It is such a privilege to stand in streets of Tbilisi to fight for freedom, democracy and Georgia's ๐ช๐บ future with my former students representing Gen Z. We are Georgians and therefore we are Europeans.
Good news from ๐ฌ๐ช - starting from 27/06/2023 โด๏ธ will start operating between two Black sea ports Poti,
#Georgia
and Constanta,
#Romania
. It can accommodate trail and passengers & will take 42 hours to reach the destination. This is yet another thread of
#connectivity
๐ฌ๐ช & ๐ท๐ด๐ช๐บ
My country ๐ฌ๐ช gets closer to the ๐ช๐บ. Today
@EU_Commission
recommended
@EUCouncil
to grant the candidate status. Thanks to all those who worked hard to make this happen.
Anyone in or outside
#Georgia
who would dare to stand against the will of these people joining the
#EU
is doomed to fail.
Thousands stood yesterday in front of
@Geoparliament
building to show their support and stop Georgia derailing from the one and only - the European path.
This piece of paper was hanging @ my office since
#Georgia
initiated the Association Agreement in 2013. It took 8 years for Georgia to make the right decision and apply for
#EU
membership. I am sure that Georgia will join the family in my lifetime. Keep on that way ๐ฌ๐ช
My cordial congratulations to๐บ๐ฆ
#Ukrainians
and ๐ฒ๐ฉ
#Moldovans
for getting candidate status for
#EU
membership. My country ๐ฌ๐ช is not yet there but we will make our utmost to catch up.
I wonder if those politicians who back than at
@NATO
Bucharest summit in 2008 postponed
#Ukraine
and
#Georgia
accession to NATO feel any (even tiny) responsibility on what in happening in ๐บ๐ฆ now?
The dream of generations is coming true. My country ๐ฌ๐ช got the ๐ช๐บcandidate status. Thanks to everyone for this. Thanks to ๐บ๐ฆ for paving the way for us. Congratulations to ๐ฒ๐ฉ. No time to lose. After short celebration we need to work hard to open accession talks with
#EU
.
According to the
@crrcgeorgia
survey, almost half of
#Georgian
population (45%) does not expect that the
@GovernmentGeo
will carry out the necessary reforms to receive
#EUcandidacy
. Hope authorities would manage to demonstrate that this was wrong expectation.
Despite the pressure coming from the ruling Georgian Dream party, the Presidend of Georgia
@Zourabichvili_S
made a bold decision and pardoned
@NikaGvaramia212
thus contributed to the fulfilment of 12 priorities of
#EU
Warning signals from๐บ๐ธ๐ณ๐ด๐ธ๐ช๐ฉ๐ช๐ซ๐ท๐ช๐บ sent to
#Georgia
- adopting Russian foreign agents law means derailing country from EU&NATO path. Generations in ๐ฌ๐ช were dreaming and perishing for that. Bear in mind
@GeorgianDream41
you will be fully responsible for it.
Together with the politicians and experts from ๐ฌ๐ช had pleasure to address the EU Affairs Committee of
@Bundestag
. Message is clear - Georgians are fighting for the European future. ๐ฉ๐ช being the first country recognizing
#Georgia
's independence is with us. More support will come.
Historical photo. The flags of 10 countries are put up in front of the
@Europarl_EN
building in Strasbourg. 20 years ago EU enlarged from 15 to 25. Sooner than later ๐ฌ๐ช will also fly there. Step by step we get closer to this goal. Nobody can stand against the will of the people.
Georgian exported 33.6 million bottles of
#wine
in JAN-MAY, 2019:
1.
#Russia
- 21.3 million
2.
#Ukraine
-3 million
3.
#China
-2.1 million
4.
#Poland
-1.5 million
5.
#Kazakhstan
-1.2 million
Seems
#Putin
's next step after discouraging tourists visiting GEO would banning GEO wine.
Yet another warning: 31 MEPs from four political groups of
@Europarl_EN
addressed
@JosepBorrellF
cause
@Geoparliament
adopts
#RussianLaw
. They ask for:
1. Suspending EU candidate status to ๐ฌ๐ช
2. Review financial support
3. Produce interim report on implementation of 9 steps
According to the latest opinion survey commissioned by
@NDI
respectively 83% and 77% of population of Georgia approves
@GovernmentGeo
goal to join the
#EU
and
@NATO
.
Exact date of oral reporting from the
@EU_Commission
on reform progress (on its way to the
#EU
) by
#Ukraine
#Moldova
and
#Georgia
is confirmed. The issue will be discussed in Sweden at informal meeting of the General Affairs Council on 22 June, 2023.
Exactly 32 years ago on this very day, at the referendum Georgians supported the idea of restoration of country's independence. This choice of ๐ฌ๐ช is eternal and irreversable. Anyone in and/or outside of Georgia who wants to change this reality is doomed to fail.
Farewell meeting with the EU Ambassador to Georgia H.E.
@CarlHartzellEU
. Georgia has such a great friend and ally. Thanks Ambassador for your continuous support to my country and people.
Tomorrow bureau of
@Geoparliamen
debats on Putin's Russian style law on
#foreignagents
. Friends of
#Georgia
warn
@GeorgianDream41
- adopting the bill will derail ๐ฌ๐ช on
#EU
path supported by 80% of population. Only Dmitry Peskov praises Georgian authorities for this move.
Thousands of Georgians keep on organizing peaceful protest and protecting country's European future. They demand withdrawal of
#RussianLaw
on foreign agents that is standing between
#Georgia
and the European Union.
"Georgians are choosing the path to Europe -
#Germany
supports
#Georgia
on this path, which includes the freedom of press and of civil society," Federal President Frank-Walter
#Steinmeier
Head opposition TV
@MtavariChannel
#NikaGvaramia
was sent to prison by court which is noway independent. This move ahead of
#EU
's pending decision on candidate status leaves impression either you
@GovernmentGeo
have no clue where are u heading, or you go to wrong destination.
Happy to see that ๐ฒ๐ฉ and ๐บ๐ฆ are progressing on EU path and the
@EU_Commission
has recommended that the
#EU
starts accession talks. Very much hope that sooner than later ๐ฌ๐ช will also catch up.
hard to keep up w Georgia, with everything else going on -- but at least two vicious attack lines against decent people:
vs
@IvaneChkhikvadz
who consistently worked on helping Georgia integrate with EU, now called a "foreign agent" (you can guess who the attack dog is);
The group of civil society organizations led by
@OSFGeorgia
presented today 'EU Candidacy Check" assessing how
#Georgia
is progressing towards fulfillment of 12 priorities defined by the
#EU
as prerequisite of getting the EU candidate status.
It is pleasure to be part of the
@EEDemocracy
team and celebrate its 10th anniversary with my dear colleagues
@j_pomianowski
. This handwritten extract from "The Knight in the Panther Skin" by
#ShotaRustaveli
is a small birthday present for EED from Georgia
#EEDat10
Very critical report of
@EEAS
on implementation of Association Agreement by
#Georgia
. The
#EU
stressed on democratic backsliding in the country. The document says that is now in the hands of Georgia to do what is necessary to advance on its European path.
September 27 once again reminds Georgians what ๐บ๐ฆ goes through now. This is the most tragical day in recent history of ๐ฌ๐ช. On this very day 29 years ago
#Russian
backed separatists took control over
#Sokhumi
expelling thousands of Georgians from their homes.
Thousands of Georgians take streets to demonstrate that we are against the
#Russianlaw
and our future is in the
#EU
. Do you get the message
@GeorgianDream41
?
The ruling party
@GeorgianDream41
representatives are signaling on their readiness to amemd the law. What we learnt is that GD can not be trusted. They reached the point of no return. The
#Russianlaw
must been thrown to the bin it can not be refined.
Based on the source
@EU_Commission
will present the enlargement package on 17th or 25th of October. On this very day we will hear whether the Commission would recommed to the
@EUCouncil
to granting the
#candidate
status to ๐ฌ๐ช.
Extremely important visit of FM of Germany
@ABaerbock
to
#Georgia
. She also visited occupation line and sent crystal clear messages. One of them is that
@GovernmentGeo
can not become the EU member state without civil society and visa versa.
๐ฉ๐ช wants to see ๐ฌ๐ช in ๐ช๐บ family.
It was pleasure working with
@sonjaschiffers
from
@Boell_SC
on this article where we recommend to
#EU
to give potential candidate status to
#Georgia
. This would be tantamount to strong conditionality with clear and measurable benchmarks.
Georgia submitted application to ๐ช๐บ to join the Single Euro Payment Area (
#SEPA
). The application will be assesed by the Council in consultation with the
@EU_Commission
. The decision is expected by November, 2022. Good job done led by
@GeoParl_EU
On 08.11.2023
@EU_Commission
presents 1st ever enlargement report on
#Georgia
.โฐ is ticking for ๐ฌ๐ช's ๐ช๐บ future. In this policy brief commissioned by
@LiberaleModerne
I stress
on need of clear communication from
#EU
side explaining the basis of decision.
Georgia submits answers for the second part of
@EU_Commission
Questionnaire on 10th of May. Just wanted to express my genuine gratitude towards those civil servants whose names we rarely know. You did a tremendous job on Georgia's
#EU
path!
8 NGOs &
@OSFGeorgia
presented final assessment report on implementation of 12 priorities being prerequisite of getting the
#EU
candidate status. The report states 1 priority is fully fulfilled; 2 - mostly fulfilled; 7 - partially & 2 needs to be fulfilled
It is already six months that
#Georgia
does not have a new
#AssociationAgenda
that is a very efficient tool in the hand of civil society to assess country's
#EU
integration process.
@eu_eeas
@MFAgovge
regretfully the negotiation process took extremely long and needs acceleration
According to the latest survey conducted by
@crrcgeorgia
and presented today 83% of GEO population supports Georgia's
#EU
membership while 9% is against.
#GEO
#NATO
membership has 78% public support while 13% is against.
In JAN-OCT/2021
#remittances
sent back by
#Georgian
migrants is record high $1.9 billion. Remittance from
#Russia
is $337 mln, from
#EU
member states is app. $735 mln. GEO takes 21st place in the globe among the countries dependent on remittance. It account 13.3% of GEO GDP.
Happy Vyshyvanka day to my friends and colleagues in brave ๐บ๐ฆ. I am sure that Ukrainian and Georgian people will win the battle for bright European future.
ะกะปะฐะฒะฐ ะฃะบัะฐัะฝั!
The recent opinion poll of
@IRIglobal
- 45% of ๐ฌ๐ช believes that the foreign policy of the ruling party is pro-Russian. 89% support's Georgia's ๐ช๐บ integration. 77% says democracy is the best possible form of government for
#Georgia
. 42% - no political party represents its interest
Pleasure to be part of
@LiberaleModerne
project promoting EU accession process of ๐บ๐ฆ๐ฒ๐ฉ๐ฌ๐ช & engaging with policy makers in ๐ฉ๐ช. Advocating for these countries ๐ช๐บ future&pushing for democratic reforms with patriots of their countries
@DionisCenusa
@sergikap
@Gigiadze
@LeonidL
All is clear. The enemies of Georgia Maria Zakharova and Grigol Karasin made statements and encouraged Georgian authorities to adopt the law on foreign agents. Strategic partners like US and EU are calling for stopping it.
#NoToRussianLaw
The speculations that
#EU
plans suspending
#visafreetravel
to the citizens of
#Georgia
, broadly taken up by some oppositions parties, shows that they either don't know the issue in depth or want to capitalize on it. Visa free travel belongs to the people not parties.
Today is the day of restoration of independence of ๐ฌ๐ช. 35 years ago Georgian protestors (mostly youth) were killed & poisoned by Russian soldiers. Fight for freedom continues now with challanging the
#RussianLaw
that as ruling party says aims at "dirty money" coming from the West
All of this what happens around
#Saaakshvili
leaves me the impression that the
#Georgian
authorities are out of the coverage area. It needs to be stopped somehow, otherwise the civil unrest scenario gets more and more real.
Exactly 15 years ago this day I left Tbilisi for Warsaw to pursue my study
@coenatolin
. I will be eternally grateful to my alma mater which did made difference in my life and opened a new chapter.
#Natolin
is always in my heart.
According to the opinion poll survey issued today by
@NDI
&
@crrcgeorgia
- public support of
#Georgia
's
#EU
membership increased reaching to 81%. At the same time 56% of people says that government is either not doing enough or is doing nothing to ensure EU membership.
In partnership with
@onthinktanks
the gathering of Georgian think tank community is taking place
@OSFGeorgia
. Interesting discussion on common challenges and fostering the collaborative environment.
The PM of Georgia
@GharibashviliGe
stated that: 1. nobody can stop the war 2. sanctions don't work. One of the most irresponsible statements made by the state official in history
#Georgia
. Sorry dear
#Ukrainians
. There is a huge gap how Georgian people and authorities see reality
Reforming judiciary is one of the preconditions for ๐ฌ๐ช to open accession talks with ๐ช๐บ. EU expects Georgia to "set up integrity check system, with the involvement of international experts with a decisive role" my article
@SCEEUS_UI
on EU-GEO ties
Amb.
@CarlHartzellEU
today reminded
@GeorgianDream41
that creating State Inspector's Service
@DPAofGeorgia
was one of the preconditions of visa free travel and its annulment is not OK. One might recall that EU has visa suspension mechanism at place and
#Georgia
plays risky game.
In less than 24 hours the Georgian authorities managed to:
- Pass the
#Russinlaw
style on foreign agents
- Introduced changes the Tax Code - the so-called
#offshore
draft law.
- Announced Chines company as a winner of the tender to construct the
#Anaklia
deep sea port.
The riot police dispersed demonstrators using tear gas and took control of main squar. Do you really believe
@GeorgianDream41
that we will give up on our European choice and follow you to Russia?! Think again.
Thanks 2
@MFAgovge
&Minister
@DZalkaliani
for the opportunity to address Ambassadorsโ Conference 2018. Had honor to provide feedback on draft foreign policy strategy of
#Georgia
2019-22 and hand answers of Chapter
#23
of EU Accession Questionnaire prepared by
#OSGF
&partner CSOs
๐ฌ๐ช is heading to the general elections scheduled in October 26, 2024 with Russian style foreign agents draft law + 308,000 people employed in public sector and getting salary from the budget + 470,000 beneficiaries of subsistence allowance. 245,064 persons left ๐ฌ๐ช in 2023.
One of the oldest couples from
#Keda
,
#Georgia
. Mr&Mrs. Turmanidze respectively 95 and 94 years old. They got married on 20.05.1941 and live together since then. They have 8 children, 37 grandchildren, 86 grand-grand children and 31 grand-grand-grand children.
Today twelve civil society organizations presented their vision how to implement '9 steps' proposed by the EU being prerequisite for ๐ฌ๐ช to move to the following stage of ๐ช๐บ accession.
Many thanks to
@GnomonWise
team and the distinguished contributors. Hope that the 2nd issue of the magazine would be interesting. I had pleasure to contribute to the issue with the article titled "Servabo Fidem" assessing public attitudes towards Georgia's EU accession process.
Cameraman of
@TvPirveli
Lekso Lashkarava beaten by far right group on 5th of July protesting
#MarchofDignity
passed away this morning. Sad day for Lekso's family and the entire
#Georgia
which I doubt heads to the right direction.
Survey of
@crrcgeorgia
revealed that 75% of the interviewees fully or rather support Georgiaโs membership in ๐ช๐บ and 70% fully or rather back joining
@NATO
meanwhile, 75% of the respondents do not support, at all or generally, joining the
#Russian
led Eurasian Union.