The News in Brief
Friday, April 15
Prices of Air Tickets be Increase by 10 % by Summer
Reports say that the price of air tickets will be increased by 10 % this summer.
Prices on air tickets will increase not only in Georgia, but throughout the world, Nino Giorgobiani, spokeswoman for the Airzena air company, told InterpressNews.
‘Generally, prices are always higher in summer than in winter’, the spokeswoman said.
Prices of air tickets were increased in Georgia in March too. (Interpressnews)
NATO Ministerial opens in Berlin
Foreign Ministers of NATO's 28 member and 20 partner states are assembling in Berlin for the NATO Ministerial. This is the first high-level meeting of the alliance and its partner member states senior diplomats after the Lisbon Summit in November 2010, where the foreign ministers adopted a new strategy concept.
The foreign ministers will discuss the issues associated with the alliance's strategy for the Afghanistan peace mission, the Libyan operation and relations with partner states.
The Georgian delegation chaired by Minister Grigol Vashadze is also attending the summit. Mr. Vashadze will join the discussions of the Afghanistan peace mission.
Within the summit, the NATO-Georgia commission will assemble for the first time after the Lisbon summit. (Rustavi 2)
Georgian delegation hails PACE resolution
The Georgian delegation has hailed the new resolution adopted with the support of the vast majority of members of the PACE on Wednesday. The members of the Georgian delegation say it was yet another success of the Georgian government as the interests of Russia were ignored by European colleagues again.
They are particularly emphasizing the fact that despite the insistence of the Russian delegation, the word `occupation` in regards with Russia`s military intervention in Abkhazia and South Ossetia, was not removed from the resolution.
The resolution was prepared by Michael Jensen and Castriot Islam. The vote was held yesterday at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and received 130 and only 8 against. The document approves the ongoing reforms in Georgia and the fulfillment of the obligations by the government taken with the previous resolutions of the CoE. (Rustavi 2)
Youth Wing of NDP held demonstration on Mother Language Day
The members of the youth wing of the National Democratic Party of Georgia held a demonstration on the Day of Mother Language. They marched from the party`s head office to the Mother Language Monument distributing flyers calling upon compatriots to take care of Georgian language.
`April 14th was a date for Georgian people to fight for the independence and freedom of our homeland and everyone should remember this. The goal of today`s rally is to spread this information about the significance of this day, among the youth in particular to make them remember this day forever,` Levan Ebralidze, the director general of the young National Democrats said. (Rustavi 2)
Saakashvili’s Statement about Successful Policy of Georgian Government Cost about $ 1, 5 m – Democratic Movement
The Democratic Movement accuses the Georgian government of paying large amount of money to foreign media sources to advertise the successes of Georgia.
‘Saakashvili’s lie about the successful policy of the Georgian government cost about $ 1.5 m’, Manana Salukvadze, a representative of the Democratic Movement, has said at the briefing.
According to her, President Mikheil Saakashvili said in the Parliament of Georgia that the Financial Times named Georgia as the number 1 reformer country and dedicated a special article to the fact. Mathias Huter, a representative of the Transparency International Georgia, stated no such article was published in the Financial Times. However, an advertisement was published in the European and British editions of the Financial Times, which cost ?135 500. On 28 January the Wall Street Journal also dedicated a whole page to the advertisement, which says Georgia is the leading country in the fight against corruption. The advertisement cost $345,662. The same advertisement was published in the Economist, where an advertisement costs ? 90,900.
The Democratic Movement calls on the government to name the points of the budget which cover the costs. (Interpressnews)
Turkey`s police interrogates Georgian nationals
Turkish police have interrogated several Georgian nationals after the murder of a Turk businessman and his girlfriend in Istanbul on Wednesday. Georgia`s embassy in Turkey denies the reports regarding the detention of a Georgian citizen in connection with the crime. Georgian diplomats have also denied that one of the suspects has fled Turkey and is now in Georgia.
Three Georgian employees of a hotel in Istanbul disappeared after the murder of the hotel owner and his girlfriend. Both were shot dead from a pistol gun. The identity of the Georgian employees is still being protected. The police are waiting for the results of their investigation and are abstaining from making comments on the crime at this stage. (Rustavi 2)
Reports say that the price of air tickets will be increased by 10 % this summer.
Prices on air tickets will increase not only in Georgia, but throughout the world, Nino Giorgobiani, spokeswoman for the Airzena air company, told InterpressNews.
‘Generally, prices are always higher in summer than in winter’, the spokeswoman said.
Prices of air tickets were increased in Georgia in March too. (Interpressnews)
NATO Ministerial opens in Berlin
Foreign Ministers of NATO's 28 member and 20 partner states are assembling in Berlin for the NATO Ministerial. This is the first high-level meeting of the alliance and its partner member states senior diplomats after the Lisbon Summit in November 2010, where the foreign ministers adopted a new strategy concept.
The foreign ministers will discuss the issues associated with the alliance's strategy for the Afghanistan peace mission, the Libyan operation and relations with partner states.
The Georgian delegation chaired by Minister Grigol Vashadze is also attending the summit. Mr. Vashadze will join the discussions of the Afghanistan peace mission.
Within the summit, the NATO-Georgia commission will assemble for the first time after the Lisbon summit. (Rustavi 2)
Georgian delegation hails PACE resolution
The Georgian delegation has hailed the new resolution adopted with the support of the vast majority of members of the PACE on Wednesday. The members of the Georgian delegation say it was yet another success of the Georgian government as the interests of Russia were ignored by European colleagues again.
They are particularly emphasizing the fact that despite the insistence of the Russian delegation, the word `occupation` in regards with Russia`s military intervention in Abkhazia and South Ossetia, was not removed from the resolution.
The resolution was prepared by Michael Jensen and Castriot Islam. The vote was held yesterday at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and received 130 and only 8 against. The document approves the ongoing reforms in Georgia and the fulfillment of the obligations by the government taken with the previous resolutions of the CoE. (Rustavi 2)
Youth Wing of NDP held demonstration on Mother Language Day
The members of the youth wing of the National Democratic Party of Georgia held a demonstration on the Day of Mother Language. They marched from the party`s head office to the Mother Language Monument distributing flyers calling upon compatriots to take care of Georgian language.
`April 14th was a date for Georgian people to fight for the independence and freedom of our homeland and everyone should remember this. The goal of today`s rally is to spread this information about the significance of this day, among the youth in particular to make them remember this day forever,` Levan Ebralidze, the director general of the young National Democrats said. (Rustavi 2)
Saakashvili’s Statement about Successful Policy of Georgian Government Cost about $ 1, 5 m – Democratic Movement
The Democratic Movement accuses the Georgian government of paying large amount of money to foreign media sources to advertise the successes of Georgia.
‘Saakashvili’s lie about the successful policy of the Georgian government cost about $ 1.5 m’, Manana Salukvadze, a representative of the Democratic Movement, has said at the briefing.
According to her, President Mikheil Saakashvili said in the Parliament of Georgia that the Financial Times named Georgia as the number 1 reformer country and dedicated a special article to the fact. Mathias Huter, a representative of the Transparency International Georgia, stated no such article was published in the Financial Times. However, an advertisement was published in the European and British editions of the Financial Times, which cost ?135 500. On 28 January the Wall Street Journal also dedicated a whole page to the advertisement, which says Georgia is the leading country in the fight against corruption. The advertisement cost $345,662. The same advertisement was published in the Economist, where an advertisement costs ? 90,900.
The Democratic Movement calls on the government to name the points of the budget which cover the costs. (Interpressnews)
Turkey`s police interrogates Georgian nationals
Turkish police have interrogated several Georgian nationals after the murder of a Turk businessman and his girlfriend in Istanbul on Wednesday. Georgia`s embassy in Turkey denies the reports regarding the detention of a Georgian citizen in connection with the crime. Georgian diplomats have also denied that one of the suspects has fled Turkey and is now in Georgia.
Three Georgian employees of a hotel in Istanbul disappeared after the murder of the hotel owner and his girlfriend. Both were shot dead from a pistol gun. The identity of the Georgian employees is still being protected. The police are waiting for the results of their investigation and are abstaining from making comments on the crime at this stage. (Rustavi 2)