The News in Brief
Wednesday, February 3
Barack Obama invites Mikheil Saakashvili to summit
The President’s Press Spokesperson Manana Manjgaladze has made a statement on why President Mikheil Saakashvili is not attending the Munich international conference. She said that Saakasvhili was invited personally by the organiser of the conference, but he is unable to travel due to his busy schedule.
The Polish Prime Minister is due to arrive in Tbilisi in the near future. The US First Assistant Secretary of State is also scheduled to visit very soon. Mikheil Saakashvili will also visit Romania and France in spring and US President Barack Obama has invited Mikheil Saakashvili to the summit on the non-proliferation of nuclear arms in April. Hence, the President cannot leave for Munich, though he has been invited to next year’s conference too, Manana Manjgaladze said. (Interpressnews)
New head of the Government’s Press Service appointed
Avtandil Pavlenishvili has confirmed that he has resigned as head of the Government’s Press Service. "I have left this post, however, I have not been appointed to another post yet," he told Interpressnews.
Pavlenishvili also confirmed that Niko Mchedlishvili, a Reuters correspondent, will replace him.
An official statement on this was due later yesterday. (Interpressnews)
Parliament extends term of investigation commission
Parliament will extend the term of the Temporary Parliamentary Commission investigating the death of Georgia's first President, Zviad Gamsakhurdia. The Parliamentary Bureau was expected to extend its term for three months.
The commission has already been working for three months and has studied documents about the case in detail. Its Chair, MP Konstantine Gamsakurdia, the eldest son of the late President, has even visited Moscow to meet, among others, Georgia’s ex-Security Minister Igor Giorgadze, who is wanted by the Georgian Government for allegedly masterminding an assassination attempt against former President Eduard Shevardnadze, Zviad Gamsakhurdia’s successor. Gamsakhurdia has said that he received significant information from Giorgadze.
The Bureau session began the spring session of Parliament yesterday. The current week will be dedicated to committee hearings and the first plenary session will be held next week. (Interpressnews) Koba Davitashvili calls on traders to stage protest rally
Koba Davitashvili, leader of the People’ Party, has called on small traders to stage a protest rally in front of Parliament at 16:00 on 8 February. He said at a protest rally in front of the 1st public school yesterday which was attended by about 300 people. He will submit an application to Tbilisi City Hall for permission to hold this protest rally.
Davitashvili said that the People’s Party has drafted a bill to protect traders which he wants discussed in Parliament. He has appealed to the Labour Party for help with this and will be told of its decision on 4 February. (Interpressnews)
President opens Number 3 Public School in Borjomi
The Georgian President visited the city of Borjomi yesterday to open Public School Number 3. The new school is equipped in accordance with modern standards and 720 pupils attend it.
The President spoke to teachers at the school in a meeting closed for the media. "I want to do more for teachers, and much more for the education and development of the future generation," Mikheil Saakashvili said. The President also viewed paintings about the Georgia-Russia war 2008 by the pupils of the school. (Rustavi 2)
Noghaideli presents his vision of the country's unification to colleagues
'Georgia Tomorrow – Georgia's Unification' was the slogan of a conference held by leader of the Movement for Fair Georgia Zurab Noghaideli. The former Prime Minister of Georgia, who now focuses on improving relations with Russia as the only way for restoring Georgia's territorial integrity, presented his vision of how the country could be reintegrated to other opposition leaders and political analysts.
"We should restore ties with the Abkhaz and Ossetian people to maintain the chance of unifying Georgia. Abkhaz from Sokhumi and Ossetians from Tskhinvali should see that the state cares about their security and future. This is the only chance of reintegrating Georgia," Zurab Noghaideli said.
IDPs from Abkhazia and the Tskhinvali region attended yesterday's conference. (Rustavi 2)
Deportations from Poland continue
Over 20 Georgian citizens will be deported from Poland on February 10. The illegal immigrants will return to Georgia on a charter flight.
Georgian Ambassador to Poland Konstantine Kavtaradze says that over 4,000 Georgian emigrants reside in Poland at present and all of them have applied to the Polish authorities for asylum. "The Polish authorities will discuss each application and those refused asylum will be deported to Georgia," Konstantine Kavtaradze said. (Rustavi 2)
The President’s Press Spokesperson Manana Manjgaladze has made a statement on why President Mikheil Saakashvili is not attending the Munich international conference. She said that Saakasvhili was invited personally by the organiser of the conference, but he is unable to travel due to his busy schedule.
The Polish Prime Minister is due to arrive in Tbilisi in the near future. The US First Assistant Secretary of State is also scheduled to visit very soon. Mikheil Saakashvili will also visit Romania and France in spring and US President Barack Obama has invited Mikheil Saakashvili to the summit on the non-proliferation of nuclear arms in April. Hence, the President cannot leave for Munich, though he has been invited to next year’s conference too, Manana Manjgaladze said. (Interpressnews)
New head of the Government’s Press Service appointed
Avtandil Pavlenishvili has confirmed that he has resigned as head of the Government’s Press Service. "I have left this post, however, I have not been appointed to another post yet," he told Interpressnews.
Pavlenishvili also confirmed that Niko Mchedlishvili, a Reuters correspondent, will replace him.
An official statement on this was due later yesterday. (Interpressnews)
Parliament extends term of investigation commission
Parliament will extend the term of the Temporary Parliamentary Commission investigating the death of Georgia's first President, Zviad Gamsakhurdia. The Parliamentary Bureau was expected to extend its term for three months.
The commission has already been working for three months and has studied documents about the case in detail. Its Chair, MP Konstantine Gamsakurdia, the eldest son of the late President, has even visited Moscow to meet, among others, Georgia’s ex-Security Minister Igor Giorgadze, who is wanted by the Georgian Government for allegedly masterminding an assassination attempt against former President Eduard Shevardnadze, Zviad Gamsakhurdia’s successor. Gamsakhurdia has said that he received significant information from Giorgadze.
The Bureau session began the spring session of Parliament yesterday. The current week will be dedicated to committee hearings and the first plenary session will be held next week. (Interpressnews) Koba Davitashvili calls on traders to stage protest rally
Koba Davitashvili, leader of the People’ Party, has called on small traders to stage a protest rally in front of Parliament at 16:00 on 8 February. He said at a protest rally in front of the 1st public school yesterday which was attended by about 300 people. He will submit an application to Tbilisi City Hall for permission to hold this protest rally.
Davitashvili said that the People’s Party has drafted a bill to protect traders which he wants discussed in Parliament. He has appealed to the Labour Party for help with this and will be told of its decision on 4 February. (Interpressnews)
President opens Number 3 Public School in Borjomi
The Georgian President visited the city of Borjomi yesterday to open Public School Number 3. The new school is equipped in accordance with modern standards and 720 pupils attend it.
The President spoke to teachers at the school in a meeting closed for the media. "I want to do more for teachers, and much more for the education and development of the future generation," Mikheil Saakashvili said. The President also viewed paintings about the Georgia-Russia war 2008 by the pupils of the school. (Rustavi 2)
Noghaideli presents his vision of the country's unification to colleagues
'Georgia Tomorrow – Georgia's Unification' was the slogan of a conference held by leader of the Movement for Fair Georgia Zurab Noghaideli. The former Prime Minister of Georgia, who now focuses on improving relations with Russia as the only way for restoring Georgia's territorial integrity, presented his vision of how the country could be reintegrated to other opposition leaders and political analysts.
"We should restore ties with the Abkhaz and Ossetian people to maintain the chance of unifying Georgia. Abkhaz from Sokhumi and Ossetians from Tskhinvali should see that the state cares about their security and future. This is the only chance of reintegrating Georgia," Zurab Noghaideli said.
IDPs from Abkhazia and the Tskhinvali region attended yesterday's conference. (Rustavi 2)
Deportations from Poland continue
Over 20 Georgian citizens will be deported from Poland on February 10. The illegal immigrants will return to Georgia on a charter flight.
Georgian Ambassador to Poland Konstantine Kavtaradze says that over 4,000 Georgian emigrants reside in Poland at present and all of them have applied to the Polish authorities for asylum. "The Polish authorities will discuss each application and those refused asylum will be deported to Georgia," Konstantine Kavtaradze said. (Rustavi 2)