Author: Goga Akhalkatsi

Following the successful conclusion of the first tender of the EU renewable energy financing mechanism on 27 September 2023, 8 solar PV projects with a total capacity of 282.77 MW have been awarded funding. All applications which passed the eligibility check, and which met the minimum quality requirements, were ranked based on the price of their bid to the tender, starting from the lowest price, until the total budget of the tender (€40 million) was absorbed. The selected projects are now invited by the European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA) to prepare a grant agreement and will have to commence their solar…

Commissioner for Energy, Kadri Simson, will be in Tbilisi, Georgia, to participate in the first EU-Georgia High-Level Energy Dialogue. This dialogue comes after months of intense common work in the field of energy. The discussions will focus on alignment with key EU energy legislation, development of energy infrastructure and connectivity, and promotion of energy efficiency and renewable energy.It comes in the context of the Commission recommending last week to grant Georgia the status of EU candidate country. Commissioner Simson will co-chair the High-Level Dialogue with the Vice-Prime Minister for Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia, Levan Davitashvili. The Dialogue will be an opportunity to…

London, Dublin (1/11 – 66) Hamas is sheltered in a sea of civilians. Ostensibly a Palestinian political and military organization established in 1987, Hamas “governs” on the basis of having won a majority in the 2006 Palestinian legislative elections – defeating Fatah, another Islamist terror combine – before forming a government in the Gaza Strip, described as “…the world’s largest open-air prison” for its Palestinian inhabitants. So why don’t the Palestinians, having been robbed of their ancient lands, simply up and move somewhere else? It is telling that none of the Islamic nations surrounding Israel care to admit any more…

The Georgian Government has been working with the country’s international partners and financial institutions to transform Georgia into the regional transport, logistics and digital hub, Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili told the Global Gateway Forum on Wednesday in Brussels. In his speech as the keynote speaker at a working panel session on transport corridors hosted within the framework of the Forum, Garibashvili highlighted Georgia’s strategic geographic location – “being at the crossroads of Europe and Asia” – as one of the country’s “strongest assets”. He emphasised “an enhanced connectivity” as a “priority” of Georgia’s domestic agenda and noted despite not having…

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili on Thursday told the opening event of the Tbilisi Silk Road Forum the strategic partnership with China was “important” for Georgia’s economic stability. In his address to the fourth edition of the Forum, Garibashvili highlighted the “key role” of the strategic partnership between the two countries as a “bridge” between Asia and Europe. Recently, Georgia and China elevated ties to the strategic partnership level, which boosts our role as a link between the continents, fostering greater connectivity and economic collaboration. Our Strategic Partnership with China is important for Georgia’s economic development and stability, and its…

Berlin (06/11 – 58) UN Special Rapporteur of Human Rights Defenders, Mary Lawlor, has once again called on the authorities of Tajikistan to release imprisoned Tajik journalists and bloggers. Mary Lawlor posted on her social media account, formerly Twitter, that during a meeting with Tajikistan’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Jonibek Hikmat, in New York on October 24, she reiterated her call for the Tajik authorities to release the convicted human rights defenders and journalists, including Daler Imomali, Abdullo Gurbati, and Ulfatkhonim Mamadshoeva. Last year, in Tajikistan, eight journalists and bloggers were sentenced to various prison terms, ranging from 7…

Cape Town, Wellington, London (9/11 – 27) South Africa has become the unequalled rugby world champion after winning the World Cup for a record fourth time on 28 October 2023. Before the 2023 edition, The Springboks won the Rugby World Cup in 1995, 2007, and 2019. Their closest rival is New Zealand, who has won the title on three occasions (1987, 2011, and 2015). Australia has two titles (1991 and 1999) and England has one (2003). There are some interesting statistics about The Springboks’ success as the only team to have won the Rugby World Cup four times. South Africa…

The World Bank on Friday said it had revised the 2023 growth forecast for Georgia upward to 5.9 percent, Azernews reports, citing Agenda. Georgia maintained robust growth momentum in the second quarter of 2023, with output increasing by 7.5 percent year-over-year. Growth forecasts for Georgia have been revised upward to 5.9 percent in 2023, as consumption and investment remain resilient”, the Bank said. The institution added said exports grew “strongly” in the South Caucasus, as “booming” reexports of cars sustained the double-digit growth of exports in Georgia, even as exports of metals shrank, reflecting lower global prices. The countries of the South…

Representatives of Azerbaijan’s civil society strongly condemned Armenia’s mine terrorism against the nature, biological diversity, and animal world of the South Caucasus. According to preliminary information, more than 1.5 million mines and unexploded ordnance were found in Karabakh and East Zangazur, in the territories liberated from the occupation of the Republic of Armenia in 2020; and more lndmines are likely to exist. Unfortunately, Azerbaijan is one of the countries most contaminated with landmines in the world. Recently, videos and photos of 2 bears (Ursus arctos) who were victims of landmines in the liberated areas have become public. It was a…

Sweden will send a new military aid package worth 2.2 billion Swedish krona ($199.8 million) to Ukraine, the Swedish Defense Ministry announced on Oct. 6. The ministry has also asked its armed forces to assess whether Sweden can deliver Gripen fighter jets to Ukraine. Ukrainian pilots have already performed test flights on the jets. Kyiv has been seeking to obtain modern Western fighter jets, such as F-16s and Gripens, to bolster its air force amid the ongoing Russian invasion. The results of the report are due by Nov. 6, but domestic security considerations mean that Sweden first needs to become a member of NATO before it…