Day: October 24, 2023

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz warned of more rejections of asylum applications from Georgia and Moldova as these countries are classified as safe. “Both want to become members of the European Union; as such, it isn’t plausible to assume systemic oppression in those countries,” German Chancellor Olaf Scholz told Der Spiegel, adding that “we are strengthening the protection of Europe’s external borders, so that fewer people can make their way to Europe.” The Interior Ministry data suggested that over one thousand Georgians were deported from Europe only in the third quarter of this year, mainly from Germany, France, Switzerland, Greece, and Poland.   

President Salome Zurabishvili held a three-hour, closed-door meeting with representatives of civil society organizations. After the meeting, the CSO representatives seemed reserved in their comments, only saying that the EU candidacy was the main discussion point at Orbeliani Palace. This was the first meeting of President Zurabishvili held after the failed attempt by the ruling Georgian Dream party to impeach her on October 18.

Georgia will not participate in the 3+3 format regional meeting set to be held in Tehran, reported the Georgian Public Broadcaster, citing the Foreign Ministry.  “Georgia is not participating in this meeting, and it has never participated [in this format],” – the MFA Press Office told the GPB. The so-called “3+3 platform” was initiated by Moscow and Tehran and is supposed to bring three regional powers – Iran, Russia, and Turkey – together with three South Caucasus states – Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia.

A joint statement adopted at the EU-US summit in Washington, among other vital issues, mentioned – Georgia’s European perspective, reaffirming the commitment of the EU and the US to “supporting Georgia’s territorial integrity and sovereignty and its European perspective.” The Summit was attended by EU leaders, including President of the European Council Charles Michel, President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, and High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell, as well as US President Joe Biden and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

ALDE party Council in Bucharest adopted an “Urgent resolution on Georgia: the need for comprehensive reforms and compliance with EU policies,” calling on the Georgian government to implement the 12 EU priorities, also reminding that “granting the EU candidate status is a merit-based process.” In its resolution, ALDE also regretted that Georgia’s alignment rate with EU’s CFSP decisions and declarations “has gone from a low 44% last year to only 31% so far this year,” urging the Georgian government and the ruling GD party to “fully comply with EU’s CFSP decisions and declarations.”

Speaker Shalva Papushvili published another extensive post on the social platform X, claiming that the EU is primarily the economic union and Georgia’s economic growth over the last several years makes the country fully eligible for EU membership. In a reply post, German Ambassador to Georgia Peter Fischer reminded the Speaker that the EU is not primarily an economic union, citing Articles 2 and 3 of the EU treaty, further explaining: “EU founded on values of…human dignity, freedom democracy, equality, the rule of law & human rights…” “EU’s aim is to promote peace, its values & the well-being of its peoples.”

The Rector of the Tbilisi State Conservatoire, Nana Sharikadze, left her post as her term expired on October 21. In her farewell post on social media, she gave an overview of the reforms implemented during her tenure, noting that “academic freedom and autonomy remain a challenge” for the Conservatoire. She also wrote, “A reform should be carried out within the system, and it wouldn’t hurt to start from the Ministry of Culture.” As Sharikadze leaves her post, there is no candidate to take over her position due to the decision of the Culture Minister, Tea Tsulukiani, to suspend the election of the Rector, raising fears that the ministry will appoint a loyal candidate.

Noubar Afeyan, Co-Founder of the Aurora Humanitarian Initiative, and Anna Afeyan, Co-Chair of the Afeyan Foundation, announce a commitment of $2 million to serve over 100,000 displaced people from Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) who were uprooted from their homes following the deadly attacks by Azerbaijan in September. The donation will be provided by the Afeyan Foundation, which previously teamed up with Aurora to help the people of Artsakh in the aftermath of the 2020 war. The latest financial support will focus on several areas including meeting basic needs, providing medical and psychosocial care, and establishing longer-term educational opportunities. 

“The people of Artsakh were terrorized for months, attacked in their homes, and then forcibly expelled overnight,” said the Afeyan Foundation in a statement. “Each of the refugees deserves dignified resettlement in Armenia. With winter approaching, the time to act is now. We thank those who have already taken action and implore the global community to come together to provide the support needed to address this humanitarian crisis.” 

In September 2020, after a large-scale armed attack was unleashed against Artsakh, the Aurora Humanitarian Initiative launched the Aurora for Artsakh program to help local people facing a grave humanitarian crisis in the aftermath of the war. The displaced persons were given food, shelter, and clothes, as well as kits with essentials and vital medication. Over the course of the program, Aurora allocated $2.2 million to support 93 humanitarian aid projects implemented by 70 local and international partners. The program concluded in June 2023.