The News in Brief
Monday, November 28
Georgian interior minister lists achievements ahead of confidence vote
Acting Interior Minister Giorgi Mghebrishvili showed up at several committee hearings on Wednesday as parliamentarians were preparing for a vote of confidence in the new cabinet.
Listing his ministry’s achievements, Mghebrishvili said police in Georgia last year seized a total of 37kg cocaine, 181kg heroin and 15kg psychotropic substances. Further, that law enforcement also have confiscated 1,482 illegal firearms.
Another case Mghebrishvili discussed with lawmakers was the murder of Giga Otkhozoria, a Georgian refugee, at a de facto border point with breakaway Abkhazia on May 19. The suspect, a border guard, fled into separatist-run Abkhazia, while the Prosecutor’s Office in Samegerelo-Zemo Svaneti charged the suspect Rashid Kankioghli in absentia with premeditated murder.
The acting interior minister told MPs that Interpol next year will issue a red alert for the border guard. Apart from asking for Interpol to issue an alert, the government has also brought up the murder case at at the regular Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism in Gali hosted by the EU and OSCE.
(DF watch)
Increased Russia’s military presence in Abkhazia not true – Maria Zakharova
Information released by Georgian media outlets saying Russia’s military presence in Russia has increased is not true, - official representative of Russia’s Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova has declared.
According to her the comment referred to information according to which Gali will become ‘a military town’ as Russian military bases and airports will be built there and a huge contingent of troops will also be deployed.
“As we suppose all this is related with the agreement ratified in Russia concerning establishment of joint troops of Russia and Abkhazia. We would like to remind you of the fact that the document reflects the strategic partnership between the two sovereign states that does not pose any threat for neighbors. Insinuations spread in Georgia show us that those being against normalization of Russia-Georgia relations are active,” Zakharova said.
(IPN)
US trained Colonel Janjgava named First Deputy Army Chief
Georgia’s newly appointed Chief of General Staff of the Georgian Armed Forces (GAF), Brigadier General Vladimer Chachibaia, named his three deputies.
Colonel Nikoloz Janjgava, who has served in the Georgian Army since 1992 and was one of the first Georgian officers trained in the United States, has been named as First Deputy Chief of General Staff of the GAF.
Janjgava had three times collided with Georgian authorities over the country's defence policy and was allegedly involved in corruption in the military, which led to his dismissals from the Army in 1998, 2002, and 2012, all under the previous state leaderships of Georgia.
Janjgava received his military training at the Joint Military Academy of the Ministry of Defence of Georgia in 1993 and continued his education in Germany in 1994 and the US in 1995, eventually graduating from the US Army Command and General Staff College in 2002.
Colonel Janjgava will be tasked to coordinate relations with our partners and deepen our partnership with them,” said Chachibaia while presenting his deputies.
The remaining two deputy posts were offered to Colonels Shalva Jabakhidze and Zaza Chkhaidze.
Colonel Chkhaidze, who has served in the Georgian Army since 1994, will be responsible for coordinating activities within the General Staff.
Meanwhile, Colonel Jabakhidze, who has served in the Army since 1998, will be in charge of maneuvering, combat and support elements of the General Staff.
(Agenda.ge)
Acting Interior Minister Giorgi Mghebrishvili showed up at several committee hearings on Wednesday as parliamentarians were preparing for a vote of confidence in the new cabinet.
Listing his ministry’s achievements, Mghebrishvili said police in Georgia last year seized a total of 37kg cocaine, 181kg heroin and 15kg psychotropic substances. Further, that law enforcement also have confiscated 1,482 illegal firearms.
Another case Mghebrishvili discussed with lawmakers was the murder of Giga Otkhozoria, a Georgian refugee, at a de facto border point with breakaway Abkhazia on May 19. The suspect, a border guard, fled into separatist-run Abkhazia, while the Prosecutor’s Office in Samegerelo-Zemo Svaneti charged the suspect Rashid Kankioghli in absentia with premeditated murder.
The acting interior minister told MPs that Interpol next year will issue a red alert for the border guard. Apart from asking for Interpol to issue an alert, the government has also brought up the murder case at at the regular Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism in Gali hosted by the EU and OSCE.
(DF watch)
Increased Russia’s military presence in Abkhazia not true – Maria Zakharova
Information released by Georgian media outlets saying Russia’s military presence in Russia has increased is not true, - official representative of Russia’s Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova has declared.
According to her the comment referred to information according to which Gali will become ‘a military town’ as Russian military bases and airports will be built there and a huge contingent of troops will also be deployed.
“As we suppose all this is related with the agreement ratified in Russia concerning establishment of joint troops of Russia and Abkhazia. We would like to remind you of the fact that the document reflects the strategic partnership between the two sovereign states that does not pose any threat for neighbors. Insinuations spread in Georgia show us that those being against normalization of Russia-Georgia relations are active,” Zakharova said.
(IPN)
US trained Colonel Janjgava named First Deputy Army Chief
Georgia’s newly appointed Chief of General Staff of the Georgian Armed Forces (GAF), Brigadier General Vladimer Chachibaia, named his three deputies.
Colonel Nikoloz Janjgava, who has served in the Georgian Army since 1992 and was one of the first Georgian officers trained in the United States, has been named as First Deputy Chief of General Staff of the GAF.
Janjgava had three times collided with Georgian authorities over the country's defence policy and was allegedly involved in corruption in the military, which led to his dismissals from the Army in 1998, 2002, and 2012, all under the previous state leaderships of Georgia.
Janjgava received his military training at the Joint Military Academy of the Ministry of Defence of Georgia in 1993 and continued his education in Germany in 1994 and the US in 1995, eventually graduating from the US Army Command and General Staff College in 2002.
Colonel Janjgava will be tasked to coordinate relations with our partners and deepen our partnership with them,” said Chachibaia while presenting his deputies.
The remaining two deputy posts were offered to Colonels Shalva Jabakhidze and Zaza Chkhaidze.
Colonel Chkhaidze, who has served in the Georgian Army since 1994, will be responsible for coordinating activities within the General Staff.
Meanwhile, Colonel Jabakhidze, who has served in the Army since 1998, will be in charge of maneuvering, combat and support elements of the General Staff.
(Agenda.ge)