Day: November 27, 2024

The “Green Growth Portal,” developed jointly by Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Economy and Harvard University, was presented at COP29 to support countries and investors in enhancing their green transition strategies.

bp has announced two key appointments to its Azerbaijan-Georgia-Türkiye (AGT) leadership team, Azernews reports.

The Delegation of the European Union (EU) to Azerbaijan, together with the embassies of the EU member states, has organized the first European national costumes exhibition as part of the FantazEU Cultural Heritage Festival, which is being held for the fifth time, Azernews reports.

https://t.co/5GJY1nGTa3
“Friendship and #StrategicPartnership: How #DonaldTrump‘s Policy Strengthened #USAzerbaijan Relations” #Azerbaijan #GlobalSecurity #TraditionalValues #SouthCaucasus #EnergyCooperation #AmericaFirst #BilateralRelations #RegionalStability #EnergySecurity

— Today.Az (@TodayAz97) November 27, 2024

The ruling Georgian Dream (GD) party has nominated former footballer Mikheil Kavelashvili as its candidate for President of Georgia. GD Honorary Chair Bidzina Ivanishvili named his only candidate at a special briefing today, November 27.

“Honesty, fairness, patriotism and fidelity to principles are the qualities that particularly distinguish Mikheil Kavelashvili,” Ivanishvili said. He added that “Kavelashvili’s habitus best embodies the Georgian man”. Ivanishvili also said: “I am sure that Mikheil Kavelashvili will fully restore the temporarily stolen dignity to the presidential institute…There is no doubt that Mikheil Kavelashvili will not be in the service of foreign powers, but in the service of the Georgian state and the Georgian people and will contribute to the progress and success of our country.”

GD has nominated only his candidacy. Thus, there is no expectation that anyone else but him will become the next President of Georgia.

Kavelashvili thanked Bidzina Ivanishvili and members of the GD majority for the nomination. “Of course, I am aware of the fact how big is the responsibility to assume the post of the President of Georgia, especially against the background that, unfortunately for us, the incumbent President directly harassed and ignored our main document – the Constitution – and continues to violate it even today,” Kavelashvili said, adding that his priority will be “to return the presidential institute within the Constitution.”

Mikheil Kavelashvili played for the national team of Georgia. There is no information about his higher education on the website of the Parliament.

Since 2016, Kavelashvili has been the MP of Georgian Dream in the ninth, tenth and the current eleventh convocations of the Parliament. In 2022, Kavelashvili and other GD members formed a separate parliamentary faction, People’s Power, an anti-Western group that only formally distanced itself from the GD, and merged back with it before the 2024 Parliamentary elections. People’s Power was the initiator of the Russian-style Foreign Agents Law.

Mikheil Kavelashvili is known for profanity-laced tirades in parliament and a staunchly anti-Western stance, particularly against the United States. During a 2022 parliamentary session, Kavelashvili directed crude remarks at the opposition, saying, “Whoever among us has done the Russian work, f*ck him.” That same year, he accused former U.S. Ambassador to Georgia Kelly Degnan of supporting forces allegedly intent on dragging Georgia into the war, a claim widely criticized as part of his broader anti-American rhetoric. A vocal proponent of the Georgian Dream Party’s so-called “Global War Party” conspiracy theory, Kavelashvili has doubled down on his accusations during this year’s pre-election period. He has accused the opposition and President Salome Zurabishvili of undermining Georgia’s interests and acting under the influence of unnamed global forces.

GD plans to elect Georgia’s sixth President on December 14, as incumbent Salome Zurabishvili’s term comes to an end. The country’s sixth President will be elected by a 300-member electoral college consisting of members of the Parliament, representatives of the Supreme Councils of Adjara and Abkhazia, and local authorities.

But with the opposition refused entry to the parliament formed by the rigged elections, and its legitimacy questioned as President Zurabishvili challenges the elections in the country’s Constitutional Court, the President will be chosen solely by the ruling party. No other candidate has been named.

Also Read:

• 26/11/2024 – GD Says New President to be Elected on December 14
• 25/11/2024 – “Georgian Dream” Usurps Power

Azerbaijan and Lithuania have agreed to establish a working group to strengthen collaboration in taxation, Azernews reports, citing the State Tax Service under the Economy Ministry.

Pashinyan compares Western Armenia to “Western Azerbaijan”  Armenian Weekly

Global oil prices have seen an uptick on major exchanges, Azernews reports.

The Green Growth Portal, developed by the Economy Ministry of Azerbaijan in collaboration with Harvard University and launched during COP29, is poised to assist countries and investors in enhancing their green transition strategies, Azernews reports, citing a post shared by the Azerbaijani Economy Minister Mikayil Jabbarov.

U.S. Defense Attaché Colonel Kyle Cone and U.S. Embassy Political Officer Sonia Wettstein participated in the MFA academic conference marking the 30th anniversary of Azerbaijan joining NATO’s Partnership for Peace Program (PfP), Azernews reports, citing the post shared by the Embassy on its Facebook account.