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The News in Brief

Tuesday, June 18
Anders Fogh Rasmussen to visit Georgia on June 26-27

The North Atlantic Council (NAC) chaired by NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen will visit Georgia on June 26-27 according to NATO's official web page.

Within the framework of the visit, NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen is expected to meet with Georgia’s President Mikheil Saakashvili and Georgian Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili.
(Front News)



Saakashvili at FAO Conference in Rome

Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili met with the President of Panama, Ricardo Martinelli, during the FAO Conference in Rome. The main topics of discussion were the deepening of bilateral relations and the policy of non-recognition of the separatist regions, as well as the prospects for future cooperation, the Georgian presidential administration said on Monday.

Saakashvili again underscored how such meetings with the leaders of the countries of the UN are important. According to him, by having such close relations and diplomacy it is possible to prevent Russia's plans for achieving recognition of the independence of Abkhazia and the Tskhinvali region. From this point of view, Saakashvili called on the Georgian government to be more active and offered his help in deepening bilateral relations with other countries.
(Trend)



Azerbaijan and Georgia discuss prospects of military cooperation

On Monday, Azerbaijani Defense Minister, Safar Abiyev, met with Georgian Defense Minister, Irakli Alasania, who is in Azerbaijan on a visit. During the meeting, the ministers discussed Azerbaijani-Georgian relations, the perspectives of military cooperation and the military and political situation in the region, the Defense Ministry press service told Trend.
(Trend)



Georgian parliamentary delegation shares experience of Estonian reforms

The parliamentary delegation of Georgia, which will pay an official visit to Estonia on June 17-19, will get acquainted with the Estonian experience in the reformation and development of self-governance, as well as strengthening the partnership and cooperation between the two countries.

"The experience of Central Europe and the countries that after the restoration of independence were able to create a system of decentralized governance, is very important for the successful implementation of the reforms," the statement of the Georgian parliament said.

The delegation is led by Vice-Speaker of the Georgian parliament, Zurab Abashidze and it also includes Irakli Tripolski, Gia Zhorzholiani, Zakaria Kutsnashvili, Nodar Ebanoidze, Giorgi Tsagareishvili and Sergo Ratiani.

The visit is being carried out by the UN Development Program, with the funding of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation and the Austrian Development Agency.
(Trend)



Armenia’s PM and Georgia’s minister discuss cooperation in justice system

Armenian Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan received Tea Tsulukiani, Minister of Justice of Georgia. “We underscore the deepening of bilateral relations. Your visit to Armenia is an additional step toward strengthening ties between the two countries,” the PM noted.

Reflecting on cooperation in the system of justice, Sargsyan highlighted the exchange of knowhow and the clarification of several provisions in the ongoing reforms in Armenia and in Georgia, alike.

On her behalf, the Minister of Justice of Georgia presented the continuing process in the aforesaid matter and the present-day situation in Armenia’s neighboring country.

At the end of their talk, Tigran Sargsyan asked Tea Tsulukiani to convey his warm greetings and best wishes to Georgian PM Bidzina Ivanishvili.
(News.Am)



Kote Kublashvili says the court’s Independence is in the judges’ hands

Chairperson of the Supreme Court, Kote Kublashvili, assessed the tenth conference of judges.

Kublashvili said that everyone witnessed that the judge’s choice was free. “The Judges were free to make decisions. They determined which of their colleagues had to become members of different bodies. Despite the twists and turns preceding the conference, the judges took decisions based on the court’s interests,” Kublashvili said after the conference. He said that the new staff of the High Council of Justice and the new disciplinary board will remain loyal to the principle that the judiciary will continue to strengthen. He declared that the judges’ salaries must be increased and their social conditions improved. Everything should be done for judges to feel absolutely protected and independent. Kublashvili said that “everyone must see that judges take decisions and nobody will get involved in this.”
(IPN)



Resident of Orsantia village detained

Russian occupants have detained Tengiz Kurua, who is a resident of the village of Orsantia in Zugdidi in western Georgia. According to an InterpressNews correspondent, Kurua was detained when he was gathering wood near the Enguri River. Kurua’s companion, Murman Alfenidze, who managed to escape, says they had not violated the so-called border perimeter. The newest border is drawn between the villages Orsantia and the Gali district of Abkhazia. However, the detention took place in Orsantia
(IPN)



The regime must be tried

A draft resolution called The Regime Must be Tried was discussed at the parliamentary committee for Human Rights on Monday. The project was presented by human rights defender Nana Kakabadze. The resolution reviews and assesses the nine-year rule of Saakashvili`s UNM government and it was prepared on the grounds of the complaints of those freed from prisons with the status of political prisoners and other citizens, who claim to have been injured during the period of the previous government of Georgia. They demand the formation of a special commission, which will look into the activities of the former government during the past nine years and make a legal assessment of each fact.
(Rustavi 2)



Quake hits Georgia-Armenia border area

A 2.5-magnitude earthquake struck the Georgia-Armenia border area, 18 kilometers southeast of Ninotsminda, Georgia, at 9:10pm local time. The Armenian National Seismic Protection Service provided earthquake information on Sunday. The tremor measured a magnitude of 3.0 at the epicenter area, and its hypocenter was 10 kilometers beneath the surface. The earthquake, however, was not felt in Armenia.
(News.Am)