The News in Brief
Tuesday, April 15
Georgia to pull peacekeepers out of Kosovo
Tbilisi will pull Georgia’s peacekeepers out of Kosovo this week, First Deputy Defense Minister Batu Kutelia told Reuters yesterday.
“We plan to withdraw our peacekeepers this week. This is 180 people,” the news agency quoted Kutelia as saying.
He said that the move was not related to NATO’s denial of a Membership Action Plan (MAP) to Georgia at the Bucharest summit earlier this month, stating instead that it was in preparation for a deployment to NATO operations in Afghanistan.
“Any talk that this [troop withdrawal] can be linked to the resolutions of the NATO summit in Bucharest is irrelevant,” Kutelia said.
Despite strong US support for giving Georgia and Ukraine a MAP—a roadmap for eventual membership—at Bucharest, a bloc of member states led by Germany and France decided against inviting the pair closer to the alliance.
Shortly after Western governments began to recognize Kosovo’s independence in February, ruling party MP Vakhtang Balavadze said Georgian troops would not be stationed there any longer than necessary.
“Georgian troops are under a NATO mandate, so after this expires, our troops will be withdrawn from Kosovo,” he told the Messenger on February 20.
“Politically, we have already stated our position: that we are against Kosovo’s independence,” he added.
(Messenger Staff)
Bakradze to attend BSEC session
Foreign Minister Davit Bakradze will participate in a Black Sea Economic Cooperation organization (BSEC) session on April 17 in Kiev.
Delegations will discuss deepening cooperation amongst member states as well as relations between BSEC and the EU, the Foreign Ministry said.
(Prime News)
EU Parliamentary Assembly to discuss pre-election situation in Georgia
The EU parliamentary assembly spring session is due to consider the pre-election situation in Georgia. The session opened in Strasbourg yesterday, and the Georgian delegation includes ruling party member Nino Kalandadze.
(Prime News)
Cargo ship with Georgian flag detained
A cargo ship sailing under the Georgian flag was detained off Batumi in Western Georgia by Adjaran coast guards.
The ship reportedly violated navigation rules.
The Interior Ministry said there were ten crew members on board; the operating company will be fined GEL 50 000.
(Prime News)
New initiative for school students unveiled at Turtle Lake
A new project called “Big Rest” for students at public schools was unveiled at Turtle Lake yesterday.
In the first stage of the project 100 tours will be arranged, catering for more than 3000 students from Tbilisi.
The project is being organized by Tbilisi City Hall, the Education Ministry and the Department of Tourism and Resorts.
Insurance is being provided by Aldagi BCI.
(Prime News)
UN Security Council due to consider Abkhazia situation
The UN Security Council was due to consider the secretary general’s latest report on the Georgian-Abkhazia situation at a session yesterday.
The report, published on April 2, recommends extending the UNOMIG mandate which is due to expire today.
In his report, Secretary General Ban Ki-moon expressed hope that regular contact between the two sides would resume.
(Prime News)
Conference on conflict issues in GUAM countries to be held in Baku
Delegations from GUAM countries (Georgia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan and Moldova) will discuss conflict issues in the region at a Baku conference from April 15–16.
GUAM secretary general Valeri Chechelashvili was due to arrive in Azerbaijan yesterday in preparation for the event.
Deputy State Minister for Reintegration Issues Dimitri Manjavidze will head the Georgian delegation.
Delegations from Turkey, Latvia, Poland, Romania, and Bulgaria will also participate in the conference.
(Prime News)
Education Minister visits Marneuli
Education Minister Gia Nodia visited Marneuli district yesterday on Mother Tongue Day to meet the local Azeri community.
He visited Marneuli School Number 6 where poems by famous Georgian poets were recited and Georgian national songs and dances performed by school pupils.
Nodia was also due to meet teachers from Marneuli and answer their questions.
Many Marneuli schools have recently received new computers and been connected to the internet. Over 192 teachers from 70 non-Georgian schools have undergone training as part of the “Teaching Georgian as a Second Language” program, according to the Education Ministry.
(Prime News)
Tbilisi will pull Georgia’s peacekeepers out of Kosovo this week, First Deputy Defense Minister Batu Kutelia told Reuters yesterday.
“We plan to withdraw our peacekeepers this week. This is 180 people,” the news agency quoted Kutelia as saying.
He said that the move was not related to NATO’s denial of a Membership Action Plan (MAP) to Georgia at the Bucharest summit earlier this month, stating instead that it was in preparation for a deployment to NATO operations in Afghanistan.
“Any talk that this [troop withdrawal] can be linked to the resolutions of the NATO summit in Bucharest is irrelevant,” Kutelia said.
Despite strong US support for giving Georgia and Ukraine a MAP—a roadmap for eventual membership—at Bucharest, a bloc of member states led by Germany and France decided against inviting the pair closer to the alliance.
Shortly after Western governments began to recognize Kosovo’s independence in February, ruling party MP Vakhtang Balavadze said Georgian troops would not be stationed there any longer than necessary.
“Georgian troops are under a NATO mandate, so after this expires, our troops will be withdrawn from Kosovo,” he told the Messenger on February 20.
“Politically, we have already stated our position: that we are against Kosovo’s independence,” he added.
(Messenger Staff)
Bakradze to attend BSEC session
Foreign Minister Davit Bakradze will participate in a Black Sea Economic Cooperation organization (BSEC) session on April 17 in Kiev.
Delegations will discuss deepening cooperation amongst member states as well as relations between BSEC and the EU, the Foreign Ministry said.
(Prime News)
EU Parliamentary Assembly to discuss pre-election situation in Georgia
The EU parliamentary assembly spring session is due to consider the pre-election situation in Georgia. The session opened in Strasbourg yesterday, and the Georgian delegation includes ruling party member Nino Kalandadze.
(Prime News)
Cargo ship with Georgian flag detained
A cargo ship sailing under the Georgian flag was detained off Batumi in Western Georgia by Adjaran coast guards.
The ship reportedly violated navigation rules.
The Interior Ministry said there were ten crew members on board; the operating company will be fined GEL 50 000.
(Prime News)
New initiative for school students unveiled at Turtle Lake
A new project called “Big Rest” for students at public schools was unveiled at Turtle Lake yesterday.
In the first stage of the project 100 tours will be arranged, catering for more than 3000 students from Tbilisi.
The project is being organized by Tbilisi City Hall, the Education Ministry and the Department of Tourism and Resorts.
Insurance is being provided by Aldagi BCI.
(Prime News)
UN Security Council due to consider Abkhazia situation
The UN Security Council was due to consider the secretary general’s latest report on the Georgian-Abkhazia situation at a session yesterday.
The report, published on April 2, recommends extending the UNOMIG mandate which is due to expire today.
In his report, Secretary General Ban Ki-moon expressed hope that regular contact between the two sides would resume.
(Prime News)
Conference on conflict issues in GUAM countries to be held in Baku
Delegations from GUAM countries (Georgia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan and Moldova) will discuss conflict issues in the region at a Baku conference from April 15–16.
GUAM secretary general Valeri Chechelashvili was due to arrive in Azerbaijan yesterday in preparation for the event.
Deputy State Minister for Reintegration Issues Dimitri Manjavidze will head the Georgian delegation.
Delegations from Turkey, Latvia, Poland, Romania, and Bulgaria will also participate in the conference.
(Prime News)
Education Minister visits Marneuli
Education Minister Gia Nodia visited Marneuli district yesterday on Mother Tongue Day to meet the local Azeri community.
He visited Marneuli School Number 6 where poems by famous Georgian poets were recited and Georgian national songs and dances performed by school pupils.
Nodia was also due to meet teachers from Marneuli and answer their questions.
Many Marneuli schools have recently received new computers and been connected to the internet. Over 192 teachers from 70 non-Georgian schools have undergone training as part of the “Teaching Georgian as a Second Language” program, according to the Education Ministry.
(Prime News)