Issue #1317

Issue no: 1317

• OCTOBER 8 - 14, 2021 • PUBLISHED WEEKLY

PRICE: GEL 2.50

In this week’s issue...

Corona Updates: Numbers Stable, Schools Are Back!

NEWS PAGE 2

Family of Australian Woman Killed in Tbilisi Demands Life Sentence for Perpetrator NEWS PAGE 2

The South Caucasus and the New Hierarchical Order POLITICS PAGE 5

A New Europe...without the United States?

FOCUS ON UPPING THE FDIS

A new MoU signed by GAABU and GINIS Consultancy is set to increase the inflow of foreign investment to Georgia

POLITICS PAGE 6

ISET AGRI REVIEW | October 2021: The Sector at a Glance ISET PAGE 8

PAGE 7

Journalists and Bloggers Awarded in Beat Plastic Pollution Campaign

Former President Saakashvili’s Arrival Living History in Georgia & Arrest Shakes Georgia SOCIETY PAGE 9

SOCIETY PAGE 10

Russification of Georgian Language Schools Continues in Akhalgori

BY ANA DUMBADZE

O

n September 28, former President of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili posted a photo of his planned Kyiv-Tbilisi flight on his Facebook page. The flight was scheduled for October 2, the day of the local selfgovernment elections in the country. After many times promising and announcing that he would be returning from Ukraine to his homeland, the convicted former president finally presented proof of his intentions, aiming to encourage his supporters prior to the elections.

The local authorities responded immediately, noting that Saakashvili would be detained as soon as he crossed the Georgian border, his having been sentenced to imprisonment in absentia due to his connection with the case of Sandro Girgvliani and the beating of MP Valeri Gelashvili.

Continued on page 3

SOCIETY PAGE 11 CULTURE PAGE 11 Prepared for Georgia Today Business by

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Photo source: Georgian Ministry of Internal Affairs

Price

2

NEWS

GEORGIA TODAY

OCTOBER 8 - 14, 2021

Corona Updates: Numbers Stable, Schools Are Back!

BY TEAM GT

W

ith the number of new cases daily floating around the 2400 mark again this week, the situation is neither great nor disastrous. As promised, schools, universities and kindergartens reopened Monday for live studies, relieving many parents of an almost impossible burden as they juggled childcare and work, and bringing a sense of optimism that normalcy is on its way back.

Restaurant opening hours were also extended this week, with the Interagency Coordination Council cautiously trying to move the country forward again.

THE STATISTICS On Tuesday October 5, 2800 new cases of coronavirus were confirmed in Georgia, 42 people died, and 1485 patients recovered.

2410 new cases of coronavirus were registered in Georgia Wednesday, 700 cases in Tbilisi, 113 in Adjara, Imereti 479, Kvemo Kartli - 151, Shida Kartli - 125, Guria - 74, Samegrelo - Zemo Svaneti 270, Kakheti - 374, Mtskheta-Mtianeti 49, Samtskhe-Javakheti - 47, RachaLechkhumi and Kvemo Svaneti - 28.

24 people died and 1516 people recovered in those 24 hours.

On Thursday, 2228 new cases were recorded alongside 1711 recoveries. 28 died overnight, bringing the total Covid deaths in Georgia since February 2020 to 9162. 31,828 tests were conducted between Wednesday and Thursday, putting the test positivity rate at 7%, up from last week’s average of 5.61%.

Thursday’s newly confirmed cases were

divided by region as follows: 638 cases were found in Tbilisi, Adjara - 128, Imereti - 469, Kvemo Kartli - 125, Shida Kartli 100, Guria - 82, Samegrelo - Zemo Svaneti - 241, Kakheti - 324, Mtskheta-Mtianeti - 40, Samtskhe-Javakheti - 52, RachaLechkhumi and Kvemo Svaneti - 29.

A total of 626,058 cases of coronavirus have been confirmed in Georgia since February 2020, of which 594,669 have recovered and 9162 have died.

THE VACCINE 1,844.965 Georgia-residents are fully vaccinated, with around 7500 people getting vaccinated daily on average.

Speaking on the low number of vaccinated citizens, Deputy Health Minister Tamar Gabunia said this week, “We will definitely reach 60%, but this will not be enough to protect us from the next waves.”

She noted that the rate of vaccination decreased in the last week of September, and things need to be sped up again.

“Lottery incentives have been introduced into the program [a daily chance for those vaccinated to win 100-500 GEL], as has active work with family doctors,” she noted. “In fact, work has been going on in this direction for a long time, but it was considered that financial incentives for family doctors would function as an even more active mechanism to intensify their efforts to vaccinate patients.

“It is important to continue to promote vaccination with positive messages. We will definitely achieve 60%, but this will not be enough to protect us from the next waves. Our ambition is higher today; we want to exceed 60%, and this is no easy task,” Gabunia said.

On Thursday, it was announced to the decision of the Coordinating Council,

people over the age of 50 can now be vaccinated with a booster shot 6 months after their last dose of vaccine.

Further, vaccination of children aged 12 to 15 will soon begin in Georgia, starting with high-risk groups.

THE RESTRICTIONS “Taking into account the epidemiological situation in the country, the working hours of food services will be extended by one hour, and they will be able to work until 23:00 instead of 22:00,” said Giorgi Ghibradze, Chief of Operations

at the Interagency Coordination Council.

He added that restrictions related to holding concerts and festivals will soon be lifted and it will be possible to hold such events with the audience in attendance, but in accordance with the regulations.

With the education process having worked remotely since September 15, relief came to all when in-person learning resumed in schools, universities and kindergartens across Georgia on October 4, and children’s entertainment centers

were allowed to reopen for business.

The education ministry pledged to follow the coronavirus recommendations strictly, but it will be up to the parents of school students whether they wish their children to go back to school or continue learning online, as teachers must be prepared to satisfy both demands.

The Ministry of Health says the state continues to ensure mandatory Covid-19 testing for teachers, and 67% of school teachers in Georgia are said to have been vaccinated so far.

Family of Australian Woman Killed in Tbilisi Demands Life Sentence for Perpetrator

BY ANA DUMBADZE

T The 2021 Local Elections

BY TEAM GT

I

n the October 2, 2021 Georgian local elections, and according to the Central Election Commission, the ruling Georgian Dream party won the majority with 821,225 votes (46.65%), while the United National Movement received 540,469 votes, which is 30.7%.

Other parties received the following percentages: Gakharia - For Georgia - 7.79% Lelo - 2.71% European Georgia - Movement for Georgia - 1.66% David Tarkhan-Mouravi, Irma Inashvili - Alliance of Patriots of Georgia - 1.46% Zurab Girchi Japaridze - Girchi More Freedom - 1.44% Shalva Natelashvili - Labor Party - 1.38% Third Force-Strategy Builder - 1.34% Girchi - 0.95% Ana Dolidze for People - 0.85% Aleko Elisashvili - Citizens - 0.83% Elene Khoshtaria - It's Time - 0.62% European Democrats - 0.16% European Socialists - 0.15%

Gogi Tsulaia New Christian Democrats - 0.07% Progress and Freedom - 0.06% Early Elections - United Georgia - 0.05% Georgia - 0.05% Reforms - 0.05% JondiBaghaturia-GeorgianTroupe-0.03% Law and Justice - 0.02% Development Party of Georgia - 0.01% Social Democratic Party of Georgia 0.01% On counting all 769 polling stations in Tbilisi, the CEC announced the results in the proportional part of the elections as follows: Georgian Dream - 40.3% UNM - 27.97% For Georgia - 8.85% Lelo - 3.63% Girchi- More Freedom (Zurab Japaridze) - 3.3% Ana Dolidze Por People - 2.57% Citizens - 2.45% Elene Khoshtaria - Droa - 2.15% Girchi - 1.62 Alliance of Patriots - 1.65% Labor Party - 1.32% European Georgia - 1.18% Third Force - Strategy Builder - 1.01% Continued on page 4

he family of Shanae Brooke, an Australian citizen killed in Tbilisi, has released a statement.

Brooke’s family now turns to the Georgian Justice System “to deliver a life sentence to the perpetrator for such a senseless and cowardly attack.”

“The family of Shanae are heartbroken at the unimaginable loss of our beautiful girl. She leaves behind many devastated family members and friends,” they wrote.

“We are so proud of all that Shanae achieved in her short life. She fought for women’s rights and safety, gave her time for the underprivileged and was at her happiest when she was enriching the lives of others.

“She was a genuine and loyal friend, bringing love and laughter to all around her. She was adventurous, courageous and lived life to the fullest.

“We are so grateful to Shanae’s friends who so quickly raised the alarm and began a tireless search effort to find our girl.

“The outpouring of love and messages from Shanae’s many friends locally and abroad, including the Georgian community, has been a wonderful support for our family.

“We are thankful for the Tbilisi Police and investigators for locating Shanae so quickly and arresting the perpetrator.

“Thank you to officers from the Australian Embassy in Ankara and the Kordadze Law Office in Tbilisi for taking great care of our family members while in Georgia and the support and assistance to-date to help us through this

devastating time.

“We would like to thank both the State of Georgia for their offer of financial assistance with Shanae’s repatriation and the people of Georgia for their outpouring of grief, love and support during this most traumatic time.

“A special thanks as well to all those who have contributed to Shanae’s GoFundMe page, the funds raised will assist with costs incurred so far and Shanae’s final journey and celebration of her life.

“We now turn to the Georgian Justice System to deliver a life sentence to the

perpetrator for such a senseless and cowardly attack. Shanae deserves justice, and the women of Georgia deserve protection from such evil.

“If grief is measured in waves, we are currently drowning.

“With Love and Respect “Shanae’s Family “Please continue to respect our family’s privacy,” reads the statement.

The Prosecutor’s Office charged Georgian citizen Rafael Mursakulovi with the premeditated murder of Australian Shanae Brooke Edwards under aggravating circumstances.

POLITICS

GEORGIA TODAY OCTOBER 8 - 14, 2021

3

Former President Saakashvili’s Arrival & Arrest Shakes Georgia Continued from page 1 However, as it turned out, “Misha” had other plans. To everyone’s surprise, on the morning of October 1, Saakashvili wrote on Facebook that he had already arrived in Georgia. He also released a video recorded in Georgia’s seaside city of Batumi, telling the population that he had finally come home after eight years away. Later, he released another video to prove that he was actually in Georgia. Despite this, the fact of his return was categorically denied by both intelligence services and government representatives.

“Saakashvili has not crossed the Georgian border,” the police, the State Security Service, and the local authorities assured the population. Later, following Saakashvili’s arrest, the authorities changed their rhetoric, saying that denying his presence in the country was “part of the special operation aimed at catching him.”

Finally, after he gave the police almost all the information they needed of his whereabouts through video recordings, Saakashvili was arrested in a private apartment in Tbilisi. He was then transferred to Rustavi prison, where he was captured on camera smiling and looking confident.

“I would like to inform the public that the wanted third President of Georgia, Mikheil Saakashvili, has been arrested,” said Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili at a briefing on the evening of October 1.

Just before the arrest, Saakashvili addressed his supporters via his Facebook page.

“Do not be afraid of anything. You are going to the polls tomorrow. Vote, and we will all celebrate victory together,” he told the public.

Notably, his return significantly motivated the supporters of the UNM, which led to the party receiving important support in the October 2 elections. According to the Central Election Commission, the ruling Georgian Dream party won the majority of votes, 821,225 (46.65%), while the United National Movement was not too far behind with 540,469 votes (30.7%).

In the capital of Tbilisi, the UNM received 27.97% of votes, while GD received 40.3%.

THE FALLOUT OF SAAKASHVILI’S RETURN Police this week arrested three persons for “covering a crime” and helping Saakashvili to cross the Georgian border and travel from Batumi to Tbilisi: the owner of the flat where he was arrested, Elguja Tsomaia, who reportedly also helped him cross the border; and father and son Zurab and Shalva Tsotsoria, employees of Poti Port Terminal.

Lawyers of the detainees say the accusation is groundless because the criminal code does not include such a crime, and the fact that the accused did not inform the police about Saakashvili’s entry into Georgia does not mean that they did not report the crime. All three are still in pretrial detention at time of writing.

Saakashvili, who has said he considers himself a political prisoner, on the day of his detainment declared a hunger strike and, as a Ukrainian citizen, requested a meeting with the Ukrainian Consul. The former president has been on hunger strike for a week now. He announced that when his condition worsens, he will refuse any medical intervention.

Members and supporters of the UNM have been holding rallies outside Rustavi Prison daily since his arrest, demanding his release.

Foreign partners of Georgia assessed Saakashvili’s arrest as a “test for Georgia’s judiciary,” while the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, announced concerns and promised to get him back to Ukraine.

“As the President of Ukraine, I am engaged in trying to bring Ukrainian citizens home with the various opportunities that I have, and which were given to me by the authorities. Saakashvili is a citizen of Ukraine, so this concerns him as well," Zelensky said.

Saakashvili wrote a letter of thanks in response, noting that he is now Putin’s prisoner.

“I love my Georgia more than my life, but I love Ukraine, my second homeland, where I spent many years of my life and where I have family and friends, and where I have citizenship that I appreciate very much. All my life I have been proud to have the opportunity to make a modest contribution to the historical changes and reforms

you have made. Since I am in fact a personal prisoner of Putin, I very much appreciate your principled position on the protection of all prisoners in Ukraine, in the whole region, and the empire,” the letter to the Ukrainian President read.

GARIBASHVILI VS SAAKASHVILI On October 6, Prime Minister of Georgia, Irakli Garibashvili, published a letter about the motives of Mikheil Saakashvili’s arrival, and his arrest.

In it, he noted that “some people think the motivation was a thirst for power, selfishness, and jealousy about the other leaders of the United National Movement, and that he deliberately went to jail to get attention. Some think that he returned with the intention of overthrowing the government, which he was deeply convinced of the success of. Some say it was difficult to calculate the consequences of his decision due to his drug addiction,” the PM wrote, noting that he considers it “absurd” that Saakashvili deliberately went to jail, and that, in his place, he would not come back to the country in violation of the law, but would bravely come back and go to prison. He points out in his letter that blaming illogical decisions on drugs is also absurd. “No matter how addicted a person is, he always had enough time to change an illogical decision,” he wrote.

“Consequently, the most logical explanation is that Saakashvili came to Georgia not with the intention of going to prison, but with a strong hope of collapsing the government,” the Prime Minister said, going on to highlight that Saakashvili’s revolutionary intentions were “doomed to failure.”

“Instead of a collapsed state, Saakashvili found a well-organized state system in Georgia. All this explains the radical change in Saakashvili’s mental state before and after his imprisonment – he entered the prison with a smile and now he has nothing to worry about but how to get out of prison,” reads the letter.

In response to the above, Mikheil Saakashvili’s lawyer, Beka Basilaia, said after meeting with him, that the former president of Georgia is ready to take a drug test at the penitentiary institution.

“We have seen Mikheil Saakashvili riding a bicycle, we have seen him swimming, we have seen him on skis, he has lived a very healthy lifestyle – he was running, training, etc. We are ready, in front of TV cameras, not in Vienna, not in Samkharauli clinic, but in this institution, to take a test for any drug – starting with light drugs, ending with chemical drugs,” Basilaia told the press, added that, “at the same time, we will challenge Garibashvili to also take a drugs test, in the Chancellery, in the presence of the media acceptable to him, and after that, we will hear what he has to say.”

Ian Kelly, former US Ambassador to Georgia in 2015-2018, responded to the current events in Georgia via Twitter, expressing concern at Garibashvili’s letter regarding the return of Former President.

“Both are a poison in the body politic. As are all politicians, including in my country, who choose conflict and personal power over national interests,” Kelly tweeted.

THE INTERNATIONAL RESPONSE TO SAAKASHVILI’S ARREST US Ambassador to Georgia Kelly Degnan stated that Saakashvili’s case is to be a test of the Georgian judiciary, and added that they will monitor whether the case is conducted impartially, as they hope.

“We are aware of the reports of the detention of Mr. Saakashvili and we’re following developments very closely. We urge Georgian authorities to ensure that Mr. Saakashvili is afforded fair treatment in accordance with Georgian law and Georgia’s international human rights commitments and obligations,” stated the spokesman of the US State Department Ned Price at a press conference.

Among other foreigner supporters and friends of Georgia, the European People’s Party also responded to Saakashvili’s arrest. Their statement notes that the arrest and political persecution of the former President of Georgia further increases the tensions and political polarization within the country.

“The EPP calls on the Georgian government to improve the political environment, to guarantee

free and fair elections in the second round, and to stop the persecution of political opponents.

We will closely monitor the second round, where the fate of the big cities will be decided.”

Foreign media, including the BBC and Forbes, has responded to the latest events in the country.

Forbes published an article, entitled “What Just Happened In Tbilisi Will Affect All of You,” written by journalist Melik Kaylan.

“The only chance at full-scale change and return of optimism, like it or not, is in the person of Saakashvili. He is not the most popular or politically flawless figure, but he is the bravest, packs the most experience at seizing the moment and overturning the odds. The last time the world cared about Georgia was during his tenure because he realized that only global attention could stave off Moscow’s bullying. He deliberately made himself a high profile figure abroad – in the US, in France, around Europe and beyond,” notes the author.

“Georgia’s former President Mikheil Saakashvili has been arrested on his return from exile. Footage broadcast on Georgian television showed the former president in handcuffs and smiling as officers led him away,” reported the BBC. “Despite being abroad for eight years, the former president is still widely seen as a leading opposition

figure and has called on supporters to rally in the capital Tbilisi,” reads the article.

SAAKASHVILI'S NEW FAMILY Notably, it has also been revealed that there are changes in the private life of the former President of Georgia - he has a new family after breaking up with Dutch wife Sandra Roelofs. He informed the public about it together with his partner, Ukrainian politician Lisa Yasko, in a video Yasko posted on Facebook on October 1, after Saakashvili was arrested. Following his arrest, Yasko came to Georgia and visited him in prison.

The above announcement was as much a surprise to the former First Lady of Georgia, Sandra Roelofs, as it was to the rest of the world.

“Many confused friends and comrades are asking me about my private life. I will not hide from you that the content of the video released on Friday evening was unexpected to me, and the form was completely unacceptable. Despite my personal emotions, I remain calm and believe that we will emerge victorious from this battle,” Roelofs wrote on Facebook.

Sandra says Saakashvili is a political prisoner and as a citizen of Georgia she fully joins the demand for his release.

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POLITICS

GEORGIA TODAY

OCTOBER 8 - 14, 2021

The 2021 Local Elections Continued on page 2

The International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy (ISFED) announced the results of a parallel count, according to which, across the country, in the proportional part, Georgian Dream received 46.6% of the votes, UNM 31.1%, and For Georgia 7.7%.

Across Georgia, they claimed the following results: Georgian Dream - 46.6% United National Movement - 31.1% Gakharia - For Georgia - 7.7% Lelo - 2.6% European Georgia - Movement for Georgia - 1.8% David Tarkhan-Mouravi, Irma Inashvili - Alliance of Patriots of Georgia - 1.5% Third Force-Strategy Builder - 1.4% Zurab Girchi Japaridze - Girchi More Freedom - 1.4% Shalva Natelashvili - Labor Party - 1.3% Girchi - 1.0% Other - 3.7% According to the ISFED count, the votes among the parties in Tbilisi saw Georgian Dream receive 39.7% of the vote, United National Movement 28.3%, and For Georgia 8.8%.

In Tbilisi, ISFED recorded the following percentages: Lelo - 3.7% Zurab Girchi Japaridze - Girchi More Freedom - 3.4% Aleko Elisashvili - Citizens - 2.5% Ana Dolidze - For People - 2.5% Elene Khoshtaria - It’s Time - 2.1% David Tarkhan-Mouravi, Irma Inashvili - Alliance of Patriots of Georgia - 1.7% Girchi - 1.7% Shalva Natelashvili - Labor Party - 1.3% European Georgia - Movement for Georgia - 1.1% Third Force-Strategy Builder - 1.0% Other - 2.2% A second round of self-government elections will take place on October 30 in 20 cities: Tbilisi, Rustavi, Kutaisi, Poti, Batumi, Telavi, Tianeti, Kareli, Khashuri, Tsageri, Baghdati, Tskaltubo, Ozurgeti, Senaki, Martvili, Khobi, Zugdidi, Tsalenjikha, Chkhorotskhu, and Khelvachauri, as the October 2 local self-government elections in those cities did not reveal a winning candidate for mayor.

UNM and Georgian Dream candidates will face each other in 17 cities in the second round, Giorgi Gakharia's candidate Besarion Bendeliani came second in Tsageri, and independent candidates Tamaz Mechiauri and Konstantine Sharashidze will face the Georgian Dream in two cities - Tianeti and Ozurgeti.

Opposition parties, aside from For Georgia and the Alliance of Patriots, are expected to support the biggest opposition force, the UNM, during the second round.

INTERNATIONAL RESPONSES The US Embassy responded to the October 2 elections in Georgia by noting that the United States shares the OSCE ODIHR's initial assessment that these elections were technically well-administered, but the environment was marred by widespread and consistent allegations of intimidation, vote-buying, and pressure against candidates.

“While voters were able to cast their votes in a largely calm environment on October 2, the election process is about more than Election Day. We share ODIHR’s concerns about the polarized media landscape, the significant imbalance of resources and insufficient oversight of campaign finances, the underrepresentation of women in the campaign, reports of misuse of administrative resources, and pressure against journalists.

“We commend the professional domestic election observation organizations - in particular, ISFED, GYLA, PMMG, and TI - for informing the public with sound, balanced assessments and reliable information throughout the campaign period and on Election Day. Their important contributions have, over time, improved the election process. We are concerned by reports that some of these respected domestic NGOs encountered barriers to observing the elections," reads

the statement issued by the US Embassy.

The Embassy went on to note that significant reports of misuse of administrative resources have raised doubts about the general fairness of the election, adding in many towns and villages, pressure against teachers, law enforcement officers, and other public sector workers reportedly interfered with their ability to exercise their free choice on Election Day. “This type of abuse is wholly incompatible with Georgia's democratic and Euro-Atlantic ideals. The Embassy is concerned that there is a dangerous risk these and other recurring elections violations are becoming accepted as inevitable. Georgian voters deserve a higher standard of integrity in their election process.

“We also regret actions that are likely to further polarize and destabilize Georgia’s already tense political situation and parties’ emphasis on personal attacks rather than addressing voters’ priorities.

These actions call into question some political parties’ commitment to the principle that political legitimacy should be won or lost at the ballot box,” reads the statement.

The Embassy recognized that Parliament's recent efforts to implement electoral reforms to address some of the shortcomings identified in previous elections deserve praise. Yet, “while some measures resulted in positive changes, the overall failure to significantly reduce recurring patterns of violations, especially during the pre-election period, is disappointing,” they wrote.

The Embassy calls on Parliament, including opposition parties, to “recommit in good faith to strengthening Georgia's election system in a comprehensive manner; to implement key reforms including judicial reforms - recommended

by ODIHR, the Venice Commission, and Georgia's international partners; and to pass constitutional amendments ensuring that all future parliamentary elections will be fully proportional, as they have previously pledged to do. The reform process must be implemented hand-inhand with citizens and civil society.

“Now is the time to build political alliances among parties to urgently address the issues that are most important to Georgia's citizens. As it has in the past, Georgia must meet the challenges of building its democracy with courage, compromise, and resolve. Each election is a chance to strengthen and improve the democratic process. On October 2, Georgia's citizens exercised their precious right to vote, to be heard, and to hold their political leaders accountable.

We call on all parties to resist efforts to further polarize the political situation, to maintain a calm post-election environment, and to ensure the fair, impartial adjudication of electoral complaints. The

second round of voting is an opportunity to improve the process and conduct an orderly, competitive run-off with results Georgians can have full confidence in.

“The United States is proud to have stood alongside the people of Georgia over the decades and we will continue to support Georgia’s efforts to build a strong democracy, a prosperous economy, and a stable, secure country,” reads the statement.

The Delegation of the European Union, in coordination with the embassies of the Member States of the European Union, also commented on the first round of the 2021 local elections in Georgia, saying that the elections were “generally well administered,” though “characterized by hardened polarization.”

“On 2 October, local elections took place in Georgia. The European Union commends the Georgian citizens for exercising their democratic right to vote in these elections, as well as the dedicated electoral staff and observers, considering the challenging context of the COVID-19 pandemic. We welcome the fact that a full-fledged International Election Observation Mission was deployed. This mission concluded that the elections were generally well administered, though characterized by hardened polarization, and that contestants were able to campaign freely in a competitive environment, and that the Election Day proceeded in an orderly and transparent manner. It also highlighted important shortcomings, notably widespread and consistent allegations of intimidation, vote-buying, pressure on candidates and voters, and an unlevel playing field. In addition, the significant imbalance in resources and undue advantage of incumbency further benefited the ruling party. The underrepresentation of women in the campaign demonstrates a need for greater commitment to ensure adequate representation in politics.

“We note with satisfaction that the amendments adopted in the run-up to the elections substantially improved the legal framework. However, it will be important to address, in an inclusive manner, all outstanding ODIHR recommendations, including those related to limitations on voting rights, some aspects of electoral dispute resolution, and further measures to counter the misuse of state resources. Genuine reform of the Judiciary is indispensable to increase trust also in the handling of electoral complaints.

“The current polarization continues to have a negative effect on Georgia’s democracy – all parties have a responsibility to address this.

“In view of the second round of elections, the European Union calls on the authorities and all the political parties to urgently make additional efforts to

ensure a fair electoral process. The reported malpractices must not become the norm. We also expect credible and swift investigations of all complaints, including reported intimidation and violence against journalists.

“The European Union will remain a consistent supporter of efforts to strengthen democracy in Georgia. We will continue to base our relationship on the principles of respect for human rights, the rule of law and democratic standards – values that are at the core of the EU-Georgia Association Agreement,” reads the statement.

The Chair of the Delegation for relations with the South Caucasus, MEP Marina Kaljurand, the European Parliament's Standing Rapporteur on Georgia, MEP Sven Mikser, and the European Parliament's lead Member for democracy support activities in Georgia, MEP Viola von Cramon-Taubadel, this week issued a joint statement on the first round of the local elections in Georgia.

“We would like to recognize that Georgia, a key partner of the European Union, conducted a competitive and well-managed first round of the local elections on 2 October, despite the extremely polarized political environment and challenging epidemiological situation. However, the pre-electoral environment did not provide a level- playing field for the contesting parties and candidates and the main attention was diverted from local to national issues,” they said.

“A delegation of Members of the European Parliament, led by Michael Gahler, observed these elections together with colleagues from the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe as part of the OSCE/ODIHR's International Elections Observation Mission.

“We take due note of the results announced by the Central Election Commission (CEC) – the Georgian Dream ruling party candidates garnered 46.6% of the votes, clearing the 43% threshold which, according to the EU-brokered 19 April agreement, would have triggered the holding of a snap parliamentary election.

“These elections took place under a substantially improved legal framework.

Voters were given a genuine choice between a variety of political alternatives, the elections were generally well administered, and the candidates were able to campaign freely. The Election Day proceeded in an orderly and transparent manner, despite some procedural issues during the process. CEC sessions were opened to stakeholders and streamlined for the first time, which increased transparency.

“The campaign was characterized by a hardened polarization of the political and media landscapes, which sometimes led to verbal or even physical confrontations. All too often, personal attacks prevailed over political debates, depriving voters of the ability to make an informed choice. Instances of misuse of public resources, as well as widespread allegations of vote-buying and intimidation against candidates, voters and journalists during the entire electoral campaign period must be investigated thoroughly.

“The electoral legal framework needs to be further improved in view of future elections, taking into account pending recommendations by the OSCE/ODIHR and the Venice Commission, notably when it comes to campaign financing, dispute resolution and the misuse of public resources. It is also necessary to address the underrepresentation of Georgian women in politics.

“Ahead of the second round of the elections, we call on the Georgian authorities and political parties to put an end to the malpractices observed during the first round. Last but not least, we count on the political class to show responsibility and maturity: they must put their nation's interest above party interests, turn the page of confrontation once and for all and implement much-needed reforms,” they wrote.

“The European Parliament remains ready to pursue its close cooperation with the Parliament of Georgia by providing assistance, including via its full spectrum of democracy-support activities, on the condition that our Georgian counterparts show a willingness to engage

constructively in such activities,” reads the statement.

THE HOME VIEWS Giorgi Gakharia, Chairman of For Georgia party, says they will support neither Georgian Dream nor the United National Movement in the second round of elections.

He stated at a briefing this week that his party was supported by those citizens who want to end both “radical forces and polarization” in the country.

For Georgia believes that its supporters can make an “independent decision” without its supporting either GD or UNM. “Our electorate is a sensible electorate who, by supporting us, in fact, said that they are against radicalization and concentration of power, and support balanced power. Accordingly, we cannot and will not tell them, we will not insult them by telling them, to support any one party. The fact that they supported us meant that they rejected radicalization and the two radical forces that create the illusion of fighting each other in order to take the country back to the past,” Gakharia said.

Members and supporters of the United National Movement who were gathered near the 12th penitentiary facility in Rustavi, where former President and UNM head Mikheil Saakashvili is being detained, demanding his release, listened to an empowered speech from Tbilisi mayoral candidate Nika Melia this week.

“No-one made Saakashvili come back and go where he is now [prison], but now he is freer than even Bidzina Ivanishvili,” he said, noting that nothing strengthens a political prisoner as much as the encouragement and attitude of the people.

“At the end of October, we must finish the work we started. Doing so will mean victory. We must win Tbilisi, Kutaisi, Poti, Telavi, and all the cities where we have already defeated Ivanishvili in this unequal battle,” Melia said.

The mayoral candidate said they would defend each vote, adding that Saakashvili had given them an example of how to fight.

Earlier in the week, Melia told TV Pirveli that if he becomes mayor of the capital, he will leave the post of UNM Chairman.

“It is very important that high-ranking officials of the capital government have a firm position, and I have to show this, starting with myself. Regardless of party position, after victory, they should leave their party and switch entirely to resolving municipal issues. After victory, it will be impossible for me to be both Chairman of the UNM and Mayor of Tbilisi,” he said.

He called on all other officials who will be represented in City Hall from other parties to make the same decision and leave their parties to focus on the municipality.

Current Tbilisi Mayor Kakha Kaladze also made an impassioned speech this week, following on from his expressed disappointment and surprise that GD had not won Tbilisi in the first round.

“Because of each of you who rely on me and my team, I am ready to take responsibility before Tbilisi once again,” he said, noting that during these four years, he and his team have “laid a solid foundation for the development and reconstruction of the city” and that “Tbilisians see how much work has been done to ensure that even today they travel on regular, clean transport.”

“We have managed to fix more than 1,000 streets, including those where the previous government did nothing. At the same time, I do not forget that there are still streets in Tbilisi that we have not been able to fix yet, and there are challenges in this direction. No, we won’t be able to solve all the problems in the next four years, but you can see for yourself that the process of large-scale rehabilitation in the city has not stopped for a moment; the interests of the population have not been pushed aside. Many settlements have been rehabilitated, and I feel the gratitude of these people, which is most important to me,” Kaladze said.

The Mayor noted that today what Tbilisi and the country need most is peace, stability, and most importantly - the development and reconstruction of the city.

POLITICS

GEORGIA TODAY OCTOBER 8 - 14, 2021

5

The South Caucasus and the New Hierarchical Order ANALYSIS BY EMIL AVDALIANI

R

ecently, the question is often asked in Georgia whether the country's foreign policy is changing. The trend is once again about Georgia "either with the West or with Russia."

The reality may be more nuanced: the country will be neither with the West nor with Russia. We may be witnessing attempts to establish a multi-vector foreign policy course. The reasons for this vary and include problems both in the EU and generally in the liberal world order in general. In parallel with these changes, a new order is emerging in the South Caucasus, where Georgia's role will be critically important for the large neighboring countries.

Thus, in the years ahead, Georgia may face qualitatively greater challenges than it has done so far. The country's foreign policy fixation on the West has brought multiple benefits, but compared to previous delays, this time the

Georgia, at the center of the Caucasus, will play an important role in the new order. Russia, Turkey and Iran will try to involve Georgia in its peace and security initiatives

issue of Georgia’s NATO and EU membership has been postponed for a longer time. This, of course, pushes Georgia to seek a solution.

In a previous article, I suggested that the solution might be to introduce a multi-vector foreign policy course. This means strengthening relations with the major players in Eurasia, which will help Georgia develop a more balanced foreign policy. The deepening of relations with the West will remain Tbilisi’s official foreign policy goal, but this aspiration will no longer be inflated with unrealistic expectations. A realistic approach will create more foreign policy space for maneuvering. As the world is moving fast towards a multipolar system, Georgia's location provides an opportunity for more active diplomacy in the wider Middle East and Eurasia as a whole.

If, in the 1990s, Georgia was in a phase of severe internal turmoil, foreign policy or current world events in general were developing positively for the country. Russia's influence was diminishing, while the West was ascendant. The world was moving from the bipolar world order to a phase of American hegemony. For a small and poor country that wanted to escape Russian influence, these global shifts created a beneficial geopolitical environment.

Consequently, a long strategic window opened before Georgia, which was squandered prior to 2020 by both Georgia and its Western partners – the blame for the country’s failure to join NATO and the European Union can be put on both sides.

Today, the situation is different. The liberal world order is experiencing a severe crisis. The problems are both within the system and externally, caused by the rise of China and the anti-Western actions of other Eurasian countries.

In the new situation, with Georgia unable to become a member of the European Union and NATO in the near future, the country needs to look for a more multi-faceted vision.

However, as we discussed above, the geopolitical situation around Georgia is becoming more difficult. First, the concept of spheres of influence has

Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Russia’s President Vladimir Putin. (File photo: AFP)

reappeared in the region. Second, the balance of power idea is increasingly becoming a foreign policy mechanism for Eurasian middle and great powers.

What will the new world order be like and what place will the South Caucasus have in it? The world will consist of two large and several small centers. The US and China will be two leading players.

Both will be surrounded by a number of closely aligned countries. The recent Australia-UK-US tripartite alliance agreement (AUKUS) is one of the steps taken by Washington toward this end.

While China's vision for a formal union is different, Beijing will try to unite illiberal countries around itself who will support relations built on Westphalian principles – territorial integrity, sovereignty and non-interference in the internal affairs of another country.

In addition to China and the US, Russia, India, Turkey and Iran will try to build small exclusive geopolitical zones along their borders. But their efforts will be largely tied to the interests of Washington or Beijing. Consequently,

the future world order will be chaotic.

It will also be hierarchical, with China and America playing a leading role, and others having a lesser impact. Nevertheless, this will form the Eurasian order.

The South Caucasus will be at the center of these global changes, as the region is bordered by three major players of the Eurasian continent – Russia, Iran and Turkey. All three are driven by more or less identical foreign policy goals, among them the withdrawal of non-regional forces from the South Caucasus, i.e. that the collective West should be minimally present or completely excluded from the ongoing processes in the region.

Consequently, the emergence of a new order in the world will lead to the establishment of a new order in the South Caucasus. Like the hierarchical world system, a similar structure will be created in the South Caucasus. Russia will be the major power. Moscow is well aware that it is impossible to create an exclusive order. Today's Russia cannot establish full control over the South Caucasus, as was done during the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union. This requires having adequate resources, which the economically weak Russia does not currently have.

At the same time, geopolitical prestige is needed, which Russia is slowly losing, as reflected in the excess of the military element in the Kremlin's policy in the South Caucasus. Maintaining influence in the region is being achieved through the creation of a larger number of military bases, a clear example of which is the deployment of Russian peacekeepers to Nagorno-Karabakh.

Therefore, Russia will try to establish a more hierarchical order in the South Caucasus. This order will be based on close cooperation with Turkey and Iran. Moscow’s hegemony will be recognized by Ankara and Tehran. However, this does not rule out disagreements between these three forces, or sharp diplomatic and economic competition. Attempts to replace the hegemon will also be active in the new hierarchical order. In this regard, moves

by Turkey, which will try to contain/ reduce Russia's influence by increasing its influence in Azerbaijan and Georgia, will be expanded. Ankara will also try to normalize relations with Yerevan, which chips away at Russia’s influence – improved Armenia-Turkey ties means a decrease of Yerevan's economic and infrastructural dependence on Moscow.

Georgia, at the center of the Caucasus, will play an important role in the

Strengthening relations with the major players in Eurasia, will help Georgia develop a more balanced foreign policy new South Caucasus order. Russia, Turkey and Iran will try to involve Georgia in its peace and security initiatives. It will be difficult to build a new long-term order in the South Caucasus without Georgia. This gives Tbilisi some advantages. By agreeing to participate in the new order, Tbilisi might hope to get concessions on such important issues as security in the Black Sea, Tskhinvali region and Abkhazia. Consequently, with constant maneuvering and correct and consistent application of the idea of balance of power, Georgia can achieve more results than it has managed so far.

Along with the opportunities come many geopolitical threats. The main problem is that the establishment of a new order in the South Caucasus will significantly reduce the influence the collective West held in the region. This could drive a wedge between Georgia and the West which can be painful both economically and politically. Moreover, it may also affect the democratic process in Georgia, with anti-liberal tendencies becoming stronger.

Georgia's success will depend on the proper use of these opportunities and the avoidance of threats. This will be difficult to implement because it requires a cohesive political class that is less radical and more focused on channeling national energy to achieve specific foreign policy goals. With the exception of Armenia, nowhere in the neighborhood is there such a fragmented political class as in Georgia.

This once again confirms the idea that the achievement of foreign policy success for Georgia largely depends on the solution of internal problems.

Emil Avdaliani is a professor at European University and the Director of Middle East Studies at Georgian think-tank, Geocase.

6

POLITICS

GEORGIA TODAY

OCTOBER 8 - 14, 2021

A New Europe...without the United States?

BY MICHAEL GODWIN

A

merica and Europe have long shared a genial relationship, with trade, tourism, and military cooperation. Recently, the United States has made moves that caught the European Union (EU), as well as sectors of the NATO community, off guard, so much so that some of the European leaders, media figures, and outspoken Europeans themselves have taken to the stage to call for a movement of isolation from the United States.

When the transatlantic alliance is less robust and less solid, this is not good for security in Europe or anywhere in the world. This is more than a bilateral trade or industrial topic. It’s more than that.

- President of the European Council Charles Michel

The US has long provided extensive support to the NATO mission, the aim being to enable the European forces to counter Russian aggression and strengthen their response in the shadow of United Nations’ weakness in other parts of the world, as well as offering military and humanitarian assistance from Africa to the South Pacific, as well as training assistance on European soil during relative peacetime.

However, recent actions taken by the American government have elicited the ire of many European officials. While some simply voice their concern, others have taken steps to further distance themselves from their Western partner.

These relations, if allowed to continue to sour, could be the divide nations like Russia and China have been waiting for with baited breath.

Afghanistan and the poorly executed withdrawal was the first of these occurrences. In the United Kingdom, Parliament voiced palpable anger at the United States President over his handling of the situation in the Middle East nation. With American troops being pulled out so quickly, many European countries found themselves scrambling to evacuate their diplomats and Afghan employees. British lawmakers made it clear that they were not only displeased with the handling of the withdrawal, but also with the statements made by President Biden regarding the Afghan military and security forces. During a session of Parliament, the President was even held in contempt for his "catastrophic,” "dishonorable,” and "shameful” exit operation. British Army veteran and Conservative Party Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Tom Tugendhat, went on to say, “Those who have never fought for the colors they fly should be careful about criticizing those who have.”

The United Kingdom, arguably the United States’ closest ally, has since vented its anger at the President repeatedly. Some even question the relationship with America overall. While it’s doubtful any serious degradation in relations will occur, it is notable for such a significant portion of their leadership to speak in such a way about Biden.

United States President Joseph Biden and President of the European Council Charles Michel meet during a summit. Source: United States Mission to the European Union

France, too, has become enraged at the decisions made by President Biden. After France was deliberately left out of a deal to supply Australia with nuclear submarine technologies, French President Emmanuel Macron voiced his distrust of the American administration. French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian characterized the move by Biden as a “break of trust between allies” and recalled diplomats from the United States and Australia.

The European Union and its leadership have come out strongly against Biden’s decisions, most notable with Charles Michel stating, “We are observing a clear lack of transparency and loyalty.” He held a meeting with the 27 European heads of state for October 5, with the key subject being the expanding divide between Europe and the United States.

While some European diplomats have framed the issue as merely a contractual problem between Paris, Canberra, and Washington, others have cited that this is exactly what NATO’s enemies want. A split between the United States and Europe is exactly what the Kremlin could capitalize on, both in Ukraine and Georgia, but also in a movement into the Baltic nations.

Charles Michel made this clear in his statement on the subject, saying, “When the transatlantic alliance is less robust and less solid, this is not good for the security in Europe or anywhere in the world. This is more than a bilateral trade or industrial topic. It’s more than that.”

German officials have stood by France in questioning their alliance with the United States. “I think all Europeans should stand with France, because the main problem in this regard is whether

French President Emmanuel Macron speaks after a meeting with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, calling for Europe to be wary of their relationship with the United States. Photo by Ludovic Marin/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

we can really have with America a partnership-oriented, trustful relationship,” said Manfred Weber, the German leader of the dominant conservative European People’s Party. As German Chancellor Angela Merkel eyes retirement, the new leader will be forced to make a heavy decision with regard to his country’s relationship with the United States.

These calls for greater European autonomy and separation from the White House’s unpredictable strategy could easily be put to ground as a simple ripple in foreign relations. However, with so many leaders calling for what Michel describes as a “need to develop our own capacity to act,” this puts Georgia in a precarious position. As a close American ally for decades and with an intense passion to become the next European Union member state, Georgia may become the site of a political tug-of-war.

Tbilisi, with both its European and American connections, can't afford to simply choose one over the other. While it’s unlikely to come to that type of decision, the European push for further autonomy could have an effect on Georgia’s close ties to the United States.

Despite over $1 billion in government investment from America, Georgia still requires European integration for its own domestic advancement. In addition, the NATO ascension path will require all three parties to maintain close cooperation.

The European Union, and its portion of NATO, have long been seen as lacking in their military strength and contributions to the organization. With a redoubled effort and further investment in defense priorities, it’s all too easy to see the dependency on the United States become lessened. Lessened is not however a complete removal. The United States and its vast political and military weight must be leveraged, but to what extent is in the hands of the European leaders now.

It is indeed true that Georgia, NATO, and the EU would most likely require the United States in the event of a major political or military incident with Russia or China. However, if that support can’t be guaranteed or expected during times of dire crisis, then perhaps the dependency on that support should be removed.

Outside of defense, the economic, cultural, and general strategic consequences of that estrangement would have global repercussions.

BUSINESS

GEORGIA TODAY OCTOBER 8 - 14, 2021

7

New Era for Georgian Investment Environment – Memorandum Signed between Georgian-Arabic-African Business Union and US-based GINIS Consultancy

I

n order to facilitate business relations between business entities operating in Georgia and foreign investors, a memorandum of understanding has been signed between the Georgian-Arabic-African Business Union “GAABU” and the American company “GINIS Consultancy”.

The cooperation between the two large organizations is aimed at attracting foreign investment to Georgia, as well as promoting the export of Georgian products and services. The parties say this cooperation will increase the inflow of foreign investment to Georgia.

Inspired and planned through the successful experience of GAABU and GINIS Consultancy, which covers various fields, including property and business management, as well as immigration services, tourism and more, the future megaprojects will create new opportunities both in the country and in the regions, which will be unprecedented in scale.

The joint effort of the business association and the leading people of the company, Hany Hebashi and Elamir Elsherif, will help to initiate and strengthen business relations between business entities operating in Georgia, and foreign investors.

An investment network platform is being set up to increase foreign direct investment in Georgia. According to its

organizers, the platform will help establish valuable contacts between investment seekers and investors, which will give the country an additional opportunity to attract institutional and private investment.

According to the parties, several investors are already interested in the Georgian business environment, and their cooperation will make a significant contribution to the economic development of our country.

The investment networking platform forum launched on September 24 highlighted the importance of mutual cooperation between Georgian companies to increase the country's FDI. Roza Rokhvadze, General Secretary of the Georgian-Arabic-African Business Union, notes that the goal of GAABU is to create the most comfortable business climate for foreign investors in the country, so that more investors become interested in Georgia, and so that many new jobs will be created, which will guarantee growth of the economic indicators.

The investment network platform, meanwhile, will provide information to various investors around the world about what projects are being implemented in Georgia. According to the organizers, among the most interesting areas are energy, agriculture, transport and com-

munications, IT sector, banking, and real estate.

In addition, in order to facilitate business relations between business entities operating in Georgia and foreign investors, a memorandum of understanding was signed between GAABU and GINIS Consultancy. The MoU is aimed at attracting foreign investment to Georgia, as well as promoting the export of Georgian products and services.

“A memorandum was signed between GINIS Consultancy and GAABU. The main purpose of the memorandum is, first of all, to find foreign investors, and then to show them how to do business in Georgia,” says Hany Hebashi, Founder of OTI Group. “Due to its geopolitical location, Georgia is an interesting country for many, which is also distinguished by business security.”

“There are many fields in Georgia that are interesting for investors,” Elamir Elsherif, founder of GINIS Consultancy, notes. “Georgia is quite captivating for investors, and because of this, it has great potential to attract investors, representing as it does a kind of a bridge between Europe and Asia.”

Business meetings are planned in the United Arab Emirates, with the aim of attracting interested investors to do business in Georgia.

The Georgian-Arabic-African Business Union was founded in September 18, 2020 by the development company OTI Group, which had been operating in Georgia since 2018. The company operates in investment and real estate, and has been promoting the inflow of foreign capital and investments in Georgia for years. OTI Group cooperates with construction and development companies.

Among its assets are ongoing and implemented projects throughout Georgia, including OTI Dighomi 2B; OTI Tower 31; OTI Green Tower, Student House, Asureti Paradise, Reef Villa, and Marabda Sky View.

GAABU successfully operates with its members and partners to promote business development and investment in

Georgia, in addition to trade and industry.

The Union’s member organizations, companies and individuals have access to the services and benefits offered by GAABU, among them: investment, business and financial consulting, legal and immigration support, immigration and brokerage consulting, as well as marketing, promotional and PR services. The Union creates a favorable and secure environment for investors in Georgia, in order to set up a new business or diversify it.

Both OTI Group and GAABU have a network of branches in the Middle East through which they actively work with foreign partners and seek new ways and prospects for cooperation.

GINIS Consultancy is a Tennesseebased international organization. Among the clients and partners of the organization are both large business associations and investment groups. The company manages the processes with flexible and multifaceted approaches in various fields, be it geopolitical or macroeconomic risks, factors or opportunities, asset protection, or legal and tax services.

As a result of partnership with GINIS Consultancy, reputable and experienced law firms, as well as financial groups and major banks, are involved in investment programs in different countries.

The cooperation between GAABU and

GINIS Consultancy is unprecedented for Georgia. It will stimulate the interest of foreign investors to start various projects in Georgia and invest in the construction sector, as well as in other sectors of the economy. This, in turn, means new jobs, increased production and, consequently, improving the economic situation of the country. In short, this cooperation will be a new era for the Georgian investment environment.

POLITICS

Bipartisanship in Georgia OP-ED BY NUGZAR B. RUHADZE

H

ow about an officially introduced functioning bipartisanship in Sakartvelo?

This enterprising novelty could work as a way out of the ongoing political higgledy-piggledy in the country, forgetting about the prospect of the European model of a coalition government at least for now, this happening against the background of a presidential republic of course: The god-blessed and well-weathered American political model!

Guess what encouraged me to suggest it? Only the outcome of the self-government elections 2021! I’m refusing to count the number of those unlikely political parties feebly playing the big game, because their quantity is hilariously high, and the quality happens to be beneath the nadir.

Who needs that many vociferous but flimsy and often one-member accidental political formations within a nation of just three-million? I call it but a political craze, nothing more.

Folks, this is a nation with an acute proclivity to do politics with greater pleasure and acumen than business. The situation purely qualifies this as the ‘end of the world’. I wonder why our didactically

poised western friends are not prompting us to stop the nonsense and pull ourselves together? In fact, they are doing just the contrary, enthusiastically applauding our overwhelming political zealousness. We probably need to introduce a certain amount of Marxism into our political culture, maintaining that ‘being determines consciousness’, thus teaching ourselves that making money is more important than making politics. This is of course one of my little jokes, but we know how it is: there’s always a grain of truth to every joke.

Anyways, let us now return to the matter at hand, and that is the possibility of planting the American-style bipartisan politics on our Georgian soil, which does not apply to a parliamentary system like they have in Great Britain, or the one we are practicing now. The American bipartisan interaction didn’t fall like manna from heaven: the history of the nation has it that the struggle was long and painful, with contemporary bipartisanship preceded by nonpartisanship in American politics. To wit, in the bipartisanship political environment, which literally means two-party system, the opposing political parties are usually poised to use compromise as a political instrument to get themselves on common ground concerning the most burning national issues.

I think this is exactly what we need to

Image source: aaaa.org

exercise here in Georgia in order to achieve the long-dreamed-of national accord by means of getting rid of the impotent political forces romping around the arena without any tangible use. The Georgian political life of the latest thirty-something years is marked with an overly motley and dysfunctional multi-partisan system which has rendered abortive (rather than productive) most of the political activity in terms of enhancing the standard of living in the country. Well, life has improved to a certain extent, but not thanks to multi-partisan sweat but rather through inertia and the overall global trend.

The idea is that the electoral struggle

should take place only between two major political parties, and once one of them is elected to rule the country, they try to agree about all or most of the issues regarding the country’s political life.

Nobody says that this is a man’s most optimal political invention ever, but it seems it might really fit into our current political life, because bipartisanship is about reconciliation, involving only two parties, not about squaring off the accounts among tens of parties that have been clashing with each other on an everyday basis over the last thirty years, and with no result to that.

Just imagine what a relief it would be

for the people of Georgia to get rid of that annoying avalanche of mutually recriminating speeches, preposterous emotions and irrelevant plans to promote the Georgian cause which interminably emanate from those multi-party debates. What a waste of time and energy! So, why can’t we give bipartisanship a go for a change, and grant a new chance both to a balanced political word and to our politically exhausted electorate? Georgia is ready for this kind of experiment. After all, it is just two parties in reality who have been fighting for power in the last couple of decades, so we should be well prepared for the change.

8

BUSINESS

GEORGIA TODAY

OCTOBER 8 - 14, 2021

ISET AGRI REVIEW | October 2021: The Sector at a Glance bles in January-August 2021 decreased by 15% from 28.1 mln USD to 23.7 mln USD compared to the same period of the previous year. Increase in exports and decrease in imports might have caused a shortage in domestic supply and therefore an increase in price even if domestic production increased. As statistics on domestic production are not yet available, it is difficult to discern the exact reason for the increased prices for vegetables.

Figure 1. Amount of processed grapes and farmers' income

INTERNATIONAL PRICES

T

he National Statistics Office of Georgia (GeoStat) recently published its economic review for Quarter II 2021. The publication highlights that agricultural production decreased by -2.3% in the second quarter of the year compared to the same period of 2020. Furthermore, agriculture contributed to 7.8% of the country’s total GDP during this period.

Trends in Foreign Direct Investments (FDI) do not look promising either. In the second quarter of 2021, FDI in agriculture decreased significantly by 73% compared to the same indicator in 2020.

Moreover, FDI in agriculture was relatively low compared to the other sectors of the Georgian economy and accounted for 0.6% of total FDI. 2021 has been tough for grape growers.

On August 26, hail and strong winds damaged 4,600 hectares of grapes in the Telavi and Gurjaani municipalities of the Kakheti region. Under “Rtveli 2021”, damaged Rkatsiteli grapes were accepted for 0.8 GEL in the Vintage Coordination Headquarters and damaged Saperavi grapes - for 1 GEL. According to the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia, there will be onetime compensation of 3000 GEL to those farmers whose harvest was completely destroyed to recover their vineyards.

Similarly to previous years, the Govern-

ment of Georgia (GoG) is subsidizing the 2021 grape harvest again this year to help farmers and wine producers sell their products. From a total of 0.9 GEL per kg of Rkatsiteli or Kakhuri Mtsvane grapes, 0.35 GEL will be subsidized.

By 1 October, around 203.7 ths. tons of grapes were sold with a corresponding income for farmers of 237.8 mln. GEL. However, since Rtveli is not yet over, the final statistics on grape sales and their total income is not yet available (Figure 1).

In June 2021, the CPI rose by 9.9% compared to June 2020, while corresponding year-over-year changes were 11.9% and 12.8% in July and August 2021, respectively. In August 2021, the year-over-year prices of food and non-alcoholic beverages also increased significantly, by 16.2%, contributing 5.09 percentage points to the change in total CPI. The main drivers were price increases in the following subgroups: oils and fats (+43.9%), vegetables (+42.2%), milk, cheese and eggs (+17.3%).

PRICE HIGHLIGHTS: DOMESTIC PRICES

VEGETABLES IN THE SPOTLIGHT

On a monthly basis, the country’s price levels increased between June-August 2021. The Consumer Price Index (CPI) in August 2021 slightly increased by 0.75% compared to July 2021. While in July, prices increased by 1.3%, from the previous month. The corresponding monthover-month price increase was 0.7% in June.

Between June-August 2021, prices for food and non-alcoholic beverages, measured by the Food Price Index (FPI), also exhibited an upward trend. In August 2021, food prices increased by 1.4%, compared to July 2021; while the corresponding month-over-month price changes in June and July were 0.2% and 3.2%, respectively.

From an annual perspective, CPI continued to increase in June-August 2021.

Figure 2. Annual price changes for vegetables (August 2021 VS August 2020)

During June-August 2021, annual prices in the sub-category of vegetables exhibited an upward trend. In June 2021, prices for vegetables increased by 16.6% compared to June 2020, while the corresponding price increase was 35.4% in July 2021.

Within the indicated period, the annual increase in vegetable prices marked its highest level, 42.2% in August 2021.

According to Geostat data, in August 2021, prices have increased for all products in the sub-category of vegetables. The biggest price increases were observed for eggplant (139.2%), cucumber (110.4%), and beet (108.3%) (Figure 2). Trade statistics reveal that during January-August 2021, the export value of vegetables amounted to 17.5 mln USD, which was 2.25 times higher than the same indicator in January-August 2020 (7.9 mln USD).

Meanwhile, the value of imported vegeta-

During June – August 2021, international prices exhibited an upward trend on an annual basis. In August 2021, the Food Price Index, measured by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), increased drastically, by 32.9% compared to August 2020. The August increase in FPI was driven by strong increases in the vegetable oils (67.9%), sugar (48.2%), and cereal (31.1%) sub-indices. Such a sharp increase in vegetable oil prices was driven by increases in palm, soy and rapeseed oil prices due to concerns over lower production than expected, while sugar prices rose due to harvest delays and concerns over frost damage to crops in Brazil, the world's largest sugar exporter. Reduced harvest expectations in several major exporting countries pushed cereal prices up.

decreased from 321 to 233 thousand tons (by 19%) compared to the same period of the previous year. Also, wheat flour imports decreased by 21% - from 294 to 233 thousand tons (Figure 3). The increase in wheat prices might have affected the amounts of both wheat and wheat flour imported as both figures are at their lowest in five years. Prices of wheat increased from 229 USD per ton in 2017 to 263 USD in 2021 (by 15%). Following the trend closely, wheat flour prices increased at the same rate as wheat itself – 15%, from 233 USD per ton in 2017 to 268 USD in 2021. Both of these prices are the highest observed over the last five years, following an almost identical trend. Looking forward, if more export restrictions are introduced by Russia, then wheat prices and therefore wheat flour prices might increase even further.

POLICY WATCH

In 2021, total exports from Georgia between January-August amounted to 2,611 mln USD, which is 26% higher than the cor-

Alcoholic beverages to be subject to certification from 2023 in Georgia On 14 September 2021, the Agrarian Issues Committee of the Parliament of Georgia reviewed the draft laws on vine and wine and the Code of Administrative Offenses, and sent the initiatives to the plenary session for the first hearing. The new regulations envisage a required certification of alcoholic beverages to be implemented on the local market beginning in 2023. While certifications are usually costly for producers, they are vital to ensure food safety and production of

responding figure last year (2,072 mln USD). Likewise, an increase in agricultural exports is observed but with a higher rate - 30%, from 528 mln USD in 2020 to 683 mln in 2021. USD. Overall, the share of agricultural exports in total exports compared to last year increased slightly – from 25% to 26%.

Total Georgian imports have also increased but by a slower rate than exports – 21%, from 5,030 mln USD in 2020 to 6,073 mln USD in 2021. As for the change in agricultural imports, it shows a 6% increase compared to the same period in 2020 (from 763 mln USD to 811 mln USD).

However, the share of agricultural imports within the total imports has decreased from 15% to 13%. There are no significant changes in either agricultural exports, nor imports. Both exhibited slightly upward trends in 2021 compared to 2020.

Due to the recent significant increase in wheat prices observed on the global market, it’s interesting to look at Georgian imports of wheat and wheat flour to see how the trend translates to the Georgian market. The graph below compares imported amounts of wheat flour and wheat, from 2017 until 2021 for the January-August period. In 2021, wheat imports

high quality wine. Higher quality in turn will contribute to the increased competitiveness of Georgian wine on local and global markets.

For more information follow the link: https://parliament.ge/en /media / news/2023-tslidan-sakartveloshi-alkoholiani-sasmelebis-sertifitsireba-savaldebulo-ikneba Swiss agricultural vocational school in Dmanisi municipality to receive its first students From November 2021, a Swiss agricultural school in the village of Sarkineti, Dmanisi municipality will receive its first students. Swiss Agricultural School Caucasus (SASC) is set up according to Swiss standards, and specializes in cattle breeding, dairy and cheese processing. The project is implemented by the private financial fund “Swiss South Caucasus Foundation” (SSFC) and is carried out with the support of the Embassy of Switzerland in Georgia. The project is expected to contribute to the development of Georgia’s livestock sector which has exhibited downward trends in recent years.

For more information follow the link: h t t p s : / /m e p a . g ov. g e /G e / Ne ws / Details/20502

TRADE HIGHLIGHTS

SOCIETY

GEORGIA TODAY OCTOBER 8 - 14, 2021

9

Journalists and Bloggers Awarded in Beat Plastic Pollution Campaign

Deputy Head of Mission Marko Soldic presents the first prize to Tea Topuria

CENN head Nana Janashia presents the 3rd prize to GT's Katie Ruth Davies

BY TEAM GT

C

ENN and the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture, with the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Norway, on October 6 held the awards ceremony of a competition for journalists and bloggers/vloggers “Beat Plastic Pollution” as part of the ongoing National Plastic Waste Prevention Program.

Within the scope of the competition, published articles, blogs, videos, photo stories and vlogs were accepted, all of which had to depict plastic pollution and the challenges related to plastic overall.

Content could include personal experience, a focus on the circular economy and sustainable management of plastic waste, the role of the business sector in reducing plastic waste and/or the role of recycling companies in reducing plastic and developing the economy, or problems associated with microplastics and the risks to human health.

The aim of the competition was to help raise awareness of the negative impact of plastic and plastic pollution, the ways in which we can reduce excessive use of plastic, and the ways in which we can reduce plastic pollution.

Three winners were chosen by the jury.

The 1st place winner, Tea Topuria, won

By changing our ways, we are showing the next generation that we do indeed take the future seriously, through action and not only in words. – Deputy Head of Mission Marko Soldic

1,500 GEL in Zoommer vouchers for her work “So, delicious! How we eat one plastic card every week,” in which she wrote about microplastics, how widespread they are, and the potential harm to our health and environment.

The 2nd place winner, Anano Mtschedlishvili, received 1,200 GEL worth of Zoommer vouchers for her work “How plastic harms the environment and why recycling is not a solution to the problem.” In this article, she focused on how severe the plastic pollution problem and our throwaway culture are. She also wrote about potential solutions and how to move forward.

The 3rd place winner, GEORGIA TODAY’s own Katie Ruth Davies, won 900 GEL worth of Zoommer vouchers for her article “Here’s Why You Should Say No to Plastic (and How)” in which she explained how active her family is in environmental awareness-raising, and how they do their part to reduce plastic consumption and set an example for others.

Partners to the competition, Toyota Georgia and Gulf Georgia, each awarded 2000 GEL to their favorites, Toyota for “most creative work that shows strategic and long-term vision,” and Gulf for “the most creative work that shows personal experience and activities that support the reduction of plastic pollution.” Carrefour chose GT’s Katie Ruth Davies as its favorite submission to the competition, gifting her a Bag for Life and a JBL portable speaker.

Deputy Head of Mission to Norway in Georgia, Marko Soldic, noted that “although environmental issues do receive more and more attention, there’s still a worrying discrepancy between the seriousness of the issue and the attention it receives. And this is where bloggers and journalists come in,” he said. “To bridge this gap, we need to find ways to more effectively communicate the core of the issue to the public in a precise but honest and non-alarmist way. This award ceremony is part of the awareness-raising activities under our cooperation with the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture, and CENN, for the National Plastic Waste Prevention Program in Georgia.”

The range of projects and initiatives that Norway supports in Georgia spans from security matters and social and human rights, to environmental issues such as those covered in this competition.

“Globally, we see two main challenges today in the attitude people have to information about environmental issues,” Marko Soldic told the audience. “The

first challenge is related to the decreasing but still significant part of the public, which is ‘indifference.’ To them, we need to communicate the fact that no-one can escape the consequences of the massive environmental challenges we face today.

Globalization and the scale of pollution has brought us way beyond the point where environmental issues can be viewed as local problems with limited spread. Today, microplastic particles from Norway end up in glaciers. A plastic bottle thrown into the Rioni river may theoretically end up in the great garbage patch in the Pacific Ocean.

“The second problematic attitude is of those who realize the problem but sink down into apathy due to the scale of the challenge. Their mantra is, ‘It doesn’t matter what I do for the environment, if China continues burning coal.’ To them, we need to communicate that the truth is exactly the opposite. Everyone can and must do their part, and it will have an effect. And I’m not only talking about the immediate and physical effect of having one less plastic bottle floating in the Rioni- I’m talking about the massive effect of slowly changing our ways and habits by integrating respect for the environment into everything we do.

“By changing our ways, we are showing the next generation that we do indeed take the future seriously, through action and not only in words,” he said.

“I know the bloggers and journalists here today are aware of these issues, and that they are trying hard to do their part.

A lot of the work that was submitted to this competition certainly testifies to this. I want to encourage you to continue to play this key role for the environment, keep writing about it, keep educating and motivating, and keep being the agents of change which we so need.”

“We appreciate the well-thought-out, educational, open and relevant submissions that we received for this competition,” Solomon Pavliashvili, Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture, said. “We have worked to introduce into the school curriculum, for the time being at 6th grade, a component on environmental protection, and we trained some 700 teachers in how best to convey that knowledge and information to their pupils.

“Preventing plastic pollution is a global issue, and it is difficult to find a solution, but we are working to develop the waste management field in Georgia, to reduce plastic pollution, and we will get used to the concept of separation, recycling, etc., as they have in other countries. You,

Carrefour PR Head Nino Ramishvili and GT Editor Katie Ruth Davies

First prize winner and Gulf favorite Tea Topuria talks about her writing

Anano Mtschedlishvili is handed her second place prize by Solomon Pavliashvili, Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture

the journalists and bloggers here today, are our partners in this process and you do great work, work that clearly comes from a desire within to make a change.

You do this for the people, for society, and for that, I thank you.”

Numerous school pupils took part in the #BeatPlasticPollution competition, a fact lauded by both Marko Soldic and Deputy Minister Pavliashvili. Their con-

tributions were accessed as excellent, in some cases better than those of the adults, reflecting that the younger generations have a better understanding of the need to tackle environmental issues and of the need to ensure that human activity on this planet returns to sustainable ways. “Our children are our hope for the future,” Soldic noted. “I hope more adults will listen to them.”

10

SOCIETY

GEORGIA TODAY

OCTOBER 8 - 14, 2021

Saturday Night Fever: Etseri, Svaneti

BLOG BY TONY HANMER

S

aturday Night Fever, mostly because of the recent local elections held across Georgia on Saturday October 4. Here in our village, too, there were several men vying for government posi-

tions, and the winner this time was one of my former colleagues, one of the teachers at our school, whom I’ve known for all of my two decades in Georgia.

The next time he visited our shop, I took the opportunity to congratulate him in person, for both his political victory and the general return to school, leaving the hated and really inefficient online lessons hopefully for good. Then I asked

him about the most pressing problem of our village at this moment.

Our water supply, which comes from a spring several kilometers above the village, has been quite erratic this year, for reasons rather mysterious to me and insufficiently explained. Heavy rains apparently blocked the main pipe with leaves and other washed-in debris: understood. Each such blockage means that someone must walk up to the source and clear it. I have never done this yet, and hope to join such a blockade simply to participate and learn what is needed in case I must do it alone sometime.

Other times of water cutoff, however, seem to have been quite unconnected with very wet weather. They are at least an inconvenience to all (I check with the neighbors at each occurrence to determine if the problem is ours alone or more widespread, and the latter it always is).

At worst, if we would have had guests in the guest house, they would have been a major embarrassment, although so far, mercifully, the two events have not coincided: partly because both cutoffs and guests have been less than common since the latter began trickling in this last May. It seems that somewhere upstream from us on the pipeline, access points are available, from which anyone can just… turn off the water to a whole hamlet, maybe to increase its pressure to their own area. They never seem to turn it down, however, only all the way off.

There are never any explanations or warnings or arguments or even culprits, just the sudden complete loss of our H2O. Now, as we do always have a 250 L water container full in our downstairs bathroom and a 6 L bottle full of water specifically to drink, our situation is rarely dire. But the whole upstairs ends up with nothing, and we have just a plastic container just to flush the toilet or wash our hands with, which we can institute for each of our 5 bathrooms separately as needed. Anyone needing a shower can have a bucketful heated up to pour over themselves. But that’s it.

The dishes generally sit unwashed; ditto the laundry, although we CAN run the washing machine entirely by bucket too.

Anyone wanting to settle a score (such thoughts are unfortunately too common in my head at the dry times) has this easy means at their disposal. I can’t point a finger at anyone at all, specifically, except those with whom we currently have very strained or even completely nonexistent relationships due to: chronic ignoring of their debt in the shop, being caught stealing from the shop (currently only a single example), or trying repeatedly to buy things when falling-down drunk.

Anyone else with a grudge against us is more than likely simply green with envy at our business prosperity: a less rare occurrence than anyone would like, it manifests in village hall meetings when all the old grievances from decades past are trotted out and lovingly rehashed. I hate to have such thoughts about my neighbors near and far, and try to suppress them when they arise, with varying degrees of success. We don’t at all mind the idea of anyone competing with our

guest house, shop or any other venture, and just want the whole village to flourish in both income and local spending.

But I made it known to my new local government representative that if anyone is hell-bent on causing chaos, turning off the water in winter, when pipes might well freeze until spring, is a very simple way out. Then we will simply leave, house by house or en masse, as the Svans have done in past hard times, and said local government will be kings of nothing. A commission is designated to appear by the middle of this month to check out the water woes, which means that they can indeed be solved before frost sets in. We will see.

Tony Hanmer has lived in Georgia since 1999, in Svaneti since 2007, and been a weekly writer and photographer for GT since early 2011. He runs the “Svaneti Renaissance” Facebook group, now with nearly 2000 members, at www.facebook.com/ groups/SvanetiRenaissance/ He and his wife also run their own guest house in Etseri: www.facebook.com/hanmer.house.svaneti

Living History in Georgia

BY MICHAEL GODWIN

I

n many parts of Europe and the United States, men and women from all backgrounds are often seen spending their weekends marching, making camp, drilling with uniforms and weapons, even fighting on open fields. These are not members of the standing army, but rather volunteers dedicated to the preservation of history through imitation. Wearing uniforms that are carefully tailored to mirror the chosen historical military unit, they march and conduct military drills and in some instances even simulate battle.

The reenactment of historical battles is nothing new. The Romans staged mock battles in their amphitheaters and coliseums, often with live combat; Medieval crowds looked on in amazement as “armies” collided on a parade field to

replicate the Roman and Greek battles of yesteryear. Now, volunteers spend their own resources to honor those who served their country in years past.

Through an exorbitant amount of research, they are able to recreate the uniforms and equipment that warriors from history’s armies wore. The arms are also often either the same from the preferred period, or recreations.

In the United States, some of these historical demonstrations are done through the United States Department of the Interior’s National Park Service with special attention paid to the soldiers and civilians that were involved or affected by the American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 9, 1865) and the American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783). Members of these volunteer units also partake in private events that simulate force-on-force combat complete with infantry, artillery, and even cavalry elements.

Living History Volunteers give a presentation on arms and equipment of the American War of Independence at the Valley Forge National Historical Park in Pennsylvania, United States. Source: The Valley Forge Tourism & Convention Board

As a means with which to embrace their ancestors, regional history, or simply leave the home on the weekend, these volunteers draw from virtually every background. And as shown by the large crowds these displays draw, their performances are highly regarded by both young and old, many of whom are passionate about their nation’s, region’s, state’s, or even city’s history, seeing this as an honor to their locale. The Georgian’s passion for their culture, history, and unique regions of the nation make it fertile ground for a similar community of volunteers.

Already present in some small Georgian towns and villages, some groups have taken to traditional dances and displays of swordsmanship or horse riding prowess on special cultural dates.

Additionally, Georgia is well known for its traditional ballet performances, such as those performed by the renowned Sukhishvilebi, whose combination of artistic choreography and links to the history of the country make it a treasured hallmark.

However, there is something at the center of living history that differentiates it from the more artistic and performative examples currently in place.

In many of these living history communities, there lies a sense of historical accuracy and attention to the details of the arms and equipment being employed in the demonstration. It is not uncommon for members of living history or historical reenactment groups, often modeled after a specific military unit, to spend countless hours online and in libraries doing research. This research centers around uniform types and construction, significant dates for their unit, notable members, and tactics used.

With Georgia’s extensive timeline and

Khevsurs, in Georgian ხევსურეთი, with their traditional arms and armor gather for a photo displaying their martial prowess as mountain soldiers. Source: Photographer unknown

colorful history, having a healthy community of volunteers willing to preserve this through a similar commitment to accuracy is important. In conjunction with the resources and research already done by the Georgian National Museum, volunteers have access to a wide breadth of information and historical artifacts.

Ongoing research and archeology projects offer an opportunity for the community and the researchers to come together to discover and preserve this jewel of Georgian culture.

Just as it is often done in the United States and much of Europe, these volunteer communities generally center around certain historical people, locations, or military units of a particular time period. Working together, these volunteers assist each other in organizing special events and in building a reputation of being a cultural icon as well as a trusted historical authority. In addition, these groups often take part in government events such as special holiday celebrations, memorial events, and even opening ceremonies for sports or

political events.

The use of traditional practices and the classic dueling seen in much of the mountainous regions of Georgia give an excellent starting point for local prospective volunteers. Youth programs aimed at rekindling a sense of national pride and historical literacy give a platform for volunteers to share their knowledge and demonstrations. With Georgia’s virtually innumerable amount of castles and ancient or medieval structures still present, this provides abundant locales for historical events and fairs to take place.

Historical preservation is something to which every community should be bound. That history is not only what makes the community what it is, but also can be a rudder to help steer them to where they will go. With a community of like-minded volunteers, working with schools and museums, Georgia enshrines its unique and expansive history. In doing this, it inspires a sense of unity and a positive national identity that is crucial to the health and welfare of the country.

SOCIETY

GEORGIA TODAY OCTOBER 8 - 14, 2021

11

Russification of Georgian Language Schools Continues in Akhalgori

O

n September 6, the schools of the Akhalgori district, which had been Georgianlanguage until 2017, started teaching in Russian in 1-8

grades.

“If the process continues in this way, schools will become fully Russian-language in three years,” says the NGO Democracy Research Institute (DRI).

The NGO says that the “Russification” of Akhalgori Georgian-language educational institutions has been ogoing since 2017, which means that the languages of education in the district’s schools and kindergartens are Russian and Ossetian only. According to the decision made by the de facto authorities of South Ossetia in 2017, Georgian schools are subject to the general curriculum developed in South Ossetia; textbooks and curricula meet the general education standard of the de facto republic and Georgian is taught as a subject.

Until 2017, the language of education in eight Georgian schools of the Akhalgori district was Georgian and the textbooks and curricula were certified by the Ministry of Education of Georgia. In 2017, representatives of the de facto authorities announced that the curriculum of Georgian schools did not fit the “South Ossetian reality,” focusing on a problem with teaching history. According to the de facto authorities of South Ossetia, the lessons

were biased and not in “South Ossetian interests.” After examining the textbooks, the de facto authorities came to the “conclusion” that the history textbook was directed against South Ossetia as a “state”.

Consequently, the textbook was removed from the curriculum; In order to control the situation, the curriculum that was taught in other schools of South Ossetia was also introduced in Georgian schools.

According to the Democracy Research Institute (DRI), the Akhalgori district has 17 first-graders in the current academic year: the Akhalgori Russian high school has 9 first-graders, Akhalgori high school, which was Georgian until 2017, has 3, the Orchosni village school has 3, the school in Ikoti village has 1 and the school in the Korinti village has 1. Other Ossetian villages in the district, such as Zakori and Tsinagara, have no firstgraders. A similar situation in the latter is caused by labor migration, mainly to Vladikavkaz and Akhalgori. At this stage, nothing is known about the school in the village of Akhmaji, although it will most likely be closed in the near future, as the school did not admit any students this year. As far as the Democracy Research Institute is informed, the only first-grader living in the village was enrolled by the parents in the Akhalgori Georgian high school instead of Akhmaji.

According to DRI, the schools of the Akhalgori district met the start of a new

Source: DRI

school year unprepared in terms of infrastructure and healthcare. No minor cosmetic repairs or disinfection were carried out in the classrooms before the start of the studies, even though the above had been a common practice in previous years. This creates an unfavorable situation for both the students and staff of

these educational institutions, especially given the pandemic.

The NGO says the above facts prove that the policy of pressure on the ethnic Georgian population and that discrimination on ethnic grounds has been deliberately pursued in the occupied region for years. The clearest example of the

above is the restriction of access to education in the mother tongue.

DRI calls on stakeholders to use all available mechanisms to end discriminatory practices in the Akhalgori district and to restore access to the right to get education in a mother tongue in all educational institutions.

Fathers’ School Opened in Kutaisi as Part of the “MenCare” Campaign

By Dato Mirzashvili/MenCare Georgia

O

n September 25, a Fathers’ School was opened in Kutaisi as part of the MenCare Campaign, at the initiative of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Georgia Country Office and the NGO “Care Together”.

The goal of the school is to promote the development of the skills and behaviors among men which will help them to become more engaged and caring fathers and partners. The Fathers’ School program will also help men learn more about gender equality, as well as about stereotypes and harmful social norms

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that hamper the efforts of achieving genuine equality.

Davit Tsomaia, 38, who became a father at the beginning of September, travels from Baghdati to attend the Fathers’ School. One of the things that interests him is to learn how to calm a crying baby. “[I do not want] to miss any details, either health-related or related to maintaining safety during the pandemic,” he says.

According to the facilitator of Fathers’ School, Ramaz Chichinadze, the school will help fathers better understand what fatherhood is, how to be good fathers, how to maintain healthy family relationships, and how to share responsibilities for children with their spouses.

“The UNFPA Georgia Country Office has been actively working for years and has put much effort in ensuring that as many fathers as possible are actively involved in the upbringing of their children, in our country. It is extremely important that men share the responsibilities for childcare and household chores equally with women, because such changes, changes that free people from harmful social norms and stereotypes, form the basis for building a healthy society,” Lela Bakradze, Head of the UNFPA Georgia Country Office says.

One of the first partners of the Fathers’

Journalists: Ana Dumbadze, Vazha Tavberidze, Tony Hanmer, Emil Avdaliani, Nugzar B. Ruhadze, Michael Godwin, Ketevan Skhirtladze Photographer: Aleksei Serov

School program in Kutaisi is the women’s health center “HERA”.

“We are ready to support the Fathers’ School program because the role of man as a caring partner and father is very important in the antenatal as well as postnatal periods. In addition, promoting innovative initiatives in the Imereti region is a priority for HERA,” its Director Marika Davituliani says.

The benefits of fathers’ active involvement in childcare and upbringing have been proven by numerous studies – the children are much happier, distinguished by physical and mental health, have high academic achievements, better social

Website Manager/Editor: Katie Ruth Davies Layout: Misha Mchedlishvili Webmaster: Sergey Gevenov Circulation Managers: David Kerdikashvili, David Djandjgava

skills, higher self-esteem, less behavioral problems and increased stress resistance.

Fathers’ School was established within the framework of the “EU 4 Gender Equality: Together against gender stereotypes and gender-based violence” program, funded by the European Union, implemented jointly by UN Women and UNFPA. The program seeks to tackle gender stereotypes and discriminatory norms, ensure equal rights and opportunities for women and men, and active involvement of men in the process of promoting gender equality.

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