Other News from Georgia
Georgian Peacekeepers Train at Vaziani for NATO Mission in Afghanistan. The 13th Infantry Battalion of the 1st Infantry Brigade is preparing to deploy to Afghanistan to support NATO’s Resolute Support Mission. Previously Georgian forces prepped for deployment on NATO missions at the U.S. Army Joint Multinational Readiness Center in Germany. For the first time, final exercises will be held at the Vaziani Training Area near Tbilisi. (See Georgia Fact Sheet for more on Georgia and NATO.)
Atlantic Council Report urges passage of the Georgia Support Act (GSA). Last October, the U.S. House of Representatives unanimously passed the Georgia Support Act and sent it on to the Senate for action. A new Atlantic Council report argues that it is time to make this legislation law. The GSA calls specifically for Georgia–U.S. cybersecurity cooperation against Russian cyber aggression. At the end of last October, Russia targeted Georgia with a large-scale cyberattack that disrupted and damaged servers in the Georgia president’s office, the judicial system, government municipalities, non-government organizations, and at least two television stations. This attack, the Atlantic Council argues, is precisely why the GSA is needed urgently.
Russian pressure on Abkhazia increases. Three Georgians were detained in the Abkhaz conflict zone in early June. They were accused of illegally crossing a border that was manufactured by Russia to divide Georgia’s sovereign territory of Abkhazia from the rest of the state, and they now face from two to five years imprisonment. Almost simultaneously, the Russian-supported de facto government of Abkhazia closed the only border crossing with the rest of Georgia. Meanwhile, teachers in Abkhazia lamented that the pandemic has made it even more difficult for them to use and teach from Georgian language sources, which are being replaced by Russian-language sources and instruction.
Caucasus University in photos. Photographer Vlad Feoktistov has created a stunning photographic essay on the Caucasus University in Tbilisi.
Corona Days Artworks. The latest release by this active artistic group features the work of Sandro Gvinashvili, who is described as “a young Georgian artist constantly re-defining himself in his art in Tbilisi. A graduate of the Tbilisi State Academy of Arts, Sandro is the art world Socrates: he believes he knows nothing.” A sample of his paintings can be found here.
Debating Georgia’s Labor Market Reforms. “Reform equals deregulation. That was the conventional wisdom in Eastern Europe for over a generation. But something is changing. For the first time in the Eastern Partnership region, a country is reflecting on its labour code.” That is the teaser for a vibrant discussion of labor rights and Georgia’s pathway to Europe.
These European destinations have been named the safest to visit during COVID-19. In comparison to other countries around the world, Georgia has fared better in terms of total number of cases of coronavirus. The country was quick to react with measures, and according to the study, case numbers are approximately 260 times lower than the most affected European countries. With borders reopening 1 July to certain countries, Georgia will be implementing a series of health measures to protect travellers and citizens alike.