An Indian Man's Journey Through Georgia, a Nation Marred by Political Divisions
2 days, 14 hours ago

An Indian Man's Journey Through Georgia, a Nation Marred by Political Divisions

The Quint  

In 2008, Saakashvili’s decision to attack South Ossetia – a Russian-backed breakaway region – provoked a Russian invasion that led to Abkhazia and South Ossetia coming under Moscow’s control. His prime minister, Bidzina Ivanishvili – a reclusive Georgian oligarch who amassed his fortune in Russia – engineered a political takeover. Initially, the Georgian Dream upheld a pro-European stance, advancing Georgia's efforts toward European Union integration. Shortly afterwards, Georgian Dream obstructed plans to construct a deep-water port at Anaklia on Georgia’s Black Sea coast – a strategic project supported by the US and the EU – that could have served as a base for NATO submarines.

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History of this topic

Georgia Selects New President, Affirming Shift Away From West
1 week, 1 day ago

Georgia Selects New President, Affirming Shift Away From West

Live Mint  

-- Georgia selected Mikheil Kavelashvili as its next president on Saturday, as protests backed by the current head of state continue over the government’s turn away from the West in favor of closer ties with Russia. She condemned the parliamentary elections won by Georgian Dream as illegitimate and backed opposition protests over alleged ballot-rigging, saying the vote was a “turning …

Georgia political crisis deepens as far-right leader Kavelashvili set to become president
Trending News
1 week, 3 days ago

Georgia political crisis deepens as far-right leader Kavelashvili set to become president

New Indian Express  

TBILISI: Georgia's political crisis deepened on Friday, as new pro-Europe protests gripped Tbilisi ahead of the controversial nomination of a far-right government loyalist as president. More unrest is expected on Saturday, when Georgian Dream is set to appoint far-right former footballer Mikheil Kavelashvili as president in a disputed election process. 'Unprecedented constitutional crisis' On Saturday, an electoral college controlled by …

Protests lay bare a clash of values and interests as Georgia navigates a Russia-West standoff
3 weeks ago

Protests lay bare a clash of values and interests as Georgia navigates a Russia-West standoff

Associated Press  

TBILISI, Georgia — Georgia is convulsed by political upheaval again after its pro-Moscow government, fresh off parliamentary elections denounced as rigged by its critics, decided to suspend negotiations for the small former Soviet republic to join the European Union. Putin’s spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said Moscow views the recent events in Georgia as similar to upheaval that rocked Ukraine in 2013 …

Georgian protesters and police clash after prime minister suspends talks on joining the EU
3 weeks, 3 days ago

Georgian protesters and police clash after prime minister suspends talks on joining the EU

Associated Press  

TBILISI, Georgia — Police and protesters brutally clashed in Georgia after the country’s ruling party suspended negotiations to join the European Union until 2028. Police used water cannons, pepper spray and tear gas late Thursday to disperse protesters who took to the streets following the announcement by Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze of the ruling Georgian Dream party. She said the …

Georgia protesters clash with police after PM suspends EU membership talks
Trending News
3 weeks, 3 days ago

Georgia protesters clash with police after PM suspends EU membership talks

Al Jazeera  

Protesters have clashed with police in Georgia after the governing party announced it was delaying European Union accession talks. Kobakhidze, whose Georgian Dream party has been criticised for alleged democratic backsliding and deepening ties with Russia, accused the EU body of “blackmail”, saying that he would put off accession talks until 2028, with the aim of becoming a member state …

Who is Bidzina Ivanishvili, the pro-Putin billionaire behind Georgia’s shock return to Russian influence?
1 month, 3 weeks ago

Who is Bidzina Ivanishvili, the pro-Putin billionaire behind Georgia’s shock return to Russian influence?

The Independent  

The painting Dora Maar au chat is one of Pablo Picasso’s most spectacular depictions of his muse and longtime mistress. Only later did the identity of the enigmatic buyer emerge – he was a 50-year-old oligarch called Bidzina Ivanishvili, whose $6.4bn fortune now makes him Georgia’s richest man, his total worth equalling one-third of the country’s gross domestic product. But …

Boris Johnson backs Georgia president's calls for protests on the streets after election was 'stolen' by Vladimir Putin
1 month, 3 weeks ago

Boris Johnson backs Georgia president's calls for protests on the streets after election was 'stolen' by Vladimir Putin

Daily Mail  

The president of the fiercely pro-Western nation of Georgia has called on its people to take to the streets after Vladimir Putin 'stole' its election. Boris Johnson also hit out at the ruling Georgian Dream party – run by a shadowy billionaire oligarch who made his fortune in Russia – for doing Moscow's dirty work. The president of Georgia Salome …

Georgian election thrown into chaos as pro-Western opposition accuse Putin sympathising oligarch of 'stealing victory' amid vote-rigging allegations
1 month, 3 weeks ago

Georgian election thrown into chaos as pro-Western opposition accuse Putin sympathising oligarch of 'stealing victory' amid vote-rigging allegations

Daily Mail  

Georgia's pro-Western opposition disputed the results of the parliamentary election after officials declared Sunday the ruling party led the crucial vote that could decide whether the country remains on the path to joining the European Union or comes under Russian sway. The Central Election Commission said Georgian Dream, led by pro-Putin oligarch Bidzina Ivanishvili, won 54.8% of Saturday's vote with …

EU Election in Georgia: A Defining Moment for the Caucasus Nation's Future
Trending News
1 month, 3 weeks ago

EU Election in Georgia: A Defining Moment for the Caucasus Nation's Future

Al Jazeera  

The upcoming EU elections in Georgia will be a defining moment for the country's future, with experts predicting that the geopolitical bifurcation of the country's politics will be a key factor in the outcome. The elections will determine whether Georgia continues down the path of European Union membership or pivots towards Russia under the pro-Russian Georgian Dream party. Polls suggest …

It’s Russia versus the West again, this time playing out in tiny Georgia
6 months, 3 weeks ago

It’s Russia versus the West again, this time playing out in tiny Georgia

LA Times  

Demonstrators wave Georgian national flags during a protest against the foreign influence bill at the parliamentary building in Tbilisi, Georgia, on Tuesday. Georgia’s parliament on Tuesday overrode a presidential veto of a measure that critics have dubbed the “Russian law” — dealing a crippling setback to hopes by pro-democracy forces that the former Soviet republic will be able to one …

Voters in the country of Georgia must balance bid to join the EU with maintaining Russian relations
54 years, 11 months ago

Voters in the country of Georgia must balance bid to join the EU with maintaining Russian relations

Associated Press  

DATE OF ELECTION Date not yet announced but expected to be Oct. 26 TYPE OF ELECTION Parliamentary WHO’S RUNNING There are two main political parties in Georgia. The Georgian Dream Party, the ruling party since 2012, is led by Russia-friendly billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili who returned to politics in December. The United National Movement Party was founded by jailed former President …

Russia’s Medvedev warns Georgian breakaway regions could be annexed
1 year, 4 months ago

Russia’s Medvedev warns Georgian breakaway regions could be annexed

Al Jazeera  

Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev accuses West of creating tensions over Georgia by discussing possible NATO membership. Russia’s Dmitry Medvedev, the deputy secretary of the Kremlin’s powerful Security Council, has warned that Moscow could annex Georgia’s breakaway regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, the Reuters news agency reported. Medvedev, who has cast himself as one of Moscow’s most hawkish political …

6 Western nations demand Russia return two regions it took from neighboring Georgia 15 years ago
1 year, 4 months ago

6 Western nations demand Russia return two regions it took from neighboring Georgia 15 years ago

Associated Press  

UNITED NATIONS — Six Western nations marked the 15th anniversary of Russia’s takeover of 20% of Georgia’s territory by demanding on Thursday that Moscow return the South Ossetia and Abkhazia regions. A joint statement by the six members of the U.N. Security Council — the United States, United Kingdom, France, Albania, Japan and Malta — said Russia’s invasion of Georgia …

Mikheil Saakashivili: Georgia’s imprisoned former president says Nato must not hesitate to admit Ukraine
1 year, 5 months ago

Mikheil Saakashivili: Georgia’s imprisoned former president says Nato must not hesitate to admit Ukraine

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Georgia's imprisoned former president, Mikheil …

Op-Ed: Russia launched a war in Georgia and suffered no consequences. That can’t happen with Ukraine
2 years, 2 months ago

Op-Ed: Russia launched a war in Georgia and suffered no consequences. That can’t happen with Ukraine

LA Times  

Wars are easier to start than finish, and their finale rarely follows any prescribed script. Most of these arguments start with the flawed presumption that Putin had a valid reason for his war, something that would justify a peace that compromises Ukraine’s sovereignty yet again. The 2008 NATO Summit in Bucharest, Romania, supposedly incited Putin’s ire by granting Georgia and …

Russians flock to Georgia, again, as Putin escalates war
2 years, 2 months ago

Russians flock to Georgia, again, as Putin escalates war

Al Jazeera  

New waves of Russians have arrived in Georgia, desperate to avoid joining troops in Ukraine. “Four days ago, we didn’t think either of us would be here,” said Alexey, a 24-year-old would-be draftee, in a restaurant on the cobblestone streets of Tbilisi’s Old Town. “They tried scaring us, saying they’ll drag us to the enlistment office, telling us the border …

‘Going home’: Georgia breakaway region to vote on joining Russia
2 years, 7 months ago

‘Going home’: Georgia breakaway region to vote on joining Russia

Al Jazeera  

Separatist region’s self-declared president says South Ossetia will hold a referendum to be part of Russia in July. The leader of Georgia’s breakaway region of South Ossetia set July 17 as a date for a referendum on joining Russia. “Anatoly Bibilov signed a decree on holding a referendum in the Republic of South Ossetia,” his office said in a statement, …

Georgia’s breakaway South Ossetia sets vote to join Russia
2 years, 7 months ago

Georgia’s breakaway South Ossetia sets vote to join Russia

Associated Press  

TBILISI, Georgia — The leader of the breakaway Georgian region of South Ossetia announced Friday that a referendum would be held in July on joining Russia. Russia and a handful of other countries recognize South Ossetia as an independent state, but most of the world still considers it to be part of Georgia. “We did it!” South Ossetian leader Anatoly …

Georgia’s South Ossetia plans to take steps to join Russia
2 years, 8 months ago

Georgia’s South Ossetia plans to take steps to join Russia

Al Jazeera  

Its separatist leader says the Moscow-backed breakaway region plans to take steps to become part of Russia. The separatist leader of Georgia’s breakaway region of South Ossetia says the Moscow-backed territory is planning to take steps in the near future to become part of Russia. The republic of South Ossetia will be part of its historical homeland – Russia.” Bibilov’s …

The other Russian interventions in its periphery
2 years, 10 months ago

The other Russian interventions in its periphery

Al Jazeera  

An explainer on what led to Russian interventions in Abkhazia and South Ossetia in 2008 and Crimea and Donbas in 2014. Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday recognised Ukraine’s breakaway regions of Donetsk and Luhansk, drawing condemnation from the West that fears Moscow is planning to invade its western neighbour. Here is a brief explainer on what led to the …

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