» said Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov.
“This well-known formula of the Bucharest summit in 2008, that Ukraine and Georgia will become members of NATO, this should be excluded, this should be replaced by the understanding that this will never happen. Or alternatively, if the United States makes a unilateral commitment in a legally binding manner that it will never vote for Ukraine and other countries to join NATO, we are ready to consider this option. he said.
Ryabkov added that this would be an easier path for the United States if the state had “enough political will.”
According to him, the priority for Moscow is clear and legally binding US guarantees that Ukraine and other countries Russia opposes membership will not join NATO.
In order for a state to become a full member of the alliance, the consent of all its members is required at the stage of ratification of the accession protocol. For example, Macedonia for a long time could not join NATO, as this was prevented by Greece because of the dispute over the name of the country. Athens claimed that the toponym “Macedonia” extends to part of Greek territory, which gives the Macedonians the right to lay claim to it. As a result, the state officially changed its name to North Macedonia (the dispute with Greece was settled in 2018) and joined NATO in 2020.
Moscow needs a “direct and understandable” a written response to its December proposals for security guarantees, as well as an “article-by-article” analysis, Ryabkov said at a meeting of Valdai. He acknowledged that such a formulation of the issue is unprecedented, but drew attention to the fact that this is dictated by the situation itself. That, in turn, was formed due to the “destructive” exchange rate between the United States and NATO, the deputy minister stressed.
Moscow's proposals on security guarantees were made public in December. In the draft treaty, Russia proposed to consolidate NATO's obligation not to expand eastward, to agree with the United States not to harm each other's security, and to oblige Washington not to establish military bases on the territory of the countries that were part of the USSR. In addition, Russia offered to mutually renounce the deployment of weapons where it would be perceived as a threat, as well as the deployment of nuclear weapons.
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NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that NATO had already decided to admit Ukraine and Georgia. At the same time, he pointed out that the terms of entry into the alliance for new members were not set.
“In 2008, we decided that Ukraine and Georgia would become members,” he said in an interview with La Repubblica. “But we did not set when exactly”.
The Secretary General recalled that Kiev had previously turned to NATO with a corresponding request, because this country was supported in terms of reforms, modernization of the army according to the bloc's standards. He expressed the opinion that at the moment Ukraine's defense capability is higher than it was in 2014.
At the same time, Stoltenberg recalled that the NATO collective defense principle applies only to member countries to which Ukraine is officially does not apply yet.
The day before, the Georgian authorities thanked Stoltenberg for “supporting sovereignty.” In particular, President Salome Zurabishvili pointed to the relevant “important statement” that the NATO Secretary General made after the meeting of the Russia-NATO Council. Later, Stoltenberg said that the alliance did not intend to compromise on the issue of expansion to the east.
