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The News in Brief

Friday, December 26
Development Bank issues to be solved by 2015

According to majority leader Davit Saganelidze, by April 2015 all questions regarding “Georgia’s Development Bank” will have been answered.

According to the majority leader, Development Bank of Georgia will be a national bank the co-founder and co-investor of which could be a foreign bank.

“The national bank must exploit all local resources and reserve them for long-term usage. We are simply obliged to find spheres not being financed by private business,” stated Mr. Saganelidze and added that the bank, the clients of which will be legal entities and different companies will definitely play a vital role in the advancement of the county and its economy. (IPN)



Democratic Georgia party’s Executive Secretary’s post may be abolished

The Georgian Dream - Democratic Georgia party’s Executive Secretary’s post may be abolished.

“I don’t see the need to restore the post of the Executive Secretary, if the Secretary-General has the opportunity to fully engage in the party’s activity”, member of the party’s political council, Armaz Akhvlediani told journalists on Thursday.

The Georgian Dream - Democratic Georgia party’s Executive Secretary was Armaz Akhvlediani. As for the party’s Secretary-General, he is Energy Minister Kakhi Kaladze. (Frontnews)



Christmas greetings for soldiers in Afghanistan

Georgian soldiers serving in a peacekeeping mission in the Afghan province of Parwan received Christmas greeting letters sent by the children from homeland.

The Georgian soldiers of the 51st Battalion of the V Infantry Brigade, who are based at the Bagram Air Base, received 1400 Christmas letters from 4th and 5th primary school pupils.

Georgian soldiers thanked the little friends for warm wishes and promised them to reply.

Meanwhile, the project which was carried out by Defence, Justice and Education Ministries has begun in 2012 and aimed to support Georgian soldiers serving far away from their homeland. (Agenda.ge)



Russia and de-facto Tskhinvali likely to have common security service

Under the new agreement of Russia and the so-called South Ossetia that is scheduled to be signed at the beginning of 2015, several State institutions of Russia and South Ossetia will consolidate.

Reportedly the State institutions of Russia and occupied South Ossetia will consolidate, while Moscow will be responsible for holding coordinated foreign policy and security and defense of the occupied South Ossetia. The text of the draft agreement between Russia and the occupied South Ossetia released by the Russian newspaper "Vedomosti" says about this. According to the reports, the army and law enforcement bodies will unite. Reportedly, the Border Checkpoints and Customs Control will be abolished and transportation of people and burden will be free. Only the army recruits and contractors will perform military service within the territory of the so-called South Ossetia. According to the Russian media, the head of the administration of the breakaway South Ossetia's de facto president Boris Chochiev confirmed that such a version of the agreement really exists, however, on December 27, when the so-called political council will be convened with the de facto president in Tskhinvali Region, the text of the draft agreement may be fundamentally changed. (PIA.ge)



The Ministry of Regional Development and Infrastructure of Georgia presents report

The Ministry of Regional Development and Infrastructure of Georgia presents the report for last 2 years. The First Deputy Minister discussed implemented projects and future plans. Giorgi Amashukeli has mentioned that according to the data of last 11 months data the Ministry has spent 755 million GEL from the budget. Reportedly 95 % of the Budget will be executed by the end of the year. He underlined that the most important projects were the bypass highway to Kutaisi and Ruisi Magisterial. (Rustavi 2)



Holy Synod calls treaties between Russia and Georgia’s breakaway regions illegal

The Holy Synod has reportedly evaluated the present situation in the Moscow-backed separatist regions of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali and underscored that these territories have always been inalienable parts of Georgia.

“Extremely woeful is the fact that they stripped us of the right to hold holly liturgies here; this is nothing more than an unspeakable violation of human rights,” says the statement from the Synod.

Members of The Holy Synod termed the breakaway regions as Georgia’s integral parts and unhealed wounds. “All so-called agreements between Russian and Georgia’s separatist territories are extremely deplorable and totally illegal. We do hope that God will help us and the International Community will take really effective steps enabling hundreds of thousands IDPs to return to their ancestors’ land,” the statement reads.

The Synod session was held in the Patriarchate of Georgia on December 23. His Holiness and Beatitude, Catholicos-Patriarch of all Georgia presided over the session. (IPN)