The messenger logo

Press Scanner

Compiled by Mzia Kupunia
Monday, March 27
Georgia transfers USD 1 million aid to Japan

According to the Georgian Foreign Ministry, the deputy Foreign Minister, Davit Jalaghania met the Japanese Ambassador to Georgia, Masayoshi Kamohara and personally informed him about the aid transfer, 24 Saati writes. “The sides discussed the bilateral relations between Georgi and Japan and talked about the situation after March 11’s strong earthquake and the devastating Tsunami in Japan. The Georgian side received information about the current situation at Fukushima nuclear power plant, as well as about the situation in terms of water and food radioactive contamination,” the Foreign Ministry statement reads “The Japanese side was informed about a USD1 million aid allocated by the Georgian government for the Japanese citizens damaged by the catastrophe that took place in Japan. The transfer was conducted via the International Red Cross Japanese office,” it continues.



Georgian Foreign Minsiter visits Portugal

Georgian Foreign Minister, Grigol Vashadze was in Portugal on a two-day work visit, 24 Saati reports. According to the Ministry, Vashadze met the Foreign Minister Luis Filipe Marques Amado. At the meeting the Georgian and the Portuguese Foreign Ministers discussed the “important” subjects related to the cooperation between the two countries, as well as the EU-Georgia and NATO-Georgia issues. The situation on Georgia’s occupied territories and the events taking place in the South Caucasus were also discussed at the meeting, according to the Georgian officials. Later the two Ministers held a joint press conference and summed up the subjects discussed at the meeting.



Financial violations at higher education institutions

Georgian Chamber of Control has finalized checking six higher education institutions – Tbilisi State Medical University, Agrarian University, Technical University, Batumi Shota Rustaveli State University, Subtropical Agriculture University and Lomouri Agriculture University, Sakartvelor Respublika reports. The revision has revealed number of financial violations and money embezzlement cases in the abovementioned universities. According to the Chamber of Control, the financial accounting and management systems in the abovementioned universities are “improperly regulated”. The Chamber of Control reported that the universities used tens of different bank accounts and the budget money is being circulated without any control. Several million GEL was spent on “bad quality” renovation works, as a result of which the buildings of the universities are in “bad conditions”, according to the head of Audit Department at the Chamber of Control, Giorgi Alania. “Big amounts of debits are being accumulated illegally. The universities are not carrying out relevant measures to eliminate the accumulated debts. The legislation on purchases is being rudely violated. The Universities have more staff than needed and big amounts of state budget funds are spend on this. We have informed the law enforcers about the violations revealed at the universities,” he said at a special briefing.