Relations between Georgia and the United States were discussed on Tuesday in a meeting between the Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze and James O’Brien, the US Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs.
Having successfully obtained the EU candidate country status, Georgia is now poised to engage in membership negotiations with the European Union. We are now working on new ‘9 steps’. And this is a challenging period for our future integration with the EU, because the process coincides with the parliamentary elections later this year. Therefore, we need to make a serious effort to secure our democracy.
On March 4, I travelled from Tbilisi to Berlin, only to discover at the airport of the German capital that Georgia was still in front of me in the middle of Europe. The reason for this was the numerous advertising banners that positioned Georgia impressively with the messages of “Infinite hospitality - Georgia”, “Find Infinite Wonders”, “Meet Infinite Culture” and more. I quickly realised the Georgian adventure in Berlin was only beginning.
As I am approaching the end of my ambassadorial term in Georgia, it is time to take a small step back and try to absorb all the unforgettable personal and professional experiences of the past 2.5 years. Time has flown so incredibly fast and it’s impossible to believe that soon I’ll have to pack up once again and move on.
Today, December 13, 2021, English-language Georgian news platform Agenda.ge is marking its 8th birthday. I am retiring as the editor in chief of Agenda.ge at the end of December 2021. My mission and time as the head of Agenda.ge has come to its end. Starting January 1, 2022, I will no longer be the editor-in-chief.
Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Wednesday said visiting foreign ministers of Latvia, Estonia, Iceland and Lithuania had offered “some concerns” about the newly adopted controversial law on transparency of foreign influence in a meeting on Wednesday.
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development on Wednesday lent €3 million to Gebrüder Weiss, an Austrian transport and logistics company, to expand a logistics terminal near the Georgian capital city of Tbilisi.
Marija Pejčinović Burić, the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, on Wednesday expressed disappointment that the Georgian Parliament had adopted the controversial law on transparency of foreign influence on Tuesday without waiting for the opinion of the body’s Venice Commission’s about the legislative piece.
The European Union on Wednesday urged the Georgian authorities to withdraw the newly adopted controversial law on transparency of foreign influence, uphold their commitment to the EU integration path and advance necessary reforms detailed in the nine steps outlined by the European Commission for opening accession talks with the country.
Georgia is hosting the 57th annual meeting of the Asian Development Bank next month under the slogan “The Bridge to the Future”, to reflect its stance as a country with a long history of serving as a natural bridge between Europe and Asia. It is also set to host the major event with a status as a candidate for membership in the European Union, as the country aims to showcase its potential as a vital link between the two continents and encourage building bridges.
The Time Out magazine, a travel publication, has named Georgia’s northern highland town of Stepantsminda among its 16 “most beautiful small towns around the world to visit in one lifetime”.
The Union of European Football Associations on Wednesday highlighted the Georgian national football team’s first-ever qualification for a major international tournament after the squad defeated Greece to book a spot at the 2024 European Championship.
The Times of India, an English-language Indian daily newspaper and digital news media, is promoting Georgia and its capital of Tbilisi as a visitor destination.