GEORGIA: President’s Veto & more – 7th Mar 2024

Gamarjobat from Gracia! This is the Rorshok Georgia Update from the 7th of March twenty twenty-four A quick summary of what's going down in Georgia.

On Monday the 4th President Zurabishvili wasn't having it with the new Election Code amendments passed by Parliament, so she vetoed them. She's handed back an eleven-page document explaining why, mainly saying the changes don't follow the advice from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe and its election watchdog, the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights. With the modifications she doesn’t have much say in picking the Central Election Commission's big guns.

On Monday the 4th, Nika Gvaramia, a big name in Georgian politics and media, shared that he's been in long discussions with Nika Melia, a key figure from the United National Movement or Natsebi, about joining forces for future plans. Gvaramia's all in for teaming up and hopeful these talks will wrap up soon. Melia's also making moves for the twenty twenty-four elections, choosing to run with the number 4, tied to the State for People movement, now led by Nika Machutadze but founded by Paata Burchuladze.

On Friday the 1st, according to GEOSTAT, Georgia's fuel import price hit eighty-one cents per liter this year. January saw nearly 99,000 tons of oil and oil products coming into the country, costing around $82.5 million dollars. Interestingly, fuel from Russia turned out to be the cheapest, averaging seventy-two cents per liter.

On Monday the 4th, the Global Terrorism Index (or GTI) said that Georgia is one of the safest spots in the world, ranking it way down at 89th out of 163 countries listed, where the lowest the rank, the safest the country. Over the last ten years, Georgia has seriously leveled up its peace game, seeing a big drop in terrorism scares. While the report noticed a bit of an uptick in terrorism-related deaths globally, it also mentioned fewer terrorist shenanigans happening overall.

On the same day, Irakli Garibashvili, a member of the Georgian Dream or Otsneba, highlighted Georgia's buddy status with the U.S. in several meetings, calling them numero uno in the ally department. Plus, he's tossing around the idea of letting people vote online from abroad so that immigrants can have their say in the elections. This move could be a game-changer, making Georgia use technology in the voting process for the first time.

Speaking of the US, on Monday the 4th, Goga Khaindrava, a Georgian film director, reached out to the US Ambassador Robin Dunnigan with a letter concerning the incarceration of Georgia's ex-president, Misha Saakashvili. Khaindrava is requesting the Ambassador to verify whether the FBI had alerted Georgia in two thousand seven about a coup plotted by Russia, a remark Saakashvili made regarding his government's response to opposition protests.

Khaindrava's letter emphasizes the importance of this matter for Georgian society and its relationship with the United States, awaiting the Ambassador's response to clarify this historical episode. Khaindrava sent the letter to understand the international context of Saakashvili's response to protests. Confirmation from the Ambassador could reshape public perception of Misha’s actions and Georgia's diplomatic relations.

On Tuesday the 5th, Levan Ioseliani, Georgia's Public Defender, raised concerns about a draft law against "pseudo-liberal values" and "LGBT propaganda," since it threatens equality and freedom of speech.

Going back to news about Zourabichvili, on Monday the 5th, she and her Icelandic counterpart decided to strengthen ties, especially at a time when Georgia's looking forward to its EU journey and supporting Ukraine against aggression is on top of the agenda. They also touched on how to handle the tension in Georgia's problematic spots (including Abkhazia and South Ossetia, regions with ongoing territorial conflicts.) and talked about climate change and natural disaster management, tapping into Iceland's know-how for facing big environmental challenges.

Following up on President Zourabichvili's emphasis on the importance of international support for Georgia's geopolitical standing, President Jóhannesson of Iceland threw his weight behind Georgia's aspirations, notably its NATO integration ambitions. His stance on supporting small nations and condemning aggression, especially in the context of Russia's actions in Ukraine, aligns closely with Georgia's current challenges and aspirations. Jóhannesson's visit not only signifies a deepening of bilateral ties but also places a spotlight on the collective effort to uphold international law and support nations facing external pressures.

On Tuesday the 5th, there was a significant meet-up between Otar Shamugia, Georgia's Minister of Environmental Protection and Agriculture, and Rolande Pryce, the World Bank's big boss for the South Caucasus. They dove into discussions about current and future projects, aiming to boost agriculture and environmental protection in Georgia. This meeting signals promising developments for Georgia's green sectors, strengthening its ties with an influential global partner.

On Sunday the 4th, a tragic incident occurred in Terjola municipality where four young people drowned in the Dzusa river, in the village of Zeda Sazano. The incident began when one person fell into the river and the others jumped into the water to help, but unfortunately, they all were swept away. Rescuers from the Emergency Management Service recovered the bodies. Still, one more person jumped into the river to help but had to be rescued, and was hospitalized.

On Friday the 1st, Archpriest Giorgi Mamaladze's health saga took a dramatic turn as he was carted off to Turkey, laid out flat in a vehicle for a specialized medical mission in Istanbul. He became a controversial figure due to his arrest seven years ago on suspicion of attempting to poison a high-ranking member of the Georgian Orthodox Church, which led to his conviction for attempted murder.

On Friday the 1st, Georgia welcomed back a treasure trove of the nineteen nineties conceptual paintings by Iliko Zautashvili, thanks to Vere Gallery. This homecoming is a big deal for the local art scene, celebrating a time when Georgia was all about reinventing itself and its art. Zautashvili, a major player back then, is known for his bold experiments and deep dives into Georgia's cultural identity. If you are interested, there's an exhibition curated by Dr. Khatuna Khabuliani at the gallery.

On Friday the 2nd, word got out that 85,000 art lovers made their way to check out Niko Pirosmani's work at the Beyeler Foundation in Switzerland, buzzing big time about this Georgian painting legend. This expo, getting nods from the likes of Financial Times and Le Monde, was a team effort by the Georgian Ministry, the Beyeler Foundation, the Louisiana Modern Art Museum, and Infinite Arts. They're creating an interactive webpage to deep dive into Pirosmani's world, making sure his artistic vibe gets felt far and wide.

Aaaaand that’s it for this week.

We want to invite you to take a look at one of Rorshok's other projects. The Daily Knowledge is a daily pocket newspaper that comes out Monday through Friday. It is in our Ourzine format, a little booklet that you have to print in order to read. In the Daily Knowledge ourzine you’ll find a collection interesting newsletters and selected articles that takes about an hour to read. Visit rorshok.com/ourzines/thedailyknowledge to find the latest editions. The link will also be in the show notes.

Nakhvamdis!