Georgia signed defence cooperation agreements with Lithuania and Czech Republic

Georgian Defence Minister Juansher Burchuladze, within the framework of the meeting of the heads of military departments of NATO members and partners in Brussels, signed with colleagues from Lithuania and the Czech Republic Arvydas Anušauskas and Yana Chernokhova an agreement on cooperation in the field of defence.

"As part of the ministerial meeting in Brussels, we had very important bilateral negotiations. I met with a colleague from the Czech Republic. We also signed an agreement with Lithuania on bilateral cooperation, which implies even deeper cooperation in the field of cybersecurity. We have big plans with partners, which we will implement soon," Juansher Burchuladze flagged.

The memorandum signed with the Czech Republic implies a bilateral plan for cooperation in the field of defence for 2022, the press service specified.

Salome Samadashvili: Brussels laughs at Tbilisi's plans

The policy of the ruling party "Georgian Dream" has led to the deterioration of relations between Tbilisi and Brussels. This was stated by a member of the Georgian Parliament, political secretary of the Lelo party, Salome Samadashvili.

She recalled that the leadership of the ruling party publicly refused to comply with the agreement signed in April 2021 with the Georgian opposition, the signing of which was overseen by European Council President Charles Michel. According to Samadashvili, during her visit with a delegation to the EU, she saw their attitude towards Dream.

“In Brussels, behind closed doors, they simply laugh at the statement of the Georgian Dream about its intention to apply for EU membership in 2024. This is the political force that threw the Michel agreement back at the EU,” the deputy noted.

She also stated that due to the refusal of the Georgian authorities to comply with Brussels' demand for the liberalisation of the judiciary, there is a risk that the EU will stop providing financial assistance to Georgia.

Recall that in the April agreement, the Dream leadership and opposition leaders agreed that opposition parties would stop boycotting parliament, and the ruling party would make several concessions, including judicial reform. The largest opposition party, the United National Movement, did not join the initiative. This was Georgian Dream’s reason tp withdraw from the agreement.

British investor sues the owners of the largest bank in Georgia

British investor Jan Malcolm has filed a lawsuit against the owners of Georgia's largest bank TBC Bank and leaders of the opposition Lelo party Mamuka Khazaradze and Badri Japaridze. The businessman informed the Georgian press.

The investor, who previously acquired a large stake in this bank, said that he was demanding compensation for $40 million in damages that Khazaradze and Japaridze inflicted on the enterprise because of a fraudulent scheme.

“By purchasing shares, my friends and I entrusted our savings to TBC Bank, and I hope that we made the right choice, and the current management of the bank will do everything to ensure the return of funds to shareholders Mamuka Khazaradze and Badri Japaridze and full compensation for the damage caused to the bank and its shareholders as a result of illegal schemes,” Jan Malcolm told reporters.

He said that he had hired a lawyer who would defend his interests in a Georgian court.

Recall that in January 2022, Khazaradze and Japaridze were found guilty of fraud on an especially large scale. The court found that in 2008 they received $16.7 million from TBC Bank as a loan. The businessmen did not return the money, and the loan was then written off by the bank.

The head of the Ministry of Economic Development of Georgia spoke about plans for import substitution

The Georgian government will provide support to local enterprises that will produce products that have to be imported. The new Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia, Levan Davitashvili, announced this on the air of the Public Television.

“Recently, we have seen local business in many areas of light industry. Many building materials that were previously imported have been replaced and produced locally,” Davitashvili said.

He stated that the government will be more active in this direction. The authorities will try to reverse the current situation when the cost of imports is more than twice the value of exports.

At the same time, Davitashvili said that not everything is able to be produced in Georgia. He pointed out that there is not a single country that would produce everything at home.

Carl Hartzell is dissatisfied with the abolition of the state inspector's service

The representative of the European Union in Georgia, Carl Hartzell, expressed his disagreement with the liquidation of the service of the State Inspector of Georgia.

“We still do not see objective reasons for the sudden and hasty dissolution of the state inspector service in December last year and the early termination of the powers of the state inspector. We are reviewing the appointments made yesterday by Parliament, but we will await the outcome of the appeal process in the Constitutional Court. The responsibility for effective democratic oversight of the security sector and adequate data protection remains with Georgia. This is necessary for the EU to express its will and find an opportunity to support Georgia in carrying out reforms in key areas,” Hartzell said.

Georgia loses positions in international rankings

In the published Economic Freedom Index 2022, Georgia's position has deteriorated significantly, the Georgian TV channel Mtavari Arkhi reports.

Thus, this year Georgia is 14 points lower than last year's result. According to the ranking, it ranks 26th in the world. The country has never had such a big recession.

The deterioration of the result is associated with a drop in positions in almost all rating criteria. According to the study, "political interference undermines the independence of the judiciary." The report says that many judges do not have the ability to hear commercial cases independently or quickly.

Members of the ruling Georgian Dream party disagree with the poll and say the country is making significant progress under their government.

The opposition claims that Georgia, according to all international polls, is losing its positions.

Recall that the Index of Economic Freedom, calculated by the Wall Street Journal and the Heritage Foundation research centre, has been operating since 1995.

Saakashvili asked Georgian President to help him in court

Former President of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili asked the President of the Republic Salome Zourabichvili to remove the secrecy stamp from the expenses that were made by the Special State Protection Service after he left the post of head of state.

“I do not need a pardon, because I did not violate the law and all the charges against me and the sentences handed down are fabricated,” the appeal says. “Remove the secrecy stamp from the expenses made by the Special State Security Service for the presidential administration in 2013 and beyond.”

Saakashvili noted that he, as well as the former head of the presidential administration, Temur Janashia, are accused of inappropriate spending. The ex-president believes that the spending was made in accordance with the way it was instituted and continued after Saakashvili ceased to lead the country.

He also noted that recently TV channels showed how Zourabichvili treated guests who came to the residence with champagne. According to the politician, there is no guarantee that later she will not be accused of inappropriate spending because of this.

Recall that in one of the cases Saakashvili is accused of embezzling state funds during his tenure as president for entertainment and the purchase of personal belongings. The total misappropriation is estimated at $2.7 million. His supporters call the case the "jacket case."