The meeting between Mikheil Kavelashvili and Ilham Aliyev took place a...

According to the Administration of the President of Georgia, the two leaders discussed the high level of strategic partnership between the two countries and the successful cooperation across various fields.“As President Kavelashvili noted during the meeting, maintaining and further developing the robust strategic partnership between Georgia and Azerbaijan across all its dimensions remains a priority for Georgia. During their private talks, the presidents placed particular emphasis on the fact that preserving stability and peace in the region is assuming ever greater importance, against the backdrop of ongoing geopolitical developments and the fundamental reshaping of the international order.President Kavelashvili expressed his gratitude to the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan for Azerbaijan’s continued support for Georgia’s territorial integrity and sovereignty. He also thanked President Aliyev for personally visiting the Georgian Embassy in Baku to offer his condolences following the passing of His Holiness and Beatitude Ilia II, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia. Upon the conclusion of the meeting, President Aliyev made an entry in the distinguished guests’ book,” reads the statement from the Administration of the President of Georgia.The meeting between Mikheil Kavelashvili and Ilham Aliyev took place at the Presidential Palace of Georgia.

SSSG arrests embezzlers of GEL 3.5 million intended for free canteen b...

Based on a judge's ruling, those arrested include the directors of Aladashvili & Co LLC, its subcontractor companies - Guide, Bade and Alioni, and one employee.According to the investigation, in 2023-2026, 12 contracts were signed between LLC “Aladashvili & co” and the administrations of four districts of Tbilisi (Isani, Chugureti, Mtatsminda, Krtsanisi), with a total value of more than 26.5 million GEL. The aforementioned procurement envisaged free food services for socially vulnerable citizens.According to the State Anti-Corruption Commission, the defendants improperly served 14,451 beneficiaries and fraudulently appropriated 3,529,000 GEL belonging to the state by falsifying documents.“The company’s director, together with subcontractors, improperly fulfilled their obligations. By falsifying product acceptance and delivery acts, the defendants fraudulently appropriated a large amount of state funds,” the agency’s statement says.The investigation is underway under Article 180 of the Criminal Code of Georgia (fraud in large amounts), which provides for a sentence of 6 to 9 years in prison.The Anti-Corruption Agency states that it continues to work to prevent such crimes and calls on entrepreneurs and public officials to conduct their activities in good faith.

Papuashvili expects “reset” of relations with the US in April

According to Papuashvili, the dialogue between the Georgian Prime Minister and the US Secretary of State is a sign that bilateral relations have moved to a higher political level. According to him, the Georgian side expects concrete steps as early as April of this year.The speaker emphasized that Tbilisi’s goal is not to restore the old format, but to sign a “content-rich” new framework agreement that will be based on the national interests of both countries.“Our proposal is that this be a framework saturated with content, where, based on the interests of both nations, we will agree on specific expectations and goals from this partnership,” Papuashvili said in a conversation with journalists.The speaker of parliament criticized the previous US administration, noting that they had brought relations to an “absolutely unacceptable” level. He also questioned the effectiveness of the Strategic Partnership Charter signed in 2009, calling it a “consolation prize” for then-President Mikheil Saakashvili.“Before, strategic partnership was somewhat of an epithet, since it was not very loaded with content... Now we want a new strategic partnership,” he added.According to Papuashvili, the start of a dialogue with Washington provides grounds for optimism and Georgia is ready for an agreement that equally reflects the interests of the American and Georgian people.

Switzerland suspends visa-free travel for holders of Georgian diplomat...

The decision, which will come into effect tomorrow, April 3, will be in effect for 12 months and will only apply to holders of official passports. The rules for visa-free travel to the Schengen area for other Georgian citizens remain unchanged.According to the Federal Council, the move is related to the implementation of the EU’s revised visa suspension mechanism.“The EU has strengthened the visa suspension mechanism for third countries, which allows visa requirements to be imposed on the basis of a deterioration in foreign relations or a violation of fundamental rights. The EU decided to apply these provisions to Georgia due to legislative changes adopted last year,” the statement said.The Swiss side stressed that as a member of the Schengen area, it is obliged to reflect the changes in EU legislation in its own regulations. As part of the decision, several articles of the visa facilitation agreement between Switzerland and Georgia have also been suspended.The EU has suspended visa-free travel for Georgian diplomats and civil servants for a period of one year after certain legislative initiatives adopted in Georgia have drawn criticism from Western partners.

European Council: Local democracy in Georgia in jeopardy

Debating a report of the Congress fact-finding visit to Georgia on 24-25 September 2025, presented by Stewart Dickson (United Kingdom, ILDG), the Congress deplored the fact that the  local elections held on 4 October 2025 were affected by a lack of political dialogue and competitiveness, widespread boycotts, frequent and problematic changes to electoral law, underrepresentation of women, and attempts to ban, intimidate and arrest leaders and candidates of opposition parties.It regretted that dissenting voices – notably the youth, civil society, and the media – faced growing intimidation, arrests and criminal proceedings, restricting fundamental freedoms, and that for the first time in decades, the 2025 local elections were held without credible international and domestic observation missions, including by the Congress, while the rights of observers were restricted.In its resolution and recommendation, the Congress stressed that the Georgian authorities failed to foster dialogue and build the necessary trust in the 2025 electoral process, turning the elections into single-party contests in half of the municipalities with allegations of pressure of opposition candidates in the rest. At the same time, attempts to ban opposition parties, as well as arrests and criminal proceedings against opposition representatives further silenced political pluralism.The Congress believes that the corrosive effect of all these issues did not provide the democratic conditions for inclusive, free and fair elections and further estranged Georgia from its European commitments, notably the European Charter of Local Self-Government.Congress members called on the Georgian authorities to urgently resume political dialogue at all levels of government, through an inclusive political process which engages all stakeholders, to reduce polarisation and restore the checks and balances essential in a pluralist democracy. The authorities were also urged, inter alia, to stop criminalising opposition voices and rescind the amendments facilitating the ban of opposition parties; implement outstanding Congress Recommendations and Venice Commission opinions and rebuild genuine local democracy in line with the European Charter of Local Self-Government; and repeal amendments to the Election Code that are in contradiction with European democratic standards and those restricting election observation, as well as all legislation in breach of human rights.The Congress highlighted its commitment to continue political dialogue with the Georgian authorities, notably via the urgent organisation of a mission to monitor the application of the European Charter of Local Self-Government in Georgia.