The News in Brief
Tuesday, April 16
Georgian PM attends security conference in Germany
Prime Minister of Georgia, Bidzina Ivanishvili, is attending a security conference in Germany organized by the Marshall Fund. The Georgian delegation includes the Parliament Chairman David Usupashvili, Foreign Minister Maia Panjikidze, Economy Minister Irakli Kvirikashvili, State Minister for European Integration Aleksi Petriashvili, and MP Tina Khidasheli, the Georgian Prime Minister told Trend on Monday. Ivanishvili intends to hold a series of bilateral meetings within participation in the conference. The forum is attended by Director of Marshall Fund Craig Kennedy, Estonian President Toomas Ilves, Foreign Minister of Sweden Carl Bildt, Foreign Minister of Latvia Edgaras Rinkevich, Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Thomas O. Melia and others. The Georgian side intends to discuss the conditions of ensuring Georgia's security in the current development conditions of Europe.
(Trend)
New Georgian ambassador to present his credentials to U.S. President
New Georgian Ambassador to the United States, Archil Gegeshidze, will present his credentials to U.S. President Barack Obama on Monday, Georgian Foreign Minister Maia Panjikidze told reporters. She said the procedure of presenting the credentials was accelerated with the assistance of the U.S. State Department. "Prime Minister of Georgia, Bidzina Ivanishvili, plans to visit the U.S., and therefore we are interested that our new ambassador take office as soon as possible in a country that is our strategic partner," she said.
According to her, Ivanishvili will visit the U.S. this year or early next year. Earlier, former Georgian ambassador to the U.S. State Temur Yakobashvili resigned because of disagreements with the new government.
(Trend)
The restoration of Abkhazian railway was only an idea - Georgian FM
Georgia has not held any talks on the issue of the restoration of the Abkhazian railway, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia Maia Panjikidze said during her official visit to Yerevan, Georgia-Online reported.
"We think about this. We have not begun any work in this direction. Considering the interests of Georgia we will try to understand what the benefit for Georgia is in this process. After that we are going to establish a working group for exploring the situation, and finally after this we will make a decision. It's too early to speak about the restoration of the Abkhazian railway. It was only an idea. This idea was discussed during the prime minister's visit to Yerevan, though nothing concrete was done in this direction," said Panjikidze.
The minister stressed that Georgian side should consider the economic and political aspects of the issue, understand what all of this will do to benefit Georgia and only then establish a working group.
(Trend)
Missing girl found in the cellar
A 16-year-old girl that disappeared in the village of Kedlebi, in the Adjara region two days ago, has been found in the cellar of a house on Monday. Mamuka Turmanidze, the deputy head of Adjara’s emergency service says that after a search of the house was conducted, the girl was found in a poor state in the cellar. "We had been searching in nearby villages too, but in vain. Today we found her in the cellar of her own house," Mamuka Turmanidze said.
(IPN)
Reconstruction of parliament building in Tbilisi begins
Reconstruction and repair work at the parliament building in Tbilisi is underway. Several session halls will be completely reconstructed and the winning bidder company is due to finish the work in three months. However, majority MPs do not rule out that the process may take longer. Five million GEL have been allocated for the reconstruction of the session hall and two other halls. Lawmakers from the majority hope that the reconstruction will be over in time for the autumn session and they will be able to move from Kutaisi to Tbilisi.
(Rustavi 2)
Georgian Deputy Economy Minister learns about BP project
Georgian Deputy Economy Minister Ketevan Botchorishvili has familiarized himself with the "Local Population Development Initiative". The project is designed for people living along the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline and the South Caucasus gas pipeline. This project was created and funded by BP and its partners. Botchorishvili will visit Tsnisi and Klde villages in the Akhaltsikhe district and the district center.
"The Local Population Development Initiative" project envisages social and economic assistance to the local population living along the pipeline. One of its main components is the development of small business. The local population receives appropriate guidance and assistance within this project to start their own small business and the loan for its development at the next stage.
Some 18 projects are being implemented within the "Local Population Development Initiative" in 2013. Around 32 businessmen who have employed 33 people received grants.
(Trend)
“Let’s Save the Books” – joint project by Palitra Media and Parliament’s National Library
Palitra Media and the Parliament’s National Library organized a joint project “Let’s Save the Books”, following a similar “Makuliteratura” project – in the frames of which citizens can substitute recycled paper material for new books – initiated by Palitra Media in spring 2012 and part of the “Eco Friendly Project”. The National Library has selected rare, interesting and valuable publications. Numerous collections at a number of libraries in Georgia and abroad have been replenished as a result of the “Let’s Save the Books” project.
The project has already managed to save 20,000 books, with dilapidated publications in the library – including some with less than 100 in circulation at the time of their publishing, substituted with new editions. Director General of the National Library Giorgi Kekelidze said “Let’s Save the Books” was one of the most important projects among those organized in Georgia and abroad.
(Georgian News TV)
Prime Minister of Georgia, Bidzina Ivanishvili, is attending a security conference in Germany organized by the Marshall Fund. The Georgian delegation includes the Parliament Chairman David Usupashvili, Foreign Minister Maia Panjikidze, Economy Minister Irakli Kvirikashvili, State Minister for European Integration Aleksi Petriashvili, and MP Tina Khidasheli, the Georgian Prime Minister told Trend on Monday. Ivanishvili intends to hold a series of bilateral meetings within participation in the conference. The forum is attended by Director of Marshall Fund Craig Kennedy, Estonian President Toomas Ilves, Foreign Minister of Sweden Carl Bildt, Foreign Minister of Latvia Edgaras Rinkevich, Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Thomas O. Melia and others. The Georgian side intends to discuss the conditions of ensuring Georgia's security in the current development conditions of Europe.
(Trend)
New Georgian ambassador to present his credentials to U.S. President
New Georgian Ambassador to the United States, Archil Gegeshidze, will present his credentials to U.S. President Barack Obama on Monday, Georgian Foreign Minister Maia Panjikidze told reporters. She said the procedure of presenting the credentials was accelerated with the assistance of the U.S. State Department. "Prime Minister of Georgia, Bidzina Ivanishvili, plans to visit the U.S., and therefore we are interested that our new ambassador take office as soon as possible in a country that is our strategic partner," she said.
According to her, Ivanishvili will visit the U.S. this year or early next year. Earlier, former Georgian ambassador to the U.S. State Temur Yakobashvili resigned because of disagreements with the new government.
(Trend)
The restoration of Abkhazian railway was only an idea - Georgian FM
Georgia has not held any talks on the issue of the restoration of the Abkhazian railway, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia Maia Panjikidze said during her official visit to Yerevan, Georgia-Online reported.
"We think about this. We have not begun any work in this direction. Considering the interests of Georgia we will try to understand what the benefit for Georgia is in this process. After that we are going to establish a working group for exploring the situation, and finally after this we will make a decision. It's too early to speak about the restoration of the Abkhazian railway. It was only an idea. This idea was discussed during the prime minister's visit to Yerevan, though nothing concrete was done in this direction," said Panjikidze.
The minister stressed that Georgian side should consider the economic and political aspects of the issue, understand what all of this will do to benefit Georgia and only then establish a working group.
(Trend)
Missing girl found in the cellar
A 16-year-old girl that disappeared in the village of Kedlebi, in the Adjara region two days ago, has been found in the cellar of a house on Monday. Mamuka Turmanidze, the deputy head of Adjara’s emergency service says that after a search of the house was conducted, the girl was found in a poor state in the cellar. "We had been searching in nearby villages too, but in vain. Today we found her in the cellar of her own house," Mamuka Turmanidze said.
(IPN)
Reconstruction of parliament building in Tbilisi begins
Reconstruction and repair work at the parliament building in Tbilisi is underway. Several session halls will be completely reconstructed and the winning bidder company is due to finish the work in three months. However, majority MPs do not rule out that the process may take longer. Five million GEL have been allocated for the reconstruction of the session hall and two other halls. Lawmakers from the majority hope that the reconstruction will be over in time for the autumn session and they will be able to move from Kutaisi to Tbilisi.
(Rustavi 2)
Georgian Deputy Economy Minister learns about BP project
Georgian Deputy Economy Minister Ketevan Botchorishvili has familiarized himself with the "Local Population Development Initiative". The project is designed for people living along the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline and the South Caucasus gas pipeline. This project was created and funded by BP and its partners. Botchorishvili will visit Tsnisi and Klde villages in the Akhaltsikhe district and the district center.
"The Local Population Development Initiative" project envisages social and economic assistance to the local population living along the pipeline. One of its main components is the development of small business. The local population receives appropriate guidance and assistance within this project to start their own small business and the loan for its development at the next stage.
Some 18 projects are being implemented within the "Local Population Development Initiative" in 2013. Around 32 businessmen who have employed 33 people received grants.
(Trend)
“Let’s Save the Books” – joint project by Palitra Media and Parliament’s National Library
Palitra Media and the Parliament’s National Library organized a joint project “Let’s Save the Books”, following a similar “Makuliteratura” project – in the frames of which citizens can substitute recycled paper material for new books – initiated by Palitra Media in spring 2012 and part of the “Eco Friendly Project”. The National Library has selected rare, interesting and valuable publications. Numerous collections at a number of libraries in Georgia and abroad have been replenished as a result of the “Let’s Save the Books” project.
The project has already managed to save 20,000 books, with dilapidated publications in the library – including some with less than 100 in circulation at the time of their publishing, substituted with new editions. Director General of the National Library Giorgi Kekelidze said “Let’s Save the Books” was one of the most important projects among those organized in Georgia and abroad.
(Georgian News TV)