Tbilisi Moves on South Ossetia Status Determination
“There is no ‘Ossetian’ or ‘Georgian’ side, nor ‘Ossetian’ and ‘Georgian’ villages—there’s only the temporary administrative unit in Ossetia,” President Saakashvili told government members July 18, on the back of the president’s order last week for a commission to determine South Ossetia’s status within the Georgian state. (more)
Mystery Restorers Destroy Ancient Church Inscription
On July 15, the Ministry of Culture, Monument Protection and Sport discovered that a unique, twelfth-century inscription on a Kojori church had been destroyed. The only surviving record of the inscription, a blessing to the Georgian people by Queen Tamar, is a single photo taken in the 1980s. (more)
Stable Outlook for Georgia, says Fitch Ratings, Citing Strong Public Finances
International ratings agency Fitch Ratings assigns Georgia a “BB-” long-term sovereign rating, with a “stable outlook.” (more)
News in Brief
- President of Georgia Announces State Program to Teach Georgian to Ethnic Minorities
- Levan Choladze Presents New Adjaran Leader
- Students to Help in Renovation of Cultural Monuments
- National Exams Finish
- Georgian Deputy Minister of Justice Visits Austria
- Saakashvili and Yushchenko Discuss Cooperation Issues 
- Meeting on Baku–Tbilisi–Kars Railway System Held in Baku


Time Running Out on Kosovo Resolution
It appears as if the issue of Kosovo’s independence is doomed for withdrawal from the UN Security Council after failure to reach an agreement. (more)


Where the River Runs Dirty
The pollution of the Mtkvari River repeatedly arises as a major issue in Georgian–Azerbaijani relationships. The pollution is mainly due to ineffective filtration methods for the country’s sewage systems, reports the newspaper Alia. (more)
Azerbaijanis Most Frequent Visitors to Georgia
Azerbaijani citizens came to Georgia more than any other nationality in the first quarter of 2007. In that period, 33 percent of foreign border-crossers were Azerbaijani, followed by the Turks and Armenians, according to the news agency Regnum. (more)
Iran Talks Up Trade with Armenia
Speaking in Yerevan on Tuesday, the head of the economic cooperation department of the Iranian Foreign Affairs Ministry, Sayed Mehdi Mirabutalebi, stated that political dialogue between Iran and Armenia is at a higher level than simply economic cooperation. And, he says, it’s significant that concrete steps are being made to deepen economic ties. (more)
Armenia Shakes Up State Tax Service
On July 16, Armenian President Robert Kocharyan reassigned the head of the state tax service to a presidential advisory post. In his place, he appointed head of the Armenian Presidential Control Service Vahram Barseghyan, according to the news agency Regnum. (more)
Armenian Author Publishes Book on Turkish Expansion in Georgia
A new book on Georgian and Turkish economic relations, written by an assistant professor at Yerevan State Institute of Economics, was published in Moscow. (more)


Press scanner
Today in history
Birthdays
Georgian words of the day