The state audit agency in charge of monitoring political finances has fined Cartu Bank, owned by billionaire opposition politician Bidzina Ivanishvili, with GEL ۸۲۲,۰۴۰ (about USD ۴۹۷,۰۰۰) for allegedly trying to channel corporate funding to Ivanishvili’s public movement Georgian Dream. Last week two employees of Cartu Bank said they received ...

President Saakashvili said Russia’s “new old” leader Vladimir Putin’s remarks that “much will depend” on Georgia’s elections in terms of bilateral ties, amounted to setting “a new time and venue for a decisive battle”. “Several days ago, the new old head of the invader set a new venue and new time for a decisive ...

Georgia presented at the Vaziani military firing-ground outside Tbilisi on March ۳ its first domestically manufactured multiple rocket launcher system. “We have produced this artillery system and soon we will launch producing its rocket shells,” said President Saakashvili, who attended the presentation of the multiple rocket launcher, adding ...

French newspaper Le Figaro published an article about Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili's recent address to the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France. In his speech to the European Parliament on Tuesday, Georgia's President Saakashvili took unilateral responsibility to refuse to using force and offered dialogue without precedent conditions....

Billionaire opposition politician, Bidzina Ivanishvili, announced on February ۲۱ about formal launch of his coalition, Georgian Dream, which apart of his planned party also includes Our Georgia-Free Democrats (OGFD), Republican Party and National Forum. Leaders of Conservative Party and People’s Party, Zviad Dzidziguri and Koba Davitashvili, ...

Irakli Alasania, who describes himself as “more a centrist” politician, says “a multi-pronged” pressure campaign should be used to achieve early presidential elections and “peaceful power transition.” “Yes there is radical stance among large part of the society. But we should not become hostage of radicalism,” he said in an ...

President Aliyev (left) and President Saakashvili (right) review the Azerbaijani army honor guard during an official welcoming ceremony in Baku, March ۶. Photo: Azerbaijani President's press office. President Saakashvili, who pays a two-day official visit to Baku, met his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev on March ۶. The two Presidents “expressed ...

Tbilisi and Baku have agreed to make a joint bid to host UEFA European Football Championship, said President Saakashvili while addressing the legislative body of Azerbaijan, Milli Majlis, on March ۷. Poland and Ukraine will host the European football championship this year and EURO ۲۰۱۶ will be hosted by France. The bidding process to host EURO ۲۰۲۰ ...

Russia's leadership "can say what it wants", but it's NATO allies which decide on membership and "step-by-step" Georgia is getting closer to the Alliance "regardless of what other parties might say," James Appathurai, NATO Secretary General’s Special Representative for the Caucasus and Central Asia, said. The NATO ...

Bidzina Ivanishvili, leader of an opposition Georgian Dream coalition, is ranked at ۱۵۳ position in Forbes magazine's annual list of the world's billionaires with an estimated worth of USD ۶.۴ billion. Ivanishvili's wealth in last year's similar list was estimated at USD ۵.۵ billion. Ivanishvili, who is now French citizen awaiting a response from the ...

Russia’s Prime Minister and president-elect, Vladimir Putin, speaks with journalists, March ۷. Photo from Russian PM’s website. Russia’s President-elect Vladimir Putin told journalists on March ۷, Russia “has special relations with the Georgian people” and expressed hope that “a solution will be found” to improve ties ...

Unilaterally removal of visa rules for Russian citizens is “a sign of strength” rather than of weakness, President Saakashvili said on March ۲ at a meeting with a group of students in his residence in Tbilisi. “We know that Russia is a problem. They have masterminded several dozen of terrorist acts against us in last two-three years, but ...

Russian citizens will be able to enter and stay without a visa in Georgia for ۹۰ days, according to a presidential decree number ۱۴۹. Publishing date of the presidential decree on the state online registry of legal acts is February ۲۹ - a day after President Saakashvili said in his annual state of the nation address that Georgia would unilaterally ...

The NATO-Georgia Commission met in Brussels on March ۷ to discuss “how to enhance Georgia’s partnership and connectivity with the Alliance,” NATO said in a press release. The NATO-Georgia Commission is a main mechanism through which NATO-Georgia cooperation is supervised, including implementation of reform targets set in Georgia's Annual ...

Voters in Georgia’s breakaway region of Abkhazia will go to the polls on March ۱۰ to elect ۳۵-member Parliament. The legislative body in Abkhazia is elected for a five-year term and its members are elected through a majoritarian system in single-mandate constituencies. Elections in the breakaway region are denounced as illegitimate by Tbilisi ...