The News in Brief
Friday, February 26
5-star Raddison hotel to open in Gudauri next year
In 2017, the ‘Red-co’ company will open a new 5-star hotel in Gudauri. An agreement was signed between representatives of Raddison, Carlson Rasidor and David Jenkins, and the director of Red-co, Mirian Katamadze. The company will invest 15 million USD in this project.
Currently, the main building is already finished and maintenance works are underway inside the hotel.
There will be 105 rooms and several restaurants, as well as a spa and open and closed swimming pools.
Red-co representatives hope that this 5-star hotel, which will be the first of its kind in Gudauri, will make the ski resort more attractive for locals as well as foreign tourists. (Georgian Journal)
Tbilisi ‘bridenapping’ suspect caught
Police in Tbilisi detained a teenager on Wednesday who is suspected of abducting a 17 year old girl and keeping her for four days.
The detainee is a citizen of Russia, and like the victim is also a minor. He was arrested by officers from the central Tbilisi police department, with the aid of officers from the Isani-Samgori department.
According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the detainee kidnapped Samira Bayramova aided by a few other men, with the goal of marrying her.
Bayramova was taken to Ponichala, a village on the southern outskirts of Tbilisi, where she lives with her family.
Investigators are now looking for his accomplices. The case is being investigated under Article 143 of the Criminal Code, with pertains to conspiracy to commit deprivation of liberty when the victim is a minor. (dfwatch.net)
Georgian Tour Operator Stops Cooperation with Russian Agency
A Georgian tour operator, Captain Plus, has informed the Russian tourist agency Coral Travel of the termination of their cooperation, via an official letter.
This is due to Coral Travel starting tours in Abkhazia, an occupied territory of Georgia.
Captain Plus published the letter on their Facebook page stating that “The borders of Georgia are an unambiguous concept and are not subject to change.
“We believe that your company’s activities are against Georgia’s state interests and insults the dignity of Georgian citizens; accordingly, Captain+ does not want any kind of cooperation with a company that grossly violates Georgia’s state interests and does not respect the dignity of its citizens. That is why we terminate all relations, and also refuse any services of your company in the future,” the letter states.
The company urges tourist companies on the Georgian market not to contribute to the recognition of the occupation. (Georgia Today)
New Islamic State video commemorates Georgian fighters
Georgian fighters affiliated with the Islamic State commemorate three men who died earlier this year in Syria.
A new Georgian-language video produced by Furat, a media company affiliated with the Islamic State, has been circulated on social networks.
The video is a commemoration of three Georgian fighters who died during an offensive in Deir ez-Zor in Syria earlier this year. The men’s noms de guerre were Anas, Abu Maryam al-Jurji, and Abdul Wahhab. Abu Maryam has been identified as Khvicha Gobadze, a native of the Adjara region and the leader of the group. He also appeared in an online video circulated in November 2015, in which he delivered threats towards his country.
Anas has been identified as Mukhmad Turkoshvili, aged 22, while Abdul Wahhab has been identified as Ramzan Pareulidze, aged 24. Both men were natives of the Pankisi Gorge.
The video opens with a phrase written in Georgian, which says: ‘My God! I hurried towards you, so you’d be pleased with me.’
The video is narrated by four Georgian fighters affiliated with the Islamic State, who recall how the three men joined their jihad and in what circumstances they died. According to the recording, Gobadze became a shahid (‘martyr’) while trying to save an Ingush fighter during the battle. One of the narrators is Badri Iremadze, another native Adjara, who appeared together with Gobadze in the November 2015 recording.
Parts of the video show pictures and video excerpts of the three deceased Georgian fighters with a nashid (‘a cappella Islamic song’) playing in the background. (dfwatch.net)
In 2017, the ‘Red-co’ company will open a new 5-star hotel in Gudauri. An agreement was signed between representatives of Raddison, Carlson Rasidor and David Jenkins, and the director of Red-co, Mirian Katamadze. The company will invest 15 million USD in this project.
Currently, the main building is already finished and maintenance works are underway inside the hotel.
There will be 105 rooms and several restaurants, as well as a spa and open and closed swimming pools.
Red-co representatives hope that this 5-star hotel, which will be the first of its kind in Gudauri, will make the ski resort more attractive for locals as well as foreign tourists. (Georgian Journal)
Tbilisi ‘bridenapping’ suspect caught
Police in Tbilisi detained a teenager on Wednesday who is suspected of abducting a 17 year old girl and keeping her for four days.
The detainee is a citizen of Russia, and like the victim is also a minor. He was arrested by officers from the central Tbilisi police department, with the aid of officers from the Isani-Samgori department.
According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the detainee kidnapped Samira Bayramova aided by a few other men, with the goal of marrying her.
Bayramova was taken to Ponichala, a village on the southern outskirts of Tbilisi, where she lives with her family.
Investigators are now looking for his accomplices. The case is being investigated under Article 143 of the Criminal Code, with pertains to conspiracy to commit deprivation of liberty when the victim is a minor. (dfwatch.net)
Georgian Tour Operator Stops Cooperation with Russian Agency
A Georgian tour operator, Captain Plus, has informed the Russian tourist agency Coral Travel of the termination of their cooperation, via an official letter.
This is due to Coral Travel starting tours in Abkhazia, an occupied territory of Georgia.
Captain Plus published the letter on their Facebook page stating that “The borders of Georgia are an unambiguous concept and are not subject to change.
“We believe that your company’s activities are against Georgia’s state interests and insults the dignity of Georgian citizens; accordingly, Captain+ does not want any kind of cooperation with a company that grossly violates Georgia’s state interests and does not respect the dignity of its citizens. That is why we terminate all relations, and also refuse any services of your company in the future,” the letter states.
The company urges tourist companies on the Georgian market not to contribute to the recognition of the occupation. (Georgia Today)
New Islamic State video commemorates Georgian fighters
Georgian fighters affiliated with the Islamic State commemorate three men who died earlier this year in Syria.
A new Georgian-language video produced by Furat, a media company affiliated with the Islamic State, has been circulated on social networks.
The video is a commemoration of three Georgian fighters who died during an offensive in Deir ez-Zor in Syria earlier this year. The men’s noms de guerre were Anas, Abu Maryam al-Jurji, and Abdul Wahhab. Abu Maryam has been identified as Khvicha Gobadze, a native of the Adjara region and the leader of the group. He also appeared in an online video circulated in November 2015, in which he delivered threats towards his country.
Anas has been identified as Mukhmad Turkoshvili, aged 22, while Abdul Wahhab has been identified as Ramzan Pareulidze, aged 24. Both men were natives of the Pankisi Gorge.
The video opens with a phrase written in Georgian, which says: ‘My God! I hurried towards you, so you’d be pleased with me.’
The video is narrated by four Georgian fighters affiliated with the Islamic State, who recall how the three men joined their jihad and in what circumstances they died. According to the recording, Gobadze became a shahid (‘martyr’) while trying to save an Ingush fighter during the battle. One of the narrators is Badri Iremadze, another native Adjara, who appeared together with Gobadze in the November 2015 recording.
Parts of the video show pictures and video excerpts of the three deceased Georgian fighters with a nashid (‘a cappella Islamic song’) playing in the background. (dfwatch.net)