Press Scanner
Prepared by Diana Dundua
Thursday, November 22
“Givi Targamadze approves of the government shuffle”
Akhali Taoba reports that the parliamentary Defense and Security Committee chair, Givi Targamadze, is upbeat about the new cabinet nominees.
While he gave thumbs up to Bela Tsipuria, the initial education minister nominee who turned down the post after Targamadze’s interview, Targamadze focused his plaudits on outgoing Education Minister Kakha Lomaia, who is destined to take over at the National Security Council (NSC).
“It would be welcomed [if Lomaia becomes chief of the NSC]. I think that Lomaia’s experience would be very profitable for the country right now,” Targamadze said.
“New German defense attache appointed in Georgia”
Germany has appointed a new defense attache for Georgia, Sakartvelos Respublika reports.
On November 20, the newly appointed Lt. Col. Christian Farkhondeh visited the Georgian Defense Ministry, meeting with deputy ministers Batu Kutelia and Giorgi Muchaidze.
Farkhondeh also met with the deputy chief of the joint staff of the Georgian armed forces.
They spoke about Georgian and German cooperation in the defense sphere.
Farkhondeh is replacing Lt. Col. Reinhard Riedel, who has served in Georgia for three years.
Georgia’s defense attache to Germany, Maj. Giorgi Babunashvili, also attended the meetings.
“Rati Samkurashvili: the opposition cannot destabilize the country any longer!”
Akhali Taoba writes that majority MP Rati Samkurashvili has accused the opposition coalition of trying to “raise the political temperature in the country,” and saying that dialogue between the government and the opposition has faltered because of the influence of “external forces.”
The opposition was bringing ultimatums to the talks, he said.
“The failure of dialogue benefits the forces which are directing the opposition, the forces that are Georgia’s enemies… The government has already made serious concessions,” Samkurashvili said.
He added that the opposition won’t be able to destabilize the country any further.
“The voters have seen their true face,” the MP said.
“Kokoity blocked nearly every road”
Didi Liakhvi MP Guram Vakhtangishvili, Rezonansi writes, says the situation in the South Ossetian conflict zone is relatively calm. However, he claims that the de facto separatist administration there has blocked most roads, and the locals are finding it tough to get around.
Vakhtangishvili says that, unlike the Abkhazian conflict zone, there is no sign of heightened Russian military in the South Ossetian conflict zone.
“I left [Didi Liakhvi gorge] on Tuesday, and nothing suspicious has happened there yet. Though there is one fact worth mentioning—last year, so many weapons came into [the de facto secessionist capital] Tskhinvali that the [separatists] won’t have enough soldiers and supporters to use all of them,” Vakhtangishvili said.
Akhali Taoba reports that the parliamentary Defense and Security Committee chair, Givi Targamadze, is upbeat about the new cabinet nominees.
While he gave thumbs up to Bela Tsipuria, the initial education minister nominee who turned down the post after Targamadze’s interview, Targamadze focused his plaudits on outgoing Education Minister Kakha Lomaia, who is destined to take over at the National Security Council (NSC).
“It would be welcomed [if Lomaia becomes chief of the NSC]. I think that Lomaia’s experience would be very profitable for the country right now,” Targamadze said.
“New German defense attache appointed in Georgia”
Germany has appointed a new defense attache for Georgia, Sakartvelos Respublika reports.
On November 20, the newly appointed Lt. Col. Christian Farkhondeh visited the Georgian Defense Ministry, meeting with deputy ministers Batu Kutelia and Giorgi Muchaidze.
Farkhondeh also met with the deputy chief of the joint staff of the Georgian armed forces.
They spoke about Georgian and German cooperation in the defense sphere.
Farkhondeh is replacing Lt. Col. Reinhard Riedel, who has served in Georgia for three years.
Georgia’s defense attache to Germany, Maj. Giorgi Babunashvili, also attended the meetings.
“Rati Samkurashvili: the opposition cannot destabilize the country any longer!”
Akhali Taoba writes that majority MP Rati Samkurashvili has accused the opposition coalition of trying to “raise the political temperature in the country,” and saying that dialogue between the government and the opposition has faltered because of the influence of “external forces.”
The opposition was bringing ultimatums to the talks, he said.
“The failure of dialogue benefits the forces which are directing the opposition, the forces that are Georgia’s enemies… The government has already made serious concessions,” Samkurashvili said.
He added that the opposition won’t be able to destabilize the country any further.
“The voters have seen their true face,” the MP said.
“Kokoity blocked nearly every road”
Didi Liakhvi MP Guram Vakhtangishvili, Rezonansi writes, says the situation in the South Ossetian conflict zone is relatively calm. However, he claims that the de facto separatist administration there has blocked most roads, and the locals are finding it tough to get around.
Vakhtangishvili says that, unlike the Abkhazian conflict zone, there is no sign of heightened Russian military in the South Ossetian conflict zone.
“I left [Didi Liakhvi gorge] on Tuesday, and nothing suspicious has happened there yet. Though there is one fact worth mentioning—last year, so many weapons came into [the de facto secessionist capital] Tskhinvali that the [separatists] won’t have enough soldiers and supporters to use all of them,” Vakhtangishvili said.