Press Scanner
Compiled by Keti Baramidze
Tuesday, April 27
Khetaguri made corrupt bargain with Noghaideli
Akhali Taoba reports that the Christian-Democrats have raised objections to Aleksandre Khetaguri at a Parliament session. The Christian-Democrats are becoming more interested in Khetaguri as they suspect that he and Zurab Noghaideli are somehow connected to Energo-Pro’s corrupt importation into Georgia.
Levan Vephkhvadze reminded Khetaguri of the period when Nika Gilauri was Energy Minister and he held the office of Energy Minister’s Secretary. “There is a suspicion that Energo-Pro was brought into our country corruptly in the period when Noghaideli was Prime Minister, Gilauri the Energy Minister and Khetaguri was his Secretary. Villages are being forced to hire collectors to take their energy payments because they have not been given meters. Village residents should not have to pay their bills to collectors because they have to pay the collectors too,” says Vephkhvadze.
“Supplying people with gas won’t happen in all villages, as it was promised, as in certain ones we are physically unable to install gas pipes and do not have the economic means for doing it. A visible example of such villages is Mestia, were gas will be substituted by alternative fuel," Vephkhvadze said.
Soso Tsintsadze: neutrality is a fairytale
"Our country will never be able to be a neutral state due to its geo-strategic position. For Russia neutrality means refusing close cooperation with NATO and the West - that is the dream of Russia, that Georgia is left alone against Russia. If this happens we will find ourselves in a very hard situation and even the most horrible nightmare will be like an Easter celebration for us – Georgia will be unable to resist The Kremlin in any way," political analyst Soso Tsintsadze states in an interview with Kviris Palitra.
"None of our neighbours will ever respect Georgian neutrality. Geography has great importance in this. If we declare neutrality and refound the country somewhere in the wilderness we will have to select somewhere where we are not a bridge between Europe and Asia, not a corridor of energy resources, not have neighbours who have mutual ideological conflicts and so on. But such ideas are not serious. For Georgia neutrality is a fairytale which gives people grounds to make dogmatic statements. It is a classic political move: when a party fails to gain support within a country it is induced to seek a partner abroad who will support it by making statements that supporter likes, regardless of how serious they are,” Tsintsadze says.
Prisoner on hunger strike
Kviris Palitra writes that Maka Mosiashvili, an inmate of Rustavi Number 1 prison, has demanded a meeting with Penitentiary Minister Khatuna Khalmakelidze and said she will go on hunger strike until this meeting takes place.
Eka Beselia’s public movement “Solidarity With Illegal Prisoners” states that this prisoner has demanded to see the Minister since April 20. She has sent numerous letters from prison to the Parliament's Human Rights Committee but has received no response.
"We have asked various Ministers to take respond to Maka Mosiashvili’s request," said members of Beselia’s organisation.
Akhali Taoba reports that the Christian-Democrats have raised objections to Aleksandre Khetaguri at a Parliament session. The Christian-Democrats are becoming more interested in Khetaguri as they suspect that he and Zurab Noghaideli are somehow connected to Energo-Pro’s corrupt importation into Georgia.
Levan Vephkhvadze reminded Khetaguri of the period when Nika Gilauri was Energy Minister and he held the office of Energy Minister’s Secretary. “There is a suspicion that Energo-Pro was brought into our country corruptly in the period when Noghaideli was Prime Minister, Gilauri the Energy Minister and Khetaguri was his Secretary. Villages are being forced to hire collectors to take their energy payments because they have not been given meters. Village residents should not have to pay their bills to collectors because they have to pay the collectors too,” says Vephkhvadze.
“Supplying people with gas won’t happen in all villages, as it was promised, as in certain ones we are physically unable to install gas pipes and do not have the economic means for doing it. A visible example of such villages is Mestia, were gas will be substituted by alternative fuel," Vephkhvadze said.
Soso Tsintsadze: neutrality is a fairytale
"Our country will never be able to be a neutral state due to its geo-strategic position. For Russia neutrality means refusing close cooperation with NATO and the West - that is the dream of Russia, that Georgia is left alone against Russia. If this happens we will find ourselves in a very hard situation and even the most horrible nightmare will be like an Easter celebration for us – Georgia will be unable to resist The Kremlin in any way," political analyst Soso Tsintsadze states in an interview with Kviris Palitra.
"None of our neighbours will ever respect Georgian neutrality. Geography has great importance in this. If we declare neutrality and refound the country somewhere in the wilderness we will have to select somewhere where we are not a bridge between Europe and Asia, not a corridor of energy resources, not have neighbours who have mutual ideological conflicts and so on. But such ideas are not serious. For Georgia neutrality is a fairytale which gives people grounds to make dogmatic statements. It is a classic political move: when a party fails to gain support within a country it is induced to seek a partner abroad who will support it by making statements that supporter likes, regardless of how serious they are,” Tsintsadze says.
Prisoner on hunger strike
Kviris Palitra writes that Maka Mosiashvili, an inmate of Rustavi Number 1 prison, has demanded a meeting with Penitentiary Minister Khatuna Khalmakelidze and said she will go on hunger strike until this meeting takes place.
Eka Beselia’s public movement “Solidarity With Illegal Prisoners” states that this prisoner has demanded to see the Minister since April 20. She has sent numerous letters from prison to the Parliament's Human Rights Committee but has received no response.
"We have asked various Ministers to take respond to Maka Mosiashvili’s request," said members of Beselia’s organisation.