GEORGIA: Russian Law Approved & more – 16th May 2024

Gamarjobat from Gracia! This is the Rorshok Georgia Update from the 16th of May twenty twenty-four. A quick summary of what's going down in Georgia.

On Monday the 14th, the Parliament rapidly approved the Russian Law with eighty-four votes. Outside, the protests escalated quickly. Participants left messages like 'Given away for nothing' and 'This country is ours' on the parliament's walls and tried to get past the iron barriers at the entrance.

Special forces dispersed the protests. According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the demonstration exceeded legal limits and turned violent. There’s footage of at least ten demonstrators being detained by the police. The exact number of arrests is still unknown.

However, there is one confirmed arrest from the protests that brings back a story from a previous episode: Tamta Kalandadze, the mother of Lazare Grigoriadis confirmed his arrest Grigoriadis has recently been pardoned by President Salome Zurabishvili after being convicted for injuring police officers and damaging state property.

Still on arrests from Monday the 14th, Davit Katsarava, a member of the Anti-Occupation Movement, was arrested and brutally beaten during the protest. He was rushed to Ingorokva clinic with a broken jaw and significant deformations to his face and head, he needed immediate surgery.

Sofo Khachapuridze, Katsarava’s wife said, “He was hit on the head very purposefully by many people.”

In more news on the Russian Law, on Wednesday the 15th, Nikoloz Samkharadze from the ruling party had a chat with visiting EU parliamentarians right before the session. They tried to clear things up about the bill. Michael Roth, a German parliamentarian, warned that sticking with this law could hurt Georgia’s reputation and mess with its plans to join the EU. This talk showed that not everyone in the ruling party was ignoring the EU’s concerns.

Moving to the international front, on Wednesday the 15th, James O’Brien from the US State Department said that if Georgia passes certain laws that don't match with EU standards, the US might rethink its aid to Georgia, which includes military and economic support.

O'Brien was also upset because the oligarch Bidzina Ivanishvili refused to meet with him. Ivanishvili refused to meet him due to some misunderstandings about US sanctions. The meeting was supposed to clear up these misunderstandings and discuss future cooperation, but it fell through.

So, how's the Georgian government reacting to all this? Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze said in a press conference that he thinks O'Brien wasn’t being serious and that the sanctions could hurt the US more than Georgia. He called for better cooperation with the US instead of throwing around threats.

On the local political front, President Salome Zurabishvili said in a CNN interview that she won’t run for re-election. Instead, she promised to support Georgia's European path ahead of the upcoming elections by backing pro-European parties and civil groups.

Big changes are coming to Georgia’s homes! On Wednesday the 9th, the country ramped up its efforts to tackle energy waste in homes, focusing on making buildings more energy efficient. Starting from Monday the 1st of July, all new buildings will have to meet strict energy standards, a move aimed at reducing those hefty winter energy bills and ensuring homes stay cozy without the cost. This push comes after Georgia aligned its policies with EU standards, following the Association Agreement signed in twenty fourteen. The country will also revamp old buildings to improve insulation and overall energy use. These steps are part of Georgia’s strategy to fight energy poverty, helping families who struggle to afford basic energy services.

On that note about energy, on Tuesday the 14th, the country launched its first-ever Floating Solar Power Station in Gardabani with help from USAID. The station will be saving about $32,000 dollars each year and cutting electricity use by almost 40%. It’s also great for the environment because it reduces greenhouse gas emissions.

In travel updates, on Tuesday the 8th, the airline Georgian Wings launched a new direct flight route between Tbilisi and Prague. Flights will run twice a week using a Boeing 737 that seats 148 passengers. Shalva Kiknadze, the president of the airline, said they introduced the route due to high demand.

On another travel update, starting from Saturday the 1st of June, anyone visiting Georgia will need to have medical insurance. This new rule requires that insurance documents be available in Georgian, English, or Russian, and not having this coverage could lead to a fine of approximately 300 lari or 100 dollars.

On Monday the 13th, Otar Shamugia, the Agriculture Minister, highlighted that the top priority for his ministry is to help farmers and entrepreneurs access the EU market. Speaking at the Europe Day event in Tbilisi, he emphasized that European integration is a key part of Georgian politics.

Shamugia mentioned that the EU market is super important for Georgia and pointed out specific achievements in this area. He noted that the ministry is working hard to implement the necessary standards and regulations to secure the country’s place in the EU market.

Onto entertainment news, on Sunday the 13th, Georgia’s Nutsa Buzaladze ended up in 21st place in the Eurovision twenty twenty-four contest

Nutsa scored thirty-four points in total. Meanwhile, Switzerland's entrant, Nemo, clinched the top spot with 591 points, securing the right to host next year's contest in twenty twenty-five. A total of twenty-six countries competed in this year's grand final, showcasing a vibrant array of musical talent from across Europe.

Moving on, on Thursday the 16th, Tbilisi saw the grand opening of a new, one-of-a-kind puppet theater called Doll House. This new venue is set in a historical area of an old Soviet-era film studio and promises to mix puppet and object shows. Thea Tsulukiani, the Minister of Culture, Sport and Youth, attended the opening. Director Nika Sabashvili, who came up with the idea for the theater, aims to make Doll House a multifunctional cultural and educational hub. The theater will host creative evenings, salon meetings, and cinema screenings. It plans to support young film artists by providing a space to develop their skills and showcase their work.

On Friday the 10th, Saperavi, Georgia’s ancient grape, received international acclaim at the Global Wine Awards. Originating from the southwestern part of the country, near the Black Sea coast, Saperavi is a grape variety that archaeologists believe is 8,000 years old. This grape is a cornerstone of Georgian wine culture, known for its deep color and strong character.

On Tuesday the 14th, Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze announced that Friday the 17th of May will now be a public holiday across Georgia to celebrate the Day of Family Purity and Respect for Parents. Essential workers, those in finance, and state procurement officials won’t get the day off, but for everyone else, it’s a new holiday. The Patriarchate of the Georgian Orthodox Church also confirmed a procession will be held in the city of Mtskheta to mark the occasion, continuing a tradition they started in the twenty tens.

Finally, we wanted to make a comment on a story we shared in the last episode. We made a mistake, we said that the book 'Georgia Against Stalin' was written by Giorgi Kandelaki, but it’s actually by Lasha Buhgadze. Former politician Giorgi Kandelaki was heavily involved in the book’s promotion and wrote the preface, but he’s not the author of the book. Thanks to our community for bringing this to our attention!

Aaand that’s it for this week! Thank you for joining us!

Before we leave, we want to invite you to listen to episode 3 of the Georgia Ramble, a new section of the Rorshok Update where every now and then we share a more or less unedited conversation with a guest. This episode, I'm joined by Ted Jonas & Masho Lomashvili and we talk about the current protests, how things feel on the street and where they are going. Find it in the same place where you listen to the regular Rorshok Update! Don't forget to subscribe!

Nakhvamdis!