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The News in Brief

Thursday, June 29
Margvelashvili Meets Azerbaijani Journalist’s Wife

President Giorgi Margvelashvili met with the wife of Afgan Mukhtarli, Leyla Mustafayeva, to learn of the recent developments over the case of the jailed investigative journalist.

Azerbaijani journalist Afgan Mukhtarli, who went missing on May 29 from Tbilisi and appeared in a detention facility in Baku a day later, remains in custody in Azerbaijan.

“The President of Georgia will be constantly monitoring Afgan Mukhtarli’s case - he will be ready and open to receive any information,” the President’s press office said on June 27.

The meeting, which was held at the presidential palace at Mustafayeva’s request, was also attended by the journalist’s Georgian lawyer, the President’s Parliamentary Secretary and his Spokesperson.

“It is important that the investigation is carried out efficiently with full observance of our state interests, and that the family is assured that its interests are also protected,” President’s Parliamentary Secretary Anna Dolidze said.

Earlier on June 27, Chief Prosecutor Irakli Shotadze and Deputy Interior Minister Shalva Khutsishvili also commented on the issue.

“We request interrogation of Afgan Mukhtarli in the presence of our representative. We also request the files of his criminal case. As soon as Afgan Mukhtarli is interrogated and we receive the evidence based on which he is prosecuted in Azerbaijan, we will make a relevant legal decision,” Irakli Shotadze said.

The Deputy Interior Minister spoke about the ongoing investigation in Georgia, saying that the video recordings from CCTV cameras would only be released after the results of interim investigation are made public.

“I cannot say anything else at this stage. We have filed a request to Azerbaijan’s investigative agencies to interrogate Afgan Mukhtarli. Until we have a testimony and a whole picture, we will not be able to release interim results,” Shalva Khutsishvili said. (Civil.ge)



Ambassador of Georgia to Congo holds meetings on the issue of Georgian citizen

Ambassador of Georgia to the Democratic Republic of Congo Beka Dvali (whose residency is in Pretoria) paid a visit to Kinshasa, the capital of the country on June 26-27.

As InterPressNews was informed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the main purpose of the visit was to discuss the situation related to Georgian citizen Ioseb Osorauli.

Within the framework of the visit, the Ambassador of Georgia held meetings with representatives of the Foreign Ministry of the Congo, representatives of the Congolese Armed Forces, a delegation of the United Nations Stabilization Mission and the Red Cross International Committee in the Congo.

The partners once again confirmed that regular communication will continue with the Georgian side and any news will be immediately notified to the Embassy of Georgia and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia. (IPN)



Parents of Georgian sportsman detained in US hope their son will be released in a week

“The parents of Georgian sportsman Avtandil Khurtsidze, who is detained in the United States, are hoping that the court will release their son in a week,” Makvala Khurtsidze, the mother of the boxer, told InterPressNews.

According to Makvala Khurtsidze, Avtandil Khurtsidze has recently contacted her by a telephone and told her that a trial will be held in a week and he expects that he will be released.

According to Makvala Khurtsidze, she has no doubts about her son's innocence and hopes that the problem will be solved in a week. (IPN)