BREAKING: Alexei Navalny, the imprisoned Russian opposition leader, has died, the country’s prison service says. He had been in jail since January 2021. https://t.co/pe9u4yIwdk
— The Associated Press (@AP) February 16, 2024
Day: February 16, 2024
Navalny threatened Putin because he revealed the extent of his theft and corruption. Putin killed Navalny because he couldn’t let that truth be known.
— Anne Applebaum (@anneapplebaum) February 16, 2024
Commenting on Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili’s “unauthorized” visit to the Munich Conference, Chairman of the Georgian Parliament Shalva Papuashvili remarked that Zurabishvili shows a lack of respect for the country’s Constitution.
“[The Constitution] holds no value for her; to her, they are merely pieces of paper. She views Georgia as the backyard of her residence, where she can act as she pleases. Salome Zurabishvili represents only herself in Munich; she does not represent Georgia and will not inflict any harm upon it,” Papuashvili stated.
Furthermore, the new chairman of the Georgian Dream, Irakli Garibashvili, went as far as to label Salome Zurabishvili a “traitor.”
Experts on the attempt to impeach the Georgian President
“Georgian President freed herself from ‘Ivanishvili complex’ and called a spade a spade” – Opinion
President of Georgia attending the Munich security conference
According to the presidential administration, Zurabishvili departed for Munich on February 5.
“From February 16 to 18, the President of Georgia will participate in discussions concerning international security matters at the Munich Conference alongside world leaders, heads of state, and prominent representatives of international organizations.
During the Munich Security Conference, which serves as the foremost global platform for deliberating international security issues, the President of Georgia will address the panel titled ‘A Deeper, Wider, and More Capable European Union’ and will engage in discussions concerning ensuring NATO’s eastern flank readiness (‘Better Safe Than Sorry: Securing NATO’s Eastern Flank Readiness’),” stated the presidential administration.
Zurabishvili has previously faced accusations of violating the constitution.
On September 1, 2023, the ruling Georgian Dream party initiated impeachment proceedings against the president, citing her gross violation of the constitution through multiple visits to European countries without government consent.
Indeed, these presidential visits were unauthorized by the government. However, in response to the allegations, Zurabishvili defended herself by stating that she financed these trips independently and advocated for Georgia to attain candidate status for European Union membership.
Before parliament could vote on the impeachment motion, the Constitutional Court had to ascertain whether the president had indeed breached the Constitution. The court confirmed the violation, but as anticipated, the opposition did not lend support to impeachment, resulting in its failure to proceed.
According to Salome Zurabishvili’s most recent tax return, she allocated 48,217 lari [approximately $18 thousand] of her personal funds towards visits to European countries.
Furthermore, the declaration reveals that the president expended 55,275 lari [around $21 thousand] on charitable contributions.
Opposition politicians criticized Ali Asadov’s speech in parliament after his reappointment as Prime Minister of Azerbaijan. “Ali Asadov’s speech was a repetition of Ilham Aliyev’s inaugural speech. He repeated in a generalized form the theses on ensuring military security, border protection, socio-economic development, and the use of the latest technologies,”…
On February 16, at 12:50 p.m., the Armenian Armed Forces fired large-caliber weapons at the positions of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces in the direction of the Tezekend village of Dashkesan region. The Azerbaijani side has taken adequate retaliatory measures, the press service of the Ministry of Defense reported.
In turn,…