Day: July 18, 2025

Benjamin Haddad on Georgian Dream

France’s Minister for European Affairs, Benjamin Haddad, confirmed that the introduction of sanctions against the Georgian Dream party is being considered both at the national (French) and European levels. Haddad shared this in an interview with the Georgian TV channel “Pirveli.” According to him, Georgian Dream is closing the door to Europe for the people of Georgia.

Haddad stated that, in addition to sanctions, discussions are also underway regarding the possible reconsideration of Georgia’s EU candidate status and the suspension of the visa-free regime for Georgian citizens.

Georgian Dream’s PM Kobakhidze: ‘If we have to choose, we’ll choose stability over visa-free travel’

The Prime Minister from Georgian Dream said that EU wants to take away Georgia’s peace and stability, compared it to the Soviet Union, and stated that oligarch Bidzina Ivanishvili is not afraid of sanctions

Benjamin Haddad:

“I want to remind you why we are here. Georgia is a candidate country for joining the European Union. We, France, support the European aspirations of the Georgian people. But unfortunately, in recent months and years, we have witnessed Georgian Dream shifting its course toward anti-liberalism, toward repression of the opposition, civil society, and NGOs.

We have witnessed violence and arrests of political opponents exercising their right to freedom of expression and protest. We have seen parliamentary elections that the OSCE and the European Parliament called unfair and rigged. It is clear that if you are a candidate country for EU membership, you have an obligation to respect the rule of law, freedom of speech, fundamental rights, and minority rights.”

Therefore, at the European Council and the meeting of foreign ministers, we clearly stated that we will not allow this deviation from the course and are prepared to take measures both at the European and national levels to punish those responsible. Unfortunately, this will slow down and freeze Georgia’s process of European integration.

I know that the majority of Georgia’s population wants to continue on the European path, continue the democratic path, and follow it through to the end — to the European Union — but the actions of Georgian Dream greatly hinder this path and lead the country away from its goal.

We have made it clear that all options [for responses] are on the negotiation table. We are discussing the cancellation of candidate status, the visa-free regime, and the imposition of sanctions against those responsible.

“Repeal repressive laws, protect rights” – European Commission pressures Georgian Dream, visa-free regime at risk

The European Commission declared a “serious regression of democracy in Georgia”

We have made it clear that we have every possibility at the negotiation table to put pressure on Georgian Dream both at the European and national levels. Even without considering these measures, the truth today is that Georgian Dream has frozen the process, and the situation may even worsen. But yes, we have different options.

The process of European integration must be based on respect, freedom of expression, and the protection of human rights. We hope for this; we want Georgia to restore the European narrative and the Euro-integration process. Unfortunately, the course chosen by Georgian Dream and the Georgian government is the opposite of this and is closing the door to Europe for the people of Georgia. And the citizens of Georgia do not deserve this.

‘President of France should look at Ukraine’ — Georgia and Western reactions to Macron’s statement on Georgian election

Georgian authorities criticized Macron’s claim that Russia destabilized the country’s elections.

Recently, at the Flopsec conference in Prague, I met with representatives of civil society, including the fifth president, Salome Zurabishvili, to whom I expressed solidarity.

President Macron is very concerned about the situation in Georgia, which is why he called [Georgian Dream’s honorary chairman] Bidzina Ivanishvili and conveyed the same message that I have just shared with you. We reject and condemn the repression; we want an inclusive process to be opened, and we want respectful, peaceful dialogue among political forces in Georgia that could lead to new elections.

There has been only one phone call between President Macron and Ivanishvili. We will continue to spread this message through various channels, including diplomatic ones.”

“Stop intimidation and violence against protest participants in Georgia” – French President calls Ivanishvili

The ruling Georgian Dream stated that “Ivanishvili welcomed Macron’s idea of joint actions to stabilize the situation in Georgia”

Azerbaijan’s State Oil Fund (SOFAZ) is set to expand its footprint in the European renewable energy sector by acquiring a minority stake in solar assets operated by U.S.-based Enfinity Global Inc. in Italy, Azernews reports.
SOFAZ will acquire a 49% stake in a 402-megawatt portfolio owned by Enfinity. The portfolio includes…

The National Bank of Georgia (NBG) denied claims that it is seeking a SWIFT global payment network replacement after its top official met with the president of China’s Cross-Border Interbank Payment System (CIPS).

In a July 18 statement, the NBG called such claims a “complete disinformation,” clarifying that “CIPS is primarily focused on Chinese yuan transfers, while SWIFT covers multiple currencies.” It added, “We consider CIPS as an additional payment method – a regional diversification mechanism – and not a replacement for SWIFT.” The NBG said that “more than 4,900 financial institutions from 189 countries,” many of which also use SWIFT, are involved in the CIPS network.

The statement came in response to criticism from former NBG president Roman Gotsiridze, who said the meeting signaled that Georgia is “deepening relations with Russia and China not only through political-economic, but also financial fields.” Gotsiridze described CIPS as a “SWIFT alternative” designed to help “authoritarian regimes evade sanctions.”

The possibility of Georgia being disconnected from the SWIFT was raised in the European Parliament’s July 9 resolution, which urged EU member states to consider “further restrictive measures” against the Georgian Dream government, “aimed at cutting off financial flows and sources of income of the Georgian Dream regime.”

During the meeting in Tbilisi between NBG President Natia Turnava and CIPS President Fu Huang, “the sides discussed opportunities for cooperation and ways to facilitate access for Georgian financial institutions to the CIPS global network,” the NBG said on July 17.

“One of the goals of the comprehensive memorandum signed with the People’s Bank of China is to simplify transactions and increase accessibility between the financial systems of the two countries, which will support our trade, and trade is quite important between the two countries,” Turnava said following the meeting.

Also Read:

• 22/04/2025 – 9th Session of Sino-Georgian Trade and Economic Cooperation Joint Commission Held in Tbilisi

Kobakhidze’s Appeal to Trump

“The attitude of the current U.S. administration toward Georgia has radically changed, and the unjust approach inherited from the previous administration — and now even more sharply continued through the hands of official Brussels — has come to an end,” said Georgian Dream Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze.

According to him, the current U.S. administration has done nothing to correct the mistakes of its predecessors regarding Georgia; moreover, one does not need to conduct a “deep analysis” to see that the threat of war has not disappeared.

In Kobakhidze’s view, the “deep state,” also referred to as the “Global War Party,” will destroy not only the United States, as Donald Trump himself fears, but also Europe.

Georgian Dream’s PM Kobakhidze: ‘If we have to choose, we’ll choose stability over visa-free travel’

The Prime Minister from Georgian Dream said that EU wants to take away Georgia’s peace and stability, compared it to the Soviet Union, and stated that oligarch Bidzina Ivanishvili is not afraid of sanctions

What did Irakli Kobakhidze say?

“We have repeatedly stated, and once again confirm, that we wish President Trump success in his fight against the Deep State. However, we also continue to have well-founded doubts that this fight might not end in the defeat of the Deep State, but rather in its rebranding — a rebranding that could aim to push the U.S. aside and drag Europe into the Russia-Ukraine war with full force, ultimately leading to the simultaneous destruction of both Europe and Russia.

Time will tell, but in all fairness, it should be noted that the current [U.S.] administration has done nothing to correct the mistakes of its predecessor regarding Georgia. The unjustly imposed sanctions are still in place, and our clearly expressed desire to start our relationship from a clean slate remains unanswered. Once again, we sincerely hope that President Trump fulfills one of his key campaign promises and destroys the Deep State. Otherwise, the Deep State — that very same Global War Party — will destroy not only America, as Donald Trump himself pointed out, but also Europe.”

No in-depth analysis is needed to understand that the threat of war has not gone anywhere. The Global War Party is doing everything it can to place the burden of the Ukraine issue entirely on Europe, trying to kill two birds with one stone — to simultaneously destroy both Europe and Russia. In this context, the idea of opening a second front in Georgia remains just as relevant as it was at the beginning of the war.

Moreover, it is possible that this issue is now even more critical for the Global War Party. Today, the rhetoric of war from EU leaders is so aggressive that not only is there no end in sight to the military confrontation, but everything is being done to prolong it.

Maximum armament of Ukraine, the delivery of long-range weapons, the tightening of sanctions against Russia, and statements by retired generals that they are preparing for war with Russia in the near future — all of this clearly reflects the plan of the Global War Party: to continue and escalate the Russia-Ukraine war at Europe’s expense. These processes are aimed, on one hand, at weakening Europe and, on the other, Russia — and, naturally, they will end with that result.

It is also worth emphasizing the decision by EU member states to allocate, in the long term, 5% of their GDP to defense spending — an amount that exceeds 15% of their national budgets. This move, dictated by the Global War Party, is turning European countries into militaristic states, which, on one hand, further increases the risk of military escalation on the continent, and on the other, worsens the European Union’s economic situation and social climate.

Under these extremely difficult circumstances, it is crucial to exercise utmost caution so that society does not succumb to blackmail and provocations from the European bureaucracy and does not take a step that would inevitably lead to the destruction of the country.

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Azerbaijan is steadily reclaiming its place as a regional powerhouse in fertiliser production. Long before the fall of the Soviet Union, the country was home to several large chemical and fertiliser plants producing ammonium nitrate, urea, and other key components that supported not only domestic agriculture but also fed the demands of a vast Eurasian supply chain.

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