“As a true friend to Russia’s, he made an invaluable personal contribution to the establishing of neighborly relations between our two countries and made great efforts to elevate them to the level of strategic partnership,” Putin’s letter, published on the Kremlin’s website, reads. “I had the luck of meeting Ebrahim Raisi more than once, and … Read more
Asked to explain whom Ivanishvili was referring to, Lashkhi volunteered that “freemasons” were behind schemes across the world. “We were seeing they do have the influence on global politics,” she insisted, but declined to name any other groups supposedly responsible. “Today, when me, myself, I am involved in foreign relations and sometimes when I have … Read more
“We supported and protected the rights of all minorities — ethnic, religious and sexual — during our term in office,” said Petre Tsiskarishvili, a member of the United National Movement party and a minister in Georgia’s previous government. “Whereas Georgian Dream needs and wants polarization for its own political gains.” According to a 2022 poll, … Read more
TBILISI — The Georgian government’s plans to brand Western-funded NGOs, media outlets and campaign groups as “foreign agents” were rejected by the country’s president on Saturday, but the ruling party vows to pass them into law despite widespread public protests and international outcry. Speaking at a press conference in the capital of Tbilisi on Saturday, … Read more
A U.K. government official said that France’s actions — not only the D-Day invitation but also hosting Chinese President Xi Jinping this month and sending a representative to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s inauguration — were “disturbing.” They said President Emmanuel Macron gave the impression of “seeing himself above the fray and that in the end … Read more
Kremlin spokesman Dimitry Peskov refused to elaborate on Patrushev’s fate, saying only that details would be announced in the coming days. His son, Dmitry Patrushev, has been promoted to deputy prime minister from agriculture minister as part of the same reshuffle. The appointment of Belousov, a veteran economic adviser, to the top defense job is being … Read more
Asked whether the withdrawal of the Russian border guards, formally part of the country’s FSB security service, had been discussed at the meeting, Kremlin Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov said “yes,” according to state newswire TASS. On Sunday, long convoys of Russian military vehicles were seen leaving Armenia’s border regions, heading toward the capital, Yerevan. Dozens … Read more
For decades, Moscow’s annual May 9 parade has been not so much a memorial to victory over Nazi Germany in World War II, as a carefully choreographed show of might and power. Since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in 2022, the Kremlin has intensified attacks on Ukraine ahead of Victory Day to help its propaganda … Read more
While Ivanishvili devoted his speech to calling out the enemies attacking Georgia, he didn’t namecheck Russia, even though Moscow occupies 20 percent of Georgian territories, backing local proxies in the breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. He also vowed that the United National Movement, Georgia’s largest bloc of opposition MPs, would face “harsh political … Read more
Escalation violates standards Despite the criticism, Georgian Dream has insisted the new rules are needed to protect the country’s sovereignty. Parliamentarians are expected to vote in favor of the bill at a second reading Wednesday. In a bombastic speech at a rally outside the parliament on Monday night, prominent oligarch and former Prime Minister Bidzina … Read more
