Ivanishvili Is Back & more – 4th Jan 2024

Gamarjobat from Gracia! This is the Rorshok Georgia Update from the 4th of January twenty twenty-four A quick summary of what's going down in Georgia.

On Saturday the 30th of December, Bidzina Ivanishvili, the founder of the Georgian Dream party or Otsneba was elected as the honorary chairman at the party's congress, marking his return to Georgian politics. This development precedes the parliamentary elections scheduled for twenty twenty-four.

Still on Ivanishvili, on Tuesday the 2nd, he said he would not run for the Prime Minister position.. He also quashed rumors about potential changes within the party or government after his return.

However, not everyone was happy about his return. On Saturday the 30th of December, reacting to Ivanishvili's political comeback, Levan Khabeishvili, Chairman of the United National Movement or Natsebi, made a post on Facebook provocatively urging Ivanishvili to leave for Russia with his associates.

Since the founding of Otsneba in twenty twelve and its major victory against the Natsebi, Ivanishvili's role in Georgian politics has been a subject of debate. His brief tenure as Prime Minister and subsequent influence beyond official positions, including multiple withdrawals and returns to the political forefront, are complex elements of his political legacy.

Former Prime Minister Gogi Gakharia also reacted to Bidzina Ivanishvili’s return to politics. Gakharia's statement said "Good to see Ivanishvili finally managed to come out of his hiding. Excuses were weak. Challenge accepted. Happy New Year!."

In other news, on Thursday the 28th of December, the parliament of Abkhazia voted to transfer the Bichvinta country resort to Russia, despite widespread protests and opposition. The transfer includes 186 hectares of land and 115 hectares of sea space. This is of course an internationally illegal move and a further step in annexation of Georgian territory. The complex, with historical significance dating back to Soviet times and earlier, has been a focal point of contention between real locals and the Kremlin aligned locals for ages.

On Friday the 29th of December the EU Office in Georgia said that transferring lands from Abkhazia to Russia was illegal and invalid thereby reafirming its full support for Georgia's territorial integrity and sovereignty and within internationally recognized borders.

On the same day, GeoStat reported a 6% growth in Georgia's real GDP for November twenty twenty-three, compared to the previous year. The average increase from January to November twenty twenty-three was 7%. There was significant growth in financial and insurance activities, and in the construction, professional, trade, and scientific-technical sectors. However, there was a decline in manufacturing, energy, transportation, and storage. GeoStat didn’t say how much of this was due to the many many Russians around now.

On Thursday the 28th, the Tbilisi City Council aproved a skyscraper project near Laguna Vere. The plan involves constructing two fifty-story buildings near Heroes' Square. However, the project didn’t pass so swiftly, as there were protests by critics warning of potential traffic and environmental impacts on Tbilisi’s main transport hub. Still, the project got the go-ahead. Bidzina owned the land, so guessing the approval process proceeded apace.

A twenty eighteen article is now in the spotlight. The piece explores the influence of Georgian literature on shaping students' worldviews. It details how Georgian writers, through their works from pre-Christian times to modern postmodernism, contributed to fostering critical thinking. The article discussed the role of literature in reflecting Georgia's tumultuous history and cultural legacy, emphasizing themes like resilience, diversity, and engagement with societal issues. This literary journey serves as an educational tool for students to understand and connect with their rich cultural heritage. Wanna read the full article in English? Link in the show notes!

On Friday the 29th of December, Live Nation, an American entertainment giant, announced its entry into the Georgian market. Live Nation is known for organizing thousands of concerts and festivals worldwide annually. This follows a successful collaboration with Black Sea Arena in twenty twenty-three. Georgia has become the first in its region to host global artists under Live Nation, which will boost entertainment tourism.

Guy Beser of Live Nation Israel praised the Georgian entertainment industry's growth and readiness for large-scale events, highlighting Black Sea Arena's role in meeting their standards.

On another note, on Thursday the 28th, the EU4Dialogue project supported the establishment of mobile clinics for internally displaced women in Georgia. In December, eighty women accessed medical consultations through these clinics. The NGO Women’s Foundation Sukhumi operates these mobile clinics which visit multiple municipalities, offering services like mammographies. The project is backed by the European Union and United Nations Development Program.

On the same day, the non-profit Parki Ar Minda hosted the ECOCUP International Green Film Festival in Tbilisi. This event featured documentaries on pollution, climate change, biodiversity loss, and tourism's environmental impact.

On Thursday the 28th of December, Tbilisi experienced significant damage due to strong winds. Gldani in Tbilisi was particularly affected, with fallen trees damaging cars and house roofs. Emergency services, along with Tbilisi City Hall and district administrations, are actively working to address the situation, with Eco Service LLC handling the removal of uprooted trees and branches. The wind also damaged infrastructure and New Year's decorations.

On Thursday the 28th of December, the Caucasus Environmental NGO Network or CENN, supported by the USAID Economic Security Program and the EU, hosted a Business to Business networking event in Tbilisi focusing on reducing plastic waste and promoting circular economy solutions. The event, part of the "Empowering People for Circular Solutions in Georgia" project, facilitated knowledge regarding plastic reduction and recycling. The event emphasized the importance of sustainable solutions in line with Georgia’s EU candidacy and EU environmental priorities.

And to close this edition, on Wednesday the 27th of December, the Agency for Internally Displaced People and Eco-migrants of Georgia announced their decision to buy homes in rural areas for about 100 internally displaced families. This initiative is part of the "Rural House" project, under which more than 1,300 families have already been resettled in twenty twenty-three. The project aims to rehouse a total of 6,000 Internally Displaced families by the end of twenty twenty-five,

Aaand that's it for this week!

Happy New Year from the Rorshok family! These are our wishes for twenty twenty-four: 1) that you tell your friends about us. 2)... Noup, that’s about it.

Remember you can help us financially with the link in the show notes.

Nakhvamdis!