Armenia: EU-funded kindergarten renovation completed in Yerevan … euneighbourseast.eu
Day: December 1, 2023
Russia’s Investigative Committee Says Russian-Italian Citizen Arrested For Railway Bombing Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty
The mobile operator will contribute to the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals
“Azercell Telekom” LLC is pleased to announce that it has become a member of the United Nations (UN) Global Compact. The mobile operator will contribute to the adoption and implementation of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and…
Baku/01.12.23/Turan: On Thursday, Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov held a meeting with OSCE Secretary General Helga Schmid within the framework of the OSCE Ministerial Council meeting in Skopje.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, an exchange of views took place on the main areas of bilateral cooperation between Azerbaijan and…
Amid internal turmoil in Georgia’s largest opposition party, the United National Movement (UNM), the party has announced a significant change in its political council. The UNM adds 20 new members to its ranks, most of them long-time UNM members. At the same time, the party has declared that the door to the new political council is open to any member of the old political council, provided that they sign the November 23 manifesto of the UNM and former President Mikheil Saakashvili.
Simultaneously, members of various regional city councils within the party calling for the resignation of its chairman, Levan Khabeishvili. Khabeishvili’s opponents blame his leadership for the crisis within the UNM party, accusing him of “destroying and weakening the party”.
Dissatisfied members stress the need for Khabeishvili to take responsibility and resign, expressing concern that under Levan Khabeishvili’s leadership, the party’s chances in the crucial 2024 parliamentary elections will be jeopardized.
At the same time, a controversy has erupted over Nika Melia, the party’s former chairman. The UNM has issued a statement claiming that Melia no longer represents the National Movement, citing differences in principles outlined in the party’s November 23 manifesto. Notably, Nika Melia and several of his supporters have refrained from signing the manifesto. Khabeishvili argued that Melia had decided to leave the party himself saying: “I did not let him go, I did not throw him out, he decided that he was not a member of the National Movement. [He is not registered in the National Movement”. He also noted that the party would accept Nika Melia back into the party and that he himself was ready to cooperate “if tomorrow Nika Melia says that he will fight against Bidzina Ivanishvili and he stops discrediting the National Movement and throwing mud [at it].”
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On November 30, the Georgian Parliament hastily approved controversial additional amendments to the Defense Code in the third hearing, with 81 votes in favor. The legislative process unfolded quickly, as the bill was passed in the first hearing on November 29, just one day before its final adoption.
The amendment introduces a provision allowing individuals to appeal to the court against their inclusion in the military register, however such appeals won’t suspend the immediate enforcement of the conscript’s duty to begin service. Under the old version of the law, the appeal temporarily suspended the conscription order.
In addition, according to the Parliament, the amendment addresses several issues, including the deferral of national military service for Georgian higher education students, deferral for active students in recognized foreign higher education programs, and the criteria for awarding ranks during the transitional period.
On September 21, the Georgian Parliament approved the controversial Defense Code in its third hearing with 80 votes. Effective from 2025, all conscripts will fall under the exclusive jurisdiction of the Ministry of Defense, departing from previous practices.
The fee for postponing conscription will see a considerable hike, rising from 2,000 GEL to 10,000 GEL, with only one permitted one-year deferral for conscripts under 25, compared to the previous allowance of two deferrals totaling 18 months.
Notably, exemptions for priests are now limited to the Orthodox Church of Georgia. Despite the removal of the provision exempting priests from the law, according to the government the 2002 Constitutional Agreement between the Georgian state and the Orthodox Church holds a superior legislative authority, which continues to grant exemption privileges exclusively to Orthodox priests.
The new code also aims to improve military personnel welfare, aligning with objectives to strengthen defense capability, enhance NATO interoperability, and establish social protections for those in military service, as emphasized by Deputy Minister of Defense Grigol Giorgadze. He highlighted the importance of these reforms in significantly increasing the well-prepared reserve trained to NATO standards.
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- 21/09/2023 – Parliament Adopts Defense Code
- 28/02/2023 – Explainer | Georgia’s New Defense Code
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