Prepared by Messenger Staff
Rustaveli Avenue to Close for Full Rehabilitation From July 23
Tbilisi Mayor Kakha Kaladze announced that Rustaveli Avenue, the city's central thoroughfare and main protest site, will close to traffic on July 23 for a full rehabilitation expected to run through the end of November.
Traffic will be shut down along the roughly two-kilometer stretch between Tamar Chovelidze Street and Liberty Square, along with the adjacent section of Merab Kostava Street. Kaladze called the avenue the capital's "visiting card," saying it should become "a modern, safe, and comfortable space."
The GEL 20 million contract went to LLC Smart Solutions, the sole bidder, after earlier tenders drew no offers. Work includes upgrading water, sewerage, storm drainage, and gas systems, burying overhead utility lines, installing underground waste containers, renewing sidewalks and asphalt, switching to LED street lighting, restoring green spaces, and improving pedestrian and disability access.
The closure comes as daily anti-government protests continue on Rustaveli outside Parliament, now past 600 days since Georgian Dream announced it was freezing EU accession talks. Recent legislation has expanded restrictions on protest activity, and several demonstrators have faced administrative detention for obstructing pedestrian movement on the sidewalk near Parliament.
Gakharia Says EU Support Critical in Defending Georgia's Territorial Integrity
The leader of the opposition party Gakharia for Georgia, Giorgi Gakharia, has welcomed the European Union's position on Georgia's occupied territories. The European Parliament has passed a resolution demanding that Russia reverse its "decision to recognize the so-called independence of the Georgian territories of Abkhazia and South Ossetia."
"Georgia's territorial integrity is non-negotiable. Occupation and annexation cannot be normalized," Gakharia wrote on social media.
He said the EU's continued policy of non-recognition of the occupied territories of Abkhazia and the Tskhinvali Region is essential for protecting Georgia's sovereignty.
Gakharia accused the Georgian Dream government of remaining silent over ongoing de facto annexation of the Tskhinvali region, saying the EU's position is particularly important amid what he called the government's "collaborative policy" with Russia.
He thanked Georgia's European partners for their support, saying their stance is vital in defending Georgia's national interests.
