The News in Brief
Friday, September 12
Giorgi Margvelashvili and Maka Chichua marry in Dusheti, Georgia
Georgian President Giorgi Margvelashvili and Maka Chichua have married in Dusheti, Georgia, Maka Chichua told Imedi TV on Wednesday. (Frontnews)
Aftonbladet: “Carl Bildt is corrupt”
The biggest-selling paper not only in Sweden but across the Nordic region, the Stockholm-based tabloid Aftonbladet has published Lisa Rostlund’s article entitled “Georgian ex-Minister - Carl Bildt is corrupt”.
According to Lisa Rostlund, “the Georgian government became a customer of PR firm Kreab (Kreab Gavin Anderson provides strategic communications services to customers in the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, and internationally) by the help of Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt and he politically supported President Mikheil Saakashvili”.
“Kreab signed an agreement with Saakashvili’s regime in 2006, when the firm’s President was Carl Bildt.
“He had good contacts there when he was the President of Kreab, Mr. Karl Isaksson, Managing Partner of Kreab Gavin Anderson told Aftonbladet in 2012.
“Kreab should have helped the Georgian government to establish contacts with politicians and media in order to create its good image”, Karl Isaksson added.
“Shortly after signing the deal, Bildt became the Foreign Minister and left his post as the president of the firm. The contract signed in November includes fourteen transfers from the Georgian government to Kreab – GEL 4.5 million in total. The above-mentioned was carried out from December 2006 to December 2007”, the article says.
As for the close relations with Georgia, the article says that “after this deal Bildt paid eleven official visits to this small country”.
“I heard about the contract with Kreab”, Giorgi Khaindrava, former minister under Saakashvili, told Aftonbladet. “This is a huge sum for a small and poor country”, he said. Mr. Khaindrava accused Carl Bildt of corruption. (Frontnews)
Georgian PM meets Ilham Aliyev in Baku
Within the framework of the official visit to the Republic of Azerbaijan the Prime Minister met with the President of Azerbaijan. Face to face meeting between Ilham Aliyev and Irakli Garibashvili was held at Zagulba Presidential Palace.
The good-neighborly relations and strategic cooperation between the two countries were discussed. Particular attention was paid to regional security and energy security. They expressed a desire to Azerbaijan and Georgia to enhance political, economic-cultural and energy cooperation.
During the face to face meeting, the Prime Minister and the President of Azerbaijan also discussed prospects for further development of the partnership and noted that the exchange of experience in political, economic and humanitarian areas will be beneficial for both countries. (Rustavi 2)
Alasania: Georgia will procure Air Defense, Anti-Tank Systems
Georgian Defense Minister, Irakli Alasania, said that de facto arms embargo, when Georgia’s western partners were reluctant of selling defensive weapons to Tbilisi after the August, 2008 war with Russia, is now already over.
Praising “substantial package” that NATO has offered to Georgia at the summit in Wales last week, Alasania said that, among other issues, it also gives Georgia possibility to procure air defense and anti-tank systems, but it would require, he said, more defense funding.
“In order for the Ministry of Defense and the armed forces perform their duties properly, they need defensive weapons,” Alasania said in an interview with Tbilisi-based Rustavi 2 TV’s political talk show on September 9.
“We can say that this issue was stuck since 2008, it was not openly an embargo, but everyone was refraining from handing over or selling defensive arms to Georgia – now this issue has been put to an end in a positive sense. It is directly written in the Georgia-NATO package that NATO-member states should give Georgia possibility to procure defensive weapons and it specifies – air defense, anti-tank capabilities, which Georgia needs to defend itself from possible aggression,” the Defense Minister said. (Civil.ge)
In the frames of the constitutional standards, National Movement will do more than Aleksandre Tchikaidze said - Giga Bokeria
National Movement will do more in the frames of the constitutional standards than Aleksadre Tchikaidze said for changing the government, - Giga Bokeria has responded to the statement by the Interior Minister referring to commitments given to National Movement by Mikheil Saakashvili and being back to the power.
As Bokeria told Rustavi 2, the plans said by Tchikaidze represent constitutional steps.
‘’He stated that we are going to be politically active in order to change the government and he said absolutely constitutional steps. I would like to give evidence by accident: we are going to do more indeed than he said, naturally in the frames of the constitutional standards and we will inevitably change the government which only damages our national interests. This wise man, Tchikaidze has become a symbol of the government which needs to change,’’ - Giga Bokeria stated. (IPN)
Georgian President Giorgi Margvelashvili and Maka Chichua have married in Dusheti, Georgia, Maka Chichua told Imedi TV on Wednesday. (Frontnews)
Aftonbladet: “Carl Bildt is corrupt”
The biggest-selling paper not only in Sweden but across the Nordic region, the Stockholm-based tabloid Aftonbladet has published Lisa Rostlund’s article entitled “Georgian ex-Minister - Carl Bildt is corrupt”.
According to Lisa Rostlund, “the Georgian government became a customer of PR firm Kreab (Kreab Gavin Anderson provides strategic communications services to customers in the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, and internationally) by the help of Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt and he politically supported President Mikheil Saakashvili”.
“Kreab signed an agreement with Saakashvili’s regime in 2006, when the firm’s President was Carl Bildt.
“He had good contacts there when he was the President of Kreab, Mr. Karl Isaksson, Managing Partner of Kreab Gavin Anderson told Aftonbladet in 2012.
“Kreab should have helped the Georgian government to establish contacts with politicians and media in order to create its good image”, Karl Isaksson added.
“Shortly after signing the deal, Bildt became the Foreign Minister and left his post as the president of the firm. The contract signed in November includes fourteen transfers from the Georgian government to Kreab – GEL 4.5 million in total. The above-mentioned was carried out from December 2006 to December 2007”, the article says.
As for the close relations with Georgia, the article says that “after this deal Bildt paid eleven official visits to this small country”.
“I heard about the contract with Kreab”, Giorgi Khaindrava, former minister under Saakashvili, told Aftonbladet. “This is a huge sum for a small and poor country”, he said. Mr. Khaindrava accused Carl Bildt of corruption. (Frontnews)
Georgian PM meets Ilham Aliyev in Baku
Within the framework of the official visit to the Republic of Azerbaijan the Prime Minister met with the President of Azerbaijan. Face to face meeting between Ilham Aliyev and Irakli Garibashvili was held at Zagulba Presidential Palace.
The good-neighborly relations and strategic cooperation between the two countries were discussed. Particular attention was paid to regional security and energy security. They expressed a desire to Azerbaijan and Georgia to enhance political, economic-cultural and energy cooperation.
During the face to face meeting, the Prime Minister and the President of Azerbaijan also discussed prospects for further development of the partnership and noted that the exchange of experience in political, economic and humanitarian areas will be beneficial for both countries. (Rustavi 2)
Alasania: Georgia will procure Air Defense, Anti-Tank Systems
Georgian Defense Minister, Irakli Alasania, said that de facto arms embargo, when Georgia’s western partners were reluctant of selling defensive weapons to Tbilisi after the August, 2008 war with Russia, is now already over.
Praising “substantial package” that NATO has offered to Georgia at the summit in Wales last week, Alasania said that, among other issues, it also gives Georgia possibility to procure air defense and anti-tank systems, but it would require, he said, more defense funding.
“In order for the Ministry of Defense and the armed forces perform their duties properly, they need defensive weapons,” Alasania said in an interview with Tbilisi-based Rustavi 2 TV’s political talk show on September 9.
“We can say that this issue was stuck since 2008, it was not openly an embargo, but everyone was refraining from handing over or selling defensive arms to Georgia – now this issue has been put to an end in a positive sense. It is directly written in the Georgia-NATO package that NATO-member states should give Georgia possibility to procure defensive weapons and it specifies – air defense, anti-tank capabilities, which Georgia needs to defend itself from possible aggression,” the Defense Minister said. (Civil.ge)
In the frames of the constitutional standards, National Movement will do more than Aleksandre Tchikaidze said - Giga Bokeria
National Movement will do more in the frames of the constitutional standards than Aleksadre Tchikaidze said for changing the government, - Giga Bokeria has responded to the statement by the Interior Minister referring to commitments given to National Movement by Mikheil Saakashvili and being back to the power.
As Bokeria told Rustavi 2, the plans said by Tchikaidze represent constitutional steps.
‘’He stated that we are going to be politically active in order to change the government and he said absolutely constitutional steps. I would like to give evidence by accident: we are going to do more indeed than he said, naturally in the frames of the constitutional standards and we will inevitably change the government which only damages our national interests. This wise man, Tchikaidze has become a symbol of the government which needs to change,’’ - Giga Bokeria stated. (IPN)