On February 5, the Azerbaijan National Carpet Museum will open the exhibition titled “Silent Prayers: Cultural Heritage Preserved at the Zira Juma Mosque”, Azernews reports.
Day: February 2, 2026
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Georgian Dream’s mouthpiece on Trump
Mouthpiece and ideologist of Georgian Dream, Zaza Shatirishvili, has published another letter in which he claims that US President Donald Trump is “more of a warmonger than a dove of peace”. According to Shatirishvili, “Europe, governed by the ‘deep state’, will sooner or later fall under corporate control” and become drawn into the Russia–Ukraine war.
Shatirishvili urges Georgian Dream to stop “burying its head in the sand”, to step forward and publicly tell society the truth, however “harsh and unpleasant it may be” for some.
Zaza Shatirishvili: “Donald Trump is a dove of peace — at least, that is what he claims.
‘I ended eight wars in nine months. We are working on the last war — it’s not easy, but I think we will succeed,’ the president of the United States boasts. Yet if one analyses these conflicts and the role played in them by Donald Trump or the so-called ‘deep state’, the reality looks very different. The dove of peace appears more like a warmonger than a leader who resolves conflicts.
Let us start with the example of our neighbours, Armenia and Azerbaijan. In this particular case, as the president of Azerbaijan has stated, the war effectively ended after Armenia signed an act of capitulation on 10 November 2020.
Subsequent local clashes or escalations, especially in 2022–2023, are not considered wars, but rather separate military operations and incidents.
It is therefore clear that Donald Trump did not bring the Armenian–Azerbaijani conflict to an end, and it is absurd for him to claim credit for this. It is obvious to everyone that his involvement in this process has been driven by entirely different motives and objectives.”
As for the Russia–Ukraine war, Donald Trump has repeatedly and loudly claimed that, had he been president, he would have ended the conflict within 24 hours. He became president, far more than 24 hours have passed, and the war has not ended. This, Shatirishvili argues, clearly serves the interests of the so-called “deep state”. Trump is providing Ukraine with both weapons and financial support, thereby carrying out the agenda of the “deep state” and seeking to escalate the war, because the “global war party” has very different plans that do not include an immediate end to the conflict.
Trump’s role in the Israeli–Palestinian conflict, he says, was active but sharply one-sided and clearly in favour of Israel. It is evident, Shatirishvili argues, that the tensions that have emerged in recent years were repeatedly and directly linked to Donald Trump and the policies he pursued. According to him, Trump’s approach — including the creation of a “Peace Council” and announcements of large-scale projects on the ground — altered the status quo, but at the cost of oppression and persecution of the Arab population. Rather than bringing peace, these policies exacerbated the conflict and are likely to lead to even more serious consequences.
Shatirishvili also says it is impossible to ignore Donald Trump’s role in the plight of Christian communities in Syria following the civil war. He argues that the Trump administration’s decision to partially or fully lift sanctions only worsened their already dire situation.
It is striking, Shatirishvili writes, how the United States — the self-styled “beacon of democracy” — and Donald Trump himself have acted in Venezuela. Ignoring international law and democratic principles, and guided solely by state interests — namely the need for Venezuelan oil — they have, he claims, effectively occupied the country and do not even conceal the fact that they are running it.
Acting on the instructions of the so-called “deep state”, Donald Trump, Shatirishvili argues, has shown no restraint even towards former allies and partners, demanding that Europe hand over Greenland. Otherwise, he has threatened to seize it by force — a move that, Shatirishvili says, once again exposes the predatory nature of this supposed “dove of peace”. As he noted in an earlier letter, Trump’s demand over Greenland is, in his view, merely a pretext for a conflict with Europe.
Shatirishvili also points to what he describes as extreme tensions around Iran. He says that Donald Trump is now threatening Iran with military strikes without any pretext, warning that their consequences could be even more destructive than the operations carried out in June 2025.
Taken together, Shatirishvili concludes, all this makes it clear that Donald Trump relies on brute force rather than diplomacy and is far more of an instigator and warmonger than a “dove of peace”.
At the same time, he adds, it should not be forgotten that Trump himself and the oligarchic families behind him have for years sought to rule the world through what he calls Orwellian formulas, in which war is peace, slavery is freedom, and ignorance is strength.
Within this logic, Shatirishvili argues, Donald Trump — known for his aggressive and coercive policies — can indeed be presented as a “dove of peace”, because what often proves decisive is not the truth itself, but the form and manner in which information is delivered to the public.
But is the reality not entirely different?
Although oligarchic families and Donald Trump are attempting to construct a simulated reality built around these formulas, they cannot escape the facts. The fact is that Donald Trump today represents what Shatirishvili calls the “party of war”. The fact is that he directly incites violence and lawlessness. The fact is that he completely disregards international law. And the fact is that he and the forces behind him have, in some places, artificially fuelled or even invented new conflicts; in others, poured fuel on existing ones; and elsewhere claimed credit for ending conflicts that had already been resolved.
These, Shatirishvili argues, are facts no less indisputable than his assertion that Europe, governed by the so-called “deep state”, will sooner or later fall under corporate control. He says the world was given a clear demonstration of this at the World Economic Forum in Davos, which, he claims, was led by none other than the chief executive of what he describes as the most important political and economic instrument in the hands of oligarchic families — the investment corporation BlackRock…
In concluding his letter, Shatirishvili writes that the public is being shown an illusion that Ukraine and Russia are moving towards some kind of peace plan, and that Donald Trump is making a major contribution to it. “The question is: why does the ‘deep state’ need this?” he asks. According to him, oligarchic families are trying to buy time, preparing for a new war while talking about peace, and in the meantime intend to remove the United States entirely from the process.
“The reality is that the oligarchic families have organised this war so effectively, coordinated their actions so well with both Ukraine and Russia, and created such a convincing illusion, that they have developed an appetite for an ‘organic’ confrontation. Now, they will inevitably draw Europe into this war,” he argues.
In this context, Shatirishvili addresses Georgian Dream directly. The truth he says he is publishing to inform the public is, in his words, well known to senior government officials. He urges them to stop “burying their heads in the sand”, to step forward and publicly tell society the truth, however difficult and painful it may be for some.
This, he says, is crucial because the public must be as prepared as possible for a catastrophe that could well unfold around them — namely, involvement in a large-scale European war. Otherwise, if events develop as he predicts, responsibility for the public’s lack of information will rest with the government.
Georgian Dream’s mouthpiece on Trump
Following Georgian Dream Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze’s call to revive public debates, two major pro-government TV channels, Imedi TV and Rustavi 2, said they will host the discussions, with what appears to be limited participation from key opposition forces.
Rustavi 2 is set to air the first debate at 10 p.m. on February 2, while Imedi TV said it will also begin weekly debates in February, with the exact date yet to be announced. On Rustavi 2, the moderator will be Rezo Chichinadze, who serves as deputy director of the channel and oversees its socio-political programming, and on Imedi, Magda Anikashvili, presenter of the late-night political program Imedi Live, which predominantly features Georgian Dream representatives, including MPs and ministers.
Under the theme “Financial Transparency or Political Control?,” the first Rustavi 2 debate will include disputed Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili, Georgian Dream’s offshoot People’s Power MP Sozar Subari, diplomat Kote Zghenti, opposition Girchi party leader Iago Khvichia, and Nino Chkhobadze, head of the environmental CSO Greens Movement of Georgia and a former environment minister under late President Eduard Shevardnadze.
Rustavi 2 said that, following “two days of negotiations,” the parliamentary opposition For Georgia party of former Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia, who is currently living in exile in Germany and faces criminal charges in Georgia, declined to participate in the debate. For Georgia said it was offered what it called a “farce” instead of real debates.
“What Rustavi 2 offered us in the form of debates on February 2, where the [Georgian] Dream needs its own satellite parties’ presence, is a continuation of farce and propaganda instead of debates,” Gakharia-For Georgia said. “We are ready to sit down for debates in a one-on-one format or any other appropriate format in a live broadcast with representatives of the ruling party to discuss any relevant issue for the citizens of Georgia, on any television channel,” the statement added.
Alongside Rustavi 2, Imedi TV also announced it is “preparing a new political format.” According to the channel, debates will begin in February and air weekly, offering what it called “substantive discussions on various issues important to society” and providing a “free platform to everyone ready for reasoned debate.”
Kobakhidze’s appeal, made in a January 22 letter in which he called for “returning to the Georgian people the right to enjoy one of the fundamental principles of democracy – debate,” has drawn mixed reactions across the opposition spectrum.
While some opposition figures have expressed a willingness to engage, including recently released Girchi-More Freedom leader Zurab Japaridze and Lelo party member Grigol Gegelia, others have rejected the initiative outright.
Georgia’s fifth president, Salome Zurabishvili, dismissed Kobakhidze’s proposal, saying, “Debates are not appropriate today.” She argued that any dialogue with the Georgian Dream must begin with the release of “political prisoners” and the repeal of repressive legislation. According to Zurabishvili, Kobakhidze’s calls for debate are intended to create “yet another subject of confrontation” within the opposition.
Opposition United National Movement member Khatia Dekanoidze echoed the criticism, saying, “People who seriously talk about democracy and genuine political debates do not lock their political opponents in prison.”
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