The News in Brief
Thursday, September 11
Tamar Sanikidze says teachers' salaries will be increased gradually
Education and Science Minister Tamar Sanikidze says teachers' salaries will be increased gradually. As Tamar Sanikidze stated the teachers' wage policy should be adapted to the new system developed by the Ministry.
The Minister noted that it will become known in November what resources will be directed to the teachers' salary increase for 2015 and that she will make detailed comments after that.
"As for the next wage growth, it is planned for 2016-2017. Teacher's salary should be in compliance with the average salary in Georgia, while today it is far from it," said Sanikidze. (IPN)
Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova await news on accession
Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova are waiting for a clear signal about the EU accession, says the statement released by the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry’s press office.
“Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova express hope that the European Union will make its decision on this issue at the Eastern Partnership summit, which will be held in Latvia next year”, the statement reads. (Frontnews)
Georgia’s PM pays official visit to Baku
The Prime Minister of Georgia Irakli Garibashvili will pay an official visit to Azerbaijan on September 11 and 12.
According to his official schedule, Garibashvili will meet Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev after which an expanded official dinner between Georgian and Azerbaijani Government representatives will be held.
Within the visit Garibashvili will also meet his Azerbaijani counterpart, Prime Minister Artur Rasizade.
The meetings will be held in an expanded format between the governmental delegations of the two countries during the two day visit, the Georgian PM’s office said.
This is Gharibashvili’s second visit to Azerbaijan since taking on the role as Prime Minister. In December last year Garibashvili attended a working visit to Azerbaijan where he met Aliyev and addressed a conference on stage 2 of developing Azerbaijan’s offshore Shah Deniz gas field.
The Georgian Governmental delegation includes Foreign Minister Maia Panjikidze, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Energy Kakha Kaladze, Finance Minister Nodar Khaduri, Agriculture Minister Otar Danelia, Adviser to the Prime Minister Savalan Mirzayev and MPs Zurab Tkemaladze and Mahir Darziyev. (Agenda.ge)
Opposition MPs hold meetings in the United States
The MPs from the parliamentary opposition continue visit to the United States. Davit Bakradze, Giga Bokeria and Giorgi Kalandadze have discussed situation in Georgia and Georgia-U.S. relations at the meeting with Senator John McCain and Congressman Mike Turner.
The Georgian MPs have also held meetings at the National Democratic Institute and attended the annual Freedom Award ceremony organized by the International Republican Institute.
The top issues discussed by the opposition lawmakers at the meetings in Washington were the political processes in Georgia and the regional security issues. (Ristavi2)
IDFI publishes information about bonuses paid to prosecutors
The Institute for Development of Freedom and Information has reported the total amount of funds paid to the staff of the Chief Prosecutor`s Office of Georgia as bonuses in 2013 and 2014.
According to the NGO, GEL 5,900,857 was the total budget of the bonuses in 2013, while in the first half of the 2014; GEL 3,966,846 has been already paid.
The IDFI has also defined that they had to write to the chief prosecutor to be provided with the information, which is public according to the Georgian laws, because the ordinary procedures of submitting a request at the chancellery turned our ineffective. At the same time, the organizations complains that the detailed information about who was paid and how much was unavailable for them.
The IDFI has published a statement and the detailed report on its website. The Prosecutor`s Office has not commented on the statement so far. (Rustavi2)
Construction of gigantic hydro power dam may be postponed
The building of a controversial hydropower dam in a mountainous region of Georgia may be further postponed, if the company behind it fails to submit the required documents in time.
The planned Khudoni hydropower project is located in Svaneti and will affect a cultural landscape that is unique in a European context. If realized, the dam itself will flood the village Khaishi as well as other settlements. Several thousand people will see their birthplace and cemetery destroyed.
Opposition to the project is strong, both locally and among environmental activists.
Trans-Elektrica, the company behind the project, is due to submit an environmental impact assessment (EIA) by September 17 and send it to either the Ministry of Economy or the Environment Ministry, but according to daily newspaper Rezonansi, neither ministry has yet received the report.
Tamuna Sharashidze, spokesperson for the Environment Ministry, told the newspaper that they should receive the EIA by September 17-19, but she doubts that Trans-Elektrica will manage to finish it in time.
According to the environmental group Green Alternative, Trans Elektrica first ordered an EIA from the non-governmental organization CENN, but the Environment Ministry made about one hundred remarks to this report and the company broke off its cooperation with CENN. It is not known who is currently writing the EIA for Trans Elektrica.
Trans Elektrica’s previous deadline for submitting an EIA was spring, 2014, but it was postponed until September 17. Now it seems the deadline has to be postponed further. (DF watch)
Education and Science Minister Tamar Sanikidze says teachers' salaries will be increased gradually. As Tamar Sanikidze stated the teachers' wage policy should be adapted to the new system developed by the Ministry.
The Minister noted that it will become known in November what resources will be directed to the teachers' salary increase for 2015 and that she will make detailed comments after that.
"As for the next wage growth, it is planned for 2016-2017. Teacher's salary should be in compliance with the average salary in Georgia, while today it is far from it," said Sanikidze. (IPN)
Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova await news on accession
Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova are waiting for a clear signal about the EU accession, says the statement released by the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry’s press office.
“Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova express hope that the European Union will make its decision on this issue at the Eastern Partnership summit, which will be held in Latvia next year”, the statement reads. (Frontnews)
Georgia’s PM pays official visit to Baku
The Prime Minister of Georgia Irakli Garibashvili will pay an official visit to Azerbaijan on September 11 and 12.
According to his official schedule, Garibashvili will meet Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev after which an expanded official dinner between Georgian and Azerbaijani Government representatives will be held.
Within the visit Garibashvili will also meet his Azerbaijani counterpart, Prime Minister Artur Rasizade.
The meetings will be held in an expanded format between the governmental delegations of the two countries during the two day visit, the Georgian PM’s office said.
This is Gharibashvili’s second visit to Azerbaijan since taking on the role as Prime Minister. In December last year Garibashvili attended a working visit to Azerbaijan where he met Aliyev and addressed a conference on stage 2 of developing Azerbaijan’s offshore Shah Deniz gas field.
The Georgian Governmental delegation includes Foreign Minister Maia Panjikidze, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Energy Kakha Kaladze, Finance Minister Nodar Khaduri, Agriculture Minister Otar Danelia, Adviser to the Prime Minister Savalan Mirzayev and MPs Zurab Tkemaladze and Mahir Darziyev. (Agenda.ge)
Opposition MPs hold meetings in the United States
The MPs from the parliamentary opposition continue visit to the United States. Davit Bakradze, Giga Bokeria and Giorgi Kalandadze have discussed situation in Georgia and Georgia-U.S. relations at the meeting with Senator John McCain and Congressman Mike Turner.
The Georgian MPs have also held meetings at the National Democratic Institute and attended the annual Freedom Award ceremony organized by the International Republican Institute.
The top issues discussed by the opposition lawmakers at the meetings in Washington were the political processes in Georgia and the regional security issues. (Ristavi2)
IDFI publishes information about bonuses paid to prosecutors
The Institute for Development of Freedom and Information has reported the total amount of funds paid to the staff of the Chief Prosecutor`s Office of Georgia as bonuses in 2013 and 2014.
According to the NGO, GEL 5,900,857 was the total budget of the bonuses in 2013, while in the first half of the 2014; GEL 3,966,846 has been already paid.
The IDFI has also defined that they had to write to the chief prosecutor to be provided with the information, which is public according to the Georgian laws, because the ordinary procedures of submitting a request at the chancellery turned our ineffective. At the same time, the organizations complains that the detailed information about who was paid and how much was unavailable for them.
The IDFI has published a statement and the detailed report on its website. The Prosecutor`s Office has not commented on the statement so far. (Rustavi2)
Construction of gigantic hydro power dam may be postponed
The building of a controversial hydropower dam in a mountainous region of Georgia may be further postponed, if the company behind it fails to submit the required documents in time.
The planned Khudoni hydropower project is located in Svaneti and will affect a cultural landscape that is unique in a European context. If realized, the dam itself will flood the village Khaishi as well as other settlements. Several thousand people will see their birthplace and cemetery destroyed.
Opposition to the project is strong, both locally and among environmental activists.
Trans-Elektrica, the company behind the project, is due to submit an environmental impact assessment (EIA) by September 17 and send it to either the Ministry of Economy or the Environment Ministry, but according to daily newspaper Rezonansi, neither ministry has yet received the report.
Tamuna Sharashidze, spokesperson for the Environment Ministry, told the newspaper that they should receive the EIA by September 17-19, but she doubts that Trans-Elektrica will manage to finish it in time.
According to the environmental group Green Alternative, Trans Elektrica first ordered an EIA from the non-governmental organization CENN, but the Environment Ministry made about one hundred remarks to this report and the company broke off its cooperation with CENN. It is not known who is currently writing the EIA for Trans Elektrica.
Trans Elektrica’s previous deadline for submitting an EIA was spring, 2014, but it was postponed until September 17. Now it seems the deadline has to be postponed further. (DF watch)