Author: Goga Akhalkatsi

The President of the Republic of Croatia, Zoran Milanovic, participated yesterday in marking the 31st anniversary of the establishment of the 103rd Croatian Defense Council (HVO) Brigade in Derventa, which he awarded with the Order of Nikola Subic Zrinjski, and said that the Dayton Peace Agreement is still very important and that Croatia will defend it. “I awarded the 103rd HVO Brigade because it deserves it and because their contribution is unforgettable, great. It is difficult to describe it in words. 650 people died. Over 100 of your Muslim comrades, who would today be called Bosniaks, died. I note with regret and a little…

The Italy-Serbia Business & Science Forum was held in Belgrade last Tuesday and Wednesday with the participation of 250 Italian and 150 Serbian companies. The attendance by Italy’s Foreign Minister Mr. Antonio Tajani and Minister of Research Mrs. Anna Maria Bernini was corresponded on the Serbian side not only by that of their homologue ministers but also by that of the President Mr. Aleksandar Vučić and the Prime Minister Mrs. Ana Brnabić. This made the significance of the event to go beyond the economic dimension to assume a political meaning. The presence of 1,200 Italian companies active in Serbia together…

Its separatist leader says the Moscow-backed breakaway region plans to take steps to become part of Russia. The separatist leader of Georgia’s breakaway region of South Ossetia says the Moscow-backed territory is planning to take steps in the near future to become part of Russia. Russia recognised South Ossetia as an independent state in 2008 after fighting a short war with Georgia. It has provided the separatist region with extensive financial support, offered Russian citizenship to its population and stationed thousands of Russian troops there. “I believe that unification with Russia is our strategic goal, our path, the aspiration of the people,”…

Hungary is sick of western critique, the country’s foreign minister has said.  In an interview with the AP, Hungarian FM Peter Szijjarto said the West’s criticism of democratic and cultural issues in Hungary hampers cooperation, especially on NATO and Russia. Budapest and Brussels have crossed swords on several issues in recent years, with the ruling far-right Fidesz party accused of taking an authoritarian turn, misusing EU funds and subverting the bloc’s policy towards the Ukraine war. On Friday, Szijjarto said Hungary has not voted on whether to allow Finland and Sweden to join NATO because Hungarian lawmakers are fed up with…

Brussels is failing the Georgian people by trying to punish them for the actions of their government. June 17, 2022, will likely be remembered as a turning point in Georgia’s modern history. On that day, the European Commission finally gave qualified recommendations for European Union candidature to Moldova and Ukraine. However, despite the country charting a Euro-Atlantic course for more than 20 years, it opted not to recommend Georgia for the same. The decision caused much disappointment in Tbilisi and led many Western-oriented Georgians to start questioning the trust they place in Brussels. The Commission’s long-awaited opinion on granting candidate…

Hungary advocating for the ceasefire in Ukraine does not mean accepting that Russia would keep the territories it currently occupies, Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said in an interview with Associated Press published on March 26. According to Szijjártó, “stopping the war and sitting around the table does not mean that you accept the status quo.” “When the war stops and the peace talks start, it’s not necessary that the borders would be where the front lines are. We know this from our own history as well… Ceasefire has to come now.” Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February last year, Hungary has…

The UN is holding its first water conference in nearly 50 years, addressing the alarming global water crisis. With 2 billion people lacking safe drinking water and 1.6 billion projected to face the same by 2030, the conference aims to produce a ‘water action agenda’ focusing on vulnerable communities and transboundary cooperation. Climate change is exacerbating water scarcity, flooding, and drought, threatening half of the world’s population. Although no legally binding treaty is expected, delegates are calling for prioritizing water in existing treaties and the UN system, as well as seeking more funds for projects like desalination and wastewater treatment.…

The court seeks the arrest of three men who served in the government of the Russian-backed breakaway region of South Ossetia. The International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued arrest warrants for three men wanted on suspicion of committing war crimes during the 2008 Russo-Georgian War, it announced on Thursday. The Hague-based court opened an investigation in 2016 into the conflict, which killed hundreds and left thousands of civilians displaced. Russia invaded Georgia after violence broke out between separatist groups and Georgian forces. In 2021, the European Court of Human Rights concluded that “grave human rights abuses” occurred on Russian-held territory. The…

Khurvaleti is increasingly affected by Russian forces demarcating the ‘border’ of breakaway state South Ossetia. When Gia Batonisashvili hears dogs barking, he knows “Russians are patrolling”. The troops patrol with their dog in what used to be his back garden. He lost this garden three years ago when Russian forces put up a barbed-wire fence behind his home. He can no longer access these grounds for fear of being arrested and accused of trespassing in another state. Gia, 63, and his mother Nora, 81, live in a decaying house at the end of the only asphalt road that crosses Khurvaleti,…

Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – Tajikistan’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sirojiddin Muhriddin, expressed his country’s desire to open an embassy in Baghdad, according to a statement issued by the Iraqi Foreign Ministry. The statement elaborated that the Iraqi Foreign Minister, Fuad Hussein, met with Muhriddin at the United Nations headquarters in New York, on the sidelines of the UN 2023 Water Conference. Both sides discussed the bilateral relations between the two countries, the need to confront common risks, and the importance of exchanging visits between officials of the two countries, the statement mentioned. Hussein and Muhriddin also discussed regional and international issues…