ECHR Verdict on Labor Party Case Expected Next Week
The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) will announce its judgment on Tuesday, July 8, into the Labor Party v. Georgia case, the Strasbourg-based court said on Friday.
Ombudsman: National TVs Under Government’s Firm Control
Georgia has been left without independent nationwide television station, as a result of the authorities “purposeful efforts,” Sozar Subari, the Georgian public defender, said on July 4.
EU French presidency expressed concern over the recent flare-up of tensions in the South Ossetian conflict zone and said it was “carefully monitoring” developments in the region.
Georgian Deputy Foreign Minister Grigol Vashadze met with his Russian counterpart Grigory Karasin in Tbilisi on July 4 to discuss the bilateral relations, as well as the Abkhaz and South Ossetian conflicts.
An attack on a convoy carrying Dimitri Sanakoev, head of Tbilisi-backed South Ossetian provisional administration was staged, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on July 4.
Lavrov Calls on Tbilisi to Sign Treaty on Non-Use of Force
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has expressed concern over the current situation in breakaway South Ossetia and has called on the international community to convince Georgia to sign a legally binding treaty with Sokhumi and Tskhinvali on the non-use of force.
OSCE Chair Concerned over 'Growing Tensions' in S.Ossetia
The OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Finnish Foreign Minister Alexander Stubb, said on July 4 that recent incidents in the South Ossetian conflict zone, involving “heavy exchanges of fire” were “worrying signs of growing tensions.”
Sergey Shamba, the foreign minister of breakaway Abkhazia and UN Secretary General’s Special Representative in Georgia, Jean Arnault, held met in Sokhumi on July 4, Apsnipress news agency reported.
A UN team tasked with assessing the peace process in Abkhazia will be visiting Tbilisi and Sokhumi this weekend, Michele Montas, UN spokesperson said on July 3.
At least two people were killed as a result of shelling and shooting in Tskhinvali and some villages in the South Ossetian conflict zone overnight on July 4, the secessionist authorities reported.
Moscow Accuses Tbilisi of ‘Open Aggression’ in S.Ossetia
An overnight shelling of Tskhinvali and nearby villages was “an open aggression” against South Ossetia carried out by the Georgian authorities, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on July 4.
Three Injured in Attack on Georgian Convoy in S.Ossetia
Three Georgian policemen, accompanying a convoy carrying Dimitri Sanakoev, the head of the Tbilisi-backed South Ossetian provisional administration, were injured in an attack on July 3, Georgian officials said.
Proposal to Cease State Funding for Five Opposition Parties
Parliamentary committees launched considering an amendment to the law that will leave five parties, which have refused to join the new Parliament, without state funding after it is approved.
The OSCE Parliamentary Assembly passed a resolution at its annual session in Astana on July 3, expressing concern over Russia’s recent moves in breakaway Abkhazia.
Russian Official: No Link between Sochi and Abkhaz Blasts
Aleksandr Tkachov, the governor of Krasnodar region, has ruled out a link between the recent blasts in Abkhazia and an explosion in a Sochi apartment block that killed two people.
Aggregate assets of banks operating in Georgia grew by 15.7% in the first five months of this year and reached GEL 8.342 billion, the National Bank of Georgian (NBG) said on July 1.
An explosive went off close to a Russian peacekeeper post on the Abkhaz administrative border early on July 2, Russian news agencies reported. No one was injured.
Russia has called for an urgent session of the Joint Control Commission (JCC) to discuss the possibility of installing a radar station in the South Ossetian conflict zone.
The JCC is a quadripartite negotiating body for South Ossetia in which Tbilisi has refused to participate since early March.
Security Chief: ‘Criminal Businesses’ Struggle in Abkhazia
A power struggle between “criminal businesses” in Abkhazia led to a series of explosions in the breakaway region in the last few days, Alexandre Lomaia, the secretary of the Georgian National Security Council, said on July 1.
The parliamentary minority, involving one newly established 12-member faction, has nominated MP Levan Vepkhvadze of the Christian-Democratic Party for the parliamentary vice-speaker position.
A 250-passanger boat en route from Russia’s Sochi docked at the Abkhaz resort town of Gagra on July 1, marking the resumption of maritime traffic between Russia and the breakaway region, Apsnipress news agency reported.
Opposition Coalition, Labor Party Attack Each Other
The opposition coalition has continued its attack on the Labor Party for, as it put it, deliberately dragging out the process of renouncing its MP mandates.
Mikheil Machavariani, the first vice-speaker of Parliament, criticized Davit Amaglobeli, the acting president of the National Bank of Georgia, for what he called “incompetence” after Amaglobeli cited a legislative amendment for the decision to cut up to 100 jobs.
The authorities in breakaway Abkhazia closed the de facto border with Georgia on July 1, following four blasts in the region that injured twelve people.
The Interior Ministry said it had brought criminal charges against Rati Milorava, the 15-year-old son of Eka Beselia of the Movement for United Georgia – part of the opposition coalition.
Abkhazia is currently a Russian protectorate, which should eventually lead to the breakaway region’s recognition by Moscow, Sergey Shamba, the Abkhaz foreign minister, said in a newspaper article, Apsnipress reported on June 30.
Six people, including a Russian tourist, were lightly injured as a result of two explosions in the Abkhaz capital Sokhumi on June 30, Interfax news agency reported quoting Abkhaz officials.
Polish, Lithuanian Presidents to Attend GUAM Summit
Presidents of Poland Lech Kaczynski and of Lithuania Valdas Adamkus will arrive in Georgia to participate in a GUAM summit, which will open in Batumi, Adjara Autonomous Republic, on July 1.
Four Blasts in Two Days Slightly Injure 12 in Abkhazia
Reports say that six people were slightly injured as a result of two explosions in the center of the Abkhaz capital, Sokhumi, on June 30 – a day after two similar blasts injured six people in the Abkhaz town of Gagra.