Otsneba Rejects De-occupation Initiatives & more – 16th Nov 2023

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

Following up on a story we reported on last update, on Monday, the 6th, Russian occupying forces in South Ossetia killed Tamaz Ginturi, a Georgian citizen in the Kirbali region. On Saturday, the 11th, military honors marked the burial of the victim. He was a fifty-eight-year-old veteran of the two thousand eight Russia-Georgia war and a former member of the Karaleti Special Forces. He was laid to rest a few hundred meters from where Russian occupying forces fatally shot him during an attempted illegal detention. Ginturi was caught in an ambush near St. George of Lomisi Church as he tried to open the doors of the church, which were locked. His brother, Nikoloz Ginturi, expressed the family's grief, emphasizing Tamaz's respect for the church. The family's sole request is justice for the perpetrators. Levan Dotiashvili witnessed the incident. Russian soldiers unlawfully detained him but then released him to the Georgian side on Thursday, the 9th. The Ministry of Internal Affairs is investigating the murder and the abduction.

Regarding occupation, on Tuesday the 14th, Irakli Kobakhidze, the head of the ruling party, the Georgian Dream or Otsneba, rejected all foreign policy or de-occupation initiatives proposed by the parliamentary opposition groups. The opposition parties recently registered an initiative in Parliament to expand sanctions against individuals who have violated human rights in the occupied regions. Kobakhidze accused the opposition of trying to "stage provocations," asserting the government's eleven-year record of ensuring "peace and stability." He emphasized the government's stance on national interests and preventing territorial advances by Russia. Kobakhidze criticized the largest opposition group, the United National Movement, or Natsebi, for past provocations and suggested their actions could….wait for it…..wait for it…..create a "second front" regarding Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Regarding the EU, on Monday the 13th, Shalva Papuashvili, Parliament Speaker, published an article on myths about Georgia's EU candidacy. He asserted that the government diligently fulfilled the twelve priorities and rejected opposition parties’ comments, which asserted that the people, not the government, deserved the status. Also, he said the government was not distancing itself from Europe and challenged the role of the opposition parties, emphasizing their attempts to sabotage the process. The whole piece is complete bullshit, particularly when they pretend that they fulfilled the twelves priorities, but itś worth reading as a very clear example of Otsneba messaging points. The funniest messaging has been…standing on one leg. Otsneba has been implying that they got candidate status without going overboard to impress the EU by say, for example, fulfilling the twelve priorities. The metaphor is…standing on one leg, as in we didn't have to stand on one leg to get it. Very well fits into Georgian pride etc. What it neglects is that the Georgian people desperately want each of those twelve priorities, like for example, free press and an impartial judiciary among many others.

Opposition parties criticized the article. MPs from opposition parties said that the European Commission recommended giving Georgia EU candidates status because of the active pro-EU stance of the Georgian people and not the government, which is completrly true, and that Georgia would have been so far behind if it would have happenned on the next generation. Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's comment that Russia will not give up its influence in the South Caucasus—meaning the control over the region with military and political means— caused even more heated arguments between the Georgian government and various opposition figures. However, instead of criticizing Russia, Kakhi Kaladze, Tbilisi Mayor, said Georgia has its biggest enemy within the ranks of the radical opposition parties.

According to Rikard Yozwiaks, Europe editor for Radio Free Europe, despite lagging behind in fulfilling conditions, the European Commission's recommendation for granting Georgia candidate status will influence the final decision, and the country will get candidate status in December. Jozwiak notes that even though Georgia has met only three of the twelve conditions set in June twenty twenty-two, EU diplomats say that giving candidate status to Georgia would be help with political enlargement momentum. Jozwiak said EU member states would grant Georgia candidate status, but accession talks may be delayed until a new enlargement report is published in the fall of twenty twenty-four by which he means until after the Georgian parliamentary elections which will be held on the 24th of October next year.

More from Transparency International or TI, on Friday the 10th, Transparency International Georgia, the local watchdog group, published a report on Georgian Railways' tender of 184 million lari, about sixty-eight million US dollars, favoring companies with Eurasian Customs Union, which is a Russian-led economic union certificate. The procurement mandates a certificate complying with special regulations, narrowing eligible countries for participation. TI-Georgia emphasizes that the special government decree under which Georgian Railways announced the tender doesn't exempt them from fair and non-discriminatory procurement obligations. The watchdog asserts that the tender, requiring a Russian certificate, violates these principles. TI-Georgia urges scrutiny from the State Procurement Agency and Georgian National Competition Agency to investigate and address these restrictive conditions. They also recall a twenty twenty-one case where a similar requirement allegedly limited competition, preventing an Austrian company from bidding on a rail procurement.

On Tuesday the 14th, the Gori Municipality City Hall co-financed a "Farming" greenhouse project in Nikozi village near the occupation line. The innovative plan focuses on studying economic activity, management, and development for children. Project authors, greenhouse farming experts, and local government representatives inaugurated the event by symbolically planting strawberries with students. The informal setting aims to provide young people with knowledge to foster entrepreneurial skills and professional orientation. The project seeks to sell produce and fund local school and student development projects with the generated income.

On Monday, the 13th, the Ministry of Justice announced the opening of the new penitentiary facility in Laituri, in Guria region. Rati Bregadze, the Justice Minister, inaugurated the facility designed for 700 convicts, emphasizing compliance with the recommendations of the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment. The penitentiary prioritizes inmate well-being, offering medical services, sports infrastructure, education, and a digital university auditorium. About 250 staff members ensure safety and rehabilitation. The facility features a unique House of Justice, an unprecedented Georgian innovation, providing state services for convicts and staff.

Russian propagandist Vladimir Solovyov made a post on Telegram stating a sabotage group of up to fifty people, allegedly from Georgia, would carry out terrorist attacks at Sukhumi airport. He said he got the information from Abkhazia's Defence Ministry. Solovyov later deleted the post. On Thursday the 9th, security forces searched for the armed saboteurs but found nothing. Speculation abounds, with theories ranging from airsoft games to deliberate government manipulation or maybe just more Solovyev BS.

On Thursday the 9th, international development consulting company Policy and Management Consulting Group (or PMCG) published a report on the main challenges of the Georgian economy.

The report says that despite decreasing unemployment, the labor shortage and lack of specialists remain Georgia's most significant obstacles for business.

Another economic challenge is emigration since it is at a record high. At the same time, the population over fifteen years old remains below three million.

On Tuesday, the 14th, the Ministry of Health confirmed that it has made Vosoitide available in the country. Vosoritide is a medication used to treat achondroplasia in children. A couple of months ago, parents of children diagnosed with the illness protested and requested state efforts to bring the drug to the country. Achondroplasia causes slow bone growth, among other health issues. The Ministry stated that, in the first stage, it will give the medication to only four children due to the critical need at pediatric facilities. Then, parents will get permission to use the medication at home.

And finally, the Georgian National Gallery will showcase an exhibition of Thamar de Létay-Vachnadze, the Georgian artist who created sketches for the French fashion house Dior in the late 20th century. The exhibition includes over thirty paintings, 300 sketches, 200 archival photographs, graphics, collages, children’s marionettes, among other things. The Art Gallery in Tbilisi will host the exhibition from the 19th of November to the 16th of December.

And that’s it for this week! Thank you for joining us! Before we leave, we wanted to thank you, welcome all the new subscribers! We are happy the Rorshok Georgia community is growing!

However, we are also sad because we had to cancel our Nigeria Update due to low audience figures. So please, if you enjoy Rorshok Georgia, share it with your friends, or on social media or message us if you have any ideas on how to keep growing, without including ads.

Also, if you are feeling generous, you can financially support us with the link in the show notes.

Nakhvamdis!