The News in Brief
Thursday, October 5
President Margvelashvili Meets Portuguese Counterpart
“Ties between Europe’s westernmost and easternmost countries should further be strengthened,” President Giorgi Margvelashvili told his Portuguese counterpart Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa.
President Margvelashvili, who is on his first official visit to Portugal on October 1-3, spoke on the Portuguese-Georgian relations at his joint press conference with President Rebelo de Sousa following their meetings in bilateral and extended composition.
According to Margvelashvili, in the last 25 years, Portugal has been “a stable supporter” of Georgia’s EU and NATO aspirations, as well as its territorial integrity.
“I am confident that the potential that exists between our countries in the areas of economy, culture, science and tourism will be further extended with your visit to Georgia,” President Giorgi Margvelashvili noted, with his press office reporting that President Rebelo de Sousa accepted Margvelashvili’s invitation to visit Georgia.
The President’s press office also reported that Giorgi Margvelashvili briefed his counterpart on the situation in Georgia’s occupied regions, highlighting that the so called “border markers” and other artificial barriers on the occupation line pose serious problems to the local population.
The sides also discussed the process of Georgia’s EU and NATO integration and the importance of Portugal’s support to this end, as well as the upcoming Eastern Partnership and NATO summits.
As part of his visit to Portugal, President Giorgi Margvelashvili will also hold meetings with Prime Minister Antonio Costa and Eduardo Ferro Rodrigues, President of the National Assembly. (civil.ge)
Syrian parliamentary delegation arrives in Sokhumi
A Syrian parliamentary delegation arrived in Sokhumi and met with the de facto foreign minister of occupied Abkhazia Daur Kove, Apsnipress reports.
Prospects of bilateral relations were discussed at the meeting.
"The Syrian people are actively struggling with international terrorism. We are glad that Abkhazian-Syrian relations have been developing dynamically this year. We cooperate at different levels. The Abkhazian society is deeply concerned about the situation in Syria," said Dour Kove.
In turn, the head of the Syrian delegation, Sanah Abo Zaid, said that Abkhazians are well aware of all the events that are happening in Syria now.
"Abkhazians felt the pain in the past that our people are now feeling. We have seen that the Abkhazian society is very well informed about the events ongoing in Syria and are showing solidarity," said Sana Abo Zaid. (IPN)
Ergneti talks: illegal activities at occupation line on agenda
Georgian officials, representatives of international organisations and the de-facto authorities from Georgia’s Russian-occupied region of Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) have gathered around the table in Ergneti to discuss issues that concern people living along the occupation line late on October 3.
A tent in the village of Ergneti has hosted the 81st Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism (IPRM) meeting. The release of a Georgian man GiorgiGiunashvili sentenced to 20 years in prison by an unrecognised court in Tskhinvali region has been among the top issues, as well as the urgent need to transparently investigate the case of David Basharuli who had gone missing in 2014 and later found dead.
“At today’s meeting we also spoke about the illegal borderisation process. As an example we discussed the so-called fire protection zone between the occupied villages of Orchosani and Karapila, which, as we observe, later grew into a transportation road,” Kakha Kemoklidze, the Deputy Head of the Information-Analytical Department under the State Security Service said.
According to Kemoklidze, the Georgian officials suggest the immediate suspension of illegal processes that not only causes threat to security, but also affect the local population. However, the representatives of the de-facto government claimed this road does not cause any threat and it only aims at making it easier for the firefighters to approach the site.
Special attention was also paid to dismantling of abandoned Georgian houses in the village of Eredvi, which the Georgian side believes is aimed at "erasing Georgian traces” in the settlement.
“The de-facto government has destroyed all the houses that prior to 2008 belonged to the ethnically Georgian local population. The representatives of the central government told the participants of the meeting that the above mentioned activities are not only vandalism but also include elements of crime and we have asked international mediators to deeply study the case,” Kemoklidze said.
The detention of Georgians along the occupation line has been a common practice since 2008. 11 people have been detained allegedly for "illegally crossing” the occupation line since the previous meeting in Ergneti on September 7; however, all of them have been released. (Agenda.ge)
“Ties between Europe’s westernmost and easternmost countries should further be strengthened,” President Giorgi Margvelashvili told his Portuguese counterpart Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa.
President Margvelashvili, who is on his first official visit to Portugal on October 1-3, spoke on the Portuguese-Georgian relations at his joint press conference with President Rebelo de Sousa following their meetings in bilateral and extended composition.
According to Margvelashvili, in the last 25 years, Portugal has been “a stable supporter” of Georgia’s EU and NATO aspirations, as well as its territorial integrity.
“I am confident that the potential that exists between our countries in the areas of economy, culture, science and tourism will be further extended with your visit to Georgia,” President Giorgi Margvelashvili noted, with his press office reporting that President Rebelo de Sousa accepted Margvelashvili’s invitation to visit Georgia.
The President’s press office also reported that Giorgi Margvelashvili briefed his counterpart on the situation in Georgia’s occupied regions, highlighting that the so called “border markers” and other artificial barriers on the occupation line pose serious problems to the local population.
The sides also discussed the process of Georgia’s EU and NATO integration and the importance of Portugal’s support to this end, as well as the upcoming Eastern Partnership and NATO summits.
As part of his visit to Portugal, President Giorgi Margvelashvili will also hold meetings with Prime Minister Antonio Costa and Eduardo Ferro Rodrigues, President of the National Assembly. (civil.ge)
Syrian parliamentary delegation arrives in Sokhumi
A Syrian parliamentary delegation arrived in Sokhumi and met with the de facto foreign minister of occupied Abkhazia Daur Kove, Apsnipress reports.
Prospects of bilateral relations were discussed at the meeting.
"The Syrian people are actively struggling with international terrorism. We are glad that Abkhazian-Syrian relations have been developing dynamically this year. We cooperate at different levels. The Abkhazian society is deeply concerned about the situation in Syria," said Dour Kove.
In turn, the head of the Syrian delegation, Sanah Abo Zaid, said that Abkhazians are well aware of all the events that are happening in Syria now.
"Abkhazians felt the pain in the past that our people are now feeling. We have seen that the Abkhazian society is very well informed about the events ongoing in Syria and are showing solidarity," said Sana Abo Zaid. (IPN)
Ergneti talks: illegal activities at occupation line on agenda
Georgian officials, representatives of international organisations and the de-facto authorities from Georgia’s Russian-occupied region of Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) have gathered around the table in Ergneti to discuss issues that concern people living along the occupation line late on October 3.
A tent in the village of Ergneti has hosted the 81st Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism (IPRM) meeting. The release of a Georgian man GiorgiGiunashvili sentenced to 20 years in prison by an unrecognised court in Tskhinvali region has been among the top issues, as well as the urgent need to transparently investigate the case of David Basharuli who had gone missing in 2014 and later found dead.
“At today’s meeting we also spoke about the illegal borderisation process. As an example we discussed the so-called fire protection zone between the occupied villages of Orchosani and Karapila, which, as we observe, later grew into a transportation road,” Kakha Kemoklidze, the Deputy Head of the Information-Analytical Department under the State Security Service said.
According to Kemoklidze, the Georgian officials suggest the immediate suspension of illegal processes that not only causes threat to security, but also affect the local population. However, the representatives of the de-facto government claimed this road does not cause any threat and it only aims at making it easier for the firefighters to approach the site.
Special attention was also paid to dismantling of abandoned Georgian houses in the village of Eredvi, which the Georgian side believes is aimed at "erasing Georgian traces” in the settlement.
“The de-facto government has destroyed all the houses that prior to 2008 belonged to the ethnically Georgian local population. The representatives of the central government told the participants of the meeting that the above mentioned activities are not only vandalism but also include elements of crime and we have asked international mediators to deeply study the case,” Kemoklidze said.
The detention of Georgians along the occupation line has been a common practice since 2008. 11 people have been detained allegedly for "illegally crossing” the occupation line since the previous meeting in Ergneti on September 7; however, all of them have been released. (Agenda.ge)