On a cold Sunday evening in Tbilisi, thousands of Georgians attended a pro EU rally entitled “Georgia Chooses EU” to show their commitment to vote for pro-Western political parties on October 26. The rally began with a walk from five different places in Tbilisi. The crowds then converged on Freedom Square. The night began with a concert of popular Georgian musicians, followed by speeches from CSO representatives, activists and the President.
During the meeting of the 3+3 format, Sergey Lavrov, Russian Foreign Minister, reiterated his invitation to Tbilisi, saying that the doors remain open for Georgia. Lavrov confirmed that Russia maintains contacts with Georgian officials through the Russian Federation Section of the Embassy of the Swiss Confederation of Georgia.
Pawel Herczynski, EU Ambassador in Georgia, stressed the importance of holding the forthcoming elections in Georgia in an environment that is free and fair and urged Georgians to vote. He also spoke of the EU-Georgia relationship, the stalled EU Integration process, and anti-EU propaganda spread out by the ruling Georgian Dream Party. According to the ambassador’s words, the members of GD now compete to see who can insult EU more with their anti EU rhetoric.
The European Council released the conclusions of its meeting. It reiterated its “serious concerns regarding the course of actions taken by the Georgian Government, which runs contrary to the values and principals upon which the European Union was founded”, and reaffirmed its support for the EU aspirations of the Georgian people. The European Council noted that “such an action jeopardizes Georgia’s European pathway, and defacto halts its accession process.” It further called on Georgia to “adopt democratic, comprehensive, and sustainable reforms in line with core principles of European Integration.”
Irakli Kobakhidze, Prime Minister, appointed Tinatin Rukhadze on October 18. PM Kobakhidze said that the sports component would be separated as a separate ministry after the elections. Shalva Gogoladze was also named by PM Kobakhidze as the new first Deputy Minister of Culture. He proposed him to be the Minister of Sport when a separate Ministry is created after the elections.
According to recent reports, Georgian Dream officials are allegedly confiscating ID cards from opposition-supporting civil servants in the regions of Georgia. Ana Tsitlidze, Tamar Kordzaia and other members of the Unity – National Movement coalition raised this issue in their briefings. Mtavari TV conducted a journalistic inquiry into their allegations, which found evidence of this practice.
The so-called security Council of occupied Abkhazia decided on October 18 to restrict movement through the Enguri Bridge crossing point during the Parliamentary Elections in Georgia from October 23-30 to avoid “possible provocation from radical forces”.
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