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Day: May 19, 2025
On Sunday afternoon, May 18, crowds marched in protest through Tbilisi’s Saburtalo district, stopping at the offices of the Special Investigation Service (SIS) and the State Security Service of Georgia (SSSG). The march came on the 172nd consecutive day of Georgia’s anti-regime resistance movement.
The protest activity was part of the weekend afternoon marches that have been taking place for a month now in different parts of the capital. The marches are organized by the Unity platform, which unites civic activist groups.
The march reiterated the key demand for the resignation of the Georgian Dream government. Participants also protested abuses by the authorities, including the SSSG’s controversial surveillance practices and the SIS’s failure to address multiple human rights violations by the police. Activists expressed their protest by releasing dark smoke at the offices of state agencies. They also set off fireworks before moving into the metro at the end of the march. In what has become routine, the protest ended on Tbilisi’s Rustaveli Avenue.
The march attracted the support of local residents again, some of whom displayed Georgian and EU flags in solidarity. However, in one hostile incident, eggs were thrown from a residential building, hitting activists and media workers.
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According to the National Statistics Office of Georgia (Geostat), preliminary data, Georgia’s foreign trade increased by 15.3% year-on-year in January-April 2025, compared to the same period last year, reaching USD 7.76 billion. Exports rose by 14.2% to USD 2.01 billion, while imports increased by 15.7% to USD 5.74 billion. As a result, Georgia’s trade deficit amounted to USD 3.73 billion, accounting for 48.1% of total foreign trade turnover.
In January-April 2025, motor cars remained Georgia’s leading import, totaling USD 966.4 million and comprising 16.8% of total imports. Paintings, drawings, and pastels (executed entirely by hand) followed the list with USD 481.2 million (8.4%), while petroleum and petroleum oils ranked third at USD 396.5 million (6.9%).
The top ten import partners accounted for 72.7% of Georgia’s total imports. The United States led the list with USD 881.2 million, followed by Turkey (USD 814.2 million) and Russia (USD 669.6 million).
In the same period, motor cars were also the top export item, generating USD 753.9 million, with 37.4% of total exports. Precious metal ores and concentrates followed with USD 96.3 million (4.8%), and spirituous beverages ranked third at USD 76.5 million (3.8%).
The top ten export partners made up 80.2% of Georgia’s total exports in January–April. Kyrgyzstan was the leading destination with USD 450 million, followed by Kazakhstan with USD 258.4 million and Azerbaijan with USD 215.1 million.
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- 22/04/2025 – Foreign Trade Up 16.1% in January-March 2025
- 28/03/2025 – Foreign Trade Up 15.6% in January-February 2025
- 19/02/2025 – Georgia’s Foreign Trade Up 39.3% in January 2025
- 20/01/2025 – Georgia’s Foreign Trade Up 8% in 2024
- 13/12/2024 –Georgia’s Foreign Trade Up 6.6% in January-November 2024
- 13/11/2024 – Georgia’s Foreign Trade Up 5.5% in January-October 2024