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“To fully rule out and close the field for speculation, both internal and external, we sent an invitation to OSCE/ODIHR, and we are confident they will arrive,” said Levan Machavariani, first deputy chairman of the Georgian Dream faction, in response to a question about the Georgian authorities’ invitation to the OSCE/ODIHR mission for the October 4 elections.According to the MP, after attacks began against OSCE/ODIHR, the ruling team had to defend them.“You remember the final OSCE/ODIHR report on the previous elections, where it was emphasized that the elections were competitive, the CEC administered them at a very high level, and Georgia has an elected government.Since then, we have had to defend the reputation of OSCE/ODIHR, given the kinds of attacks that were being made. Those Euro-bureaucrats who, before the elections, said they would rely on the OSCE/ODIHR conclusion, later changed their position and began insulting OSCE/ODIHR. At times, they even called it a corrupt organization, and so on.Later they demanded to know why Georgian Dream was not inviting OSCE/ODIHR to the municipal elections. That is precisely why we did not invite them — so that no one would disregard their conclusion. However, in order to completely rule out and close the field for speculation, both internal and external, we have sent an invitation to OSCE/ODIHR regarding these elections, and we are confident they will come and observe the municipal elections as well,” Machavariani noted.

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As stated in the announcement published on the official Facebook page of the President of Georgia, despite various circumstances, the president made this decision so that no one could claim that the local self-government elections are being held under conditions of limited competitiveness.“Yesterday, the registration process for electoral subjects to participate in the local self-government elections was completed. Among the registered political unions is the party Strong Georgia – Lelo, whose leaders are currently serving sentences in a penitentiary facility for a specific crime.Undoubtedly, the local self-government elections would still take place in a competitive environment even while they remain in custody. At the same time, it is important to emphasize that, in general, elections should not become an indulgence for any politician who commits crimes. Nor should it be ignored that several weeks ago the respective prisoners rejected my proposal for a pardon, thereby attempting to insult the institution of the presidency.However, despite all the above-mentioned circumstances, in order to remove even the slightest pretext for anyone to claim that the local self-government elections are being conducted under limited competitiveness, I made the decision to pardon the two convicted individuals — Mamuka Khazaradze and Badri Japaridze. I express the hope that in the future they will continue their political activities with respect for the law.I call on all electoral subjects to contribute to holding the local self-government elections in a healthy and peaceful environment. I wish success to all electoral subjects who participate in the elections with a sincere spirit of developing municipalities and serving the interests of the population,” the statement by the President of Georgia Mikheil Kavelashvili reads.

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The Parliament of Georgia approved Mamuka Mdinaradze as the head of the State Security Service.Mdinaradze’s candidacy was put to a vote at today’s plenary session.Eighty-five members of parliament supported his candidacy, and none voted against it.After the vote, the Speaker of the Parliament of Georgia, Shalva Papuashvili, congratulated Mamuka Mdinaradze on his election as head of the State Security Service and wished him success in his new position.According to Papuashvili, Mamuka Mdinaradze will further strengthen the security system.“I would like to thank him for the work he has carried out in three convocations of the Parliament of Georgia. Friends, and most importantly, even enemies know very well what role Mamuka Mdinaradze played in the Parliament of Georgia. I am confident that, for the benefit of our country’s friends and to the detriment of its enemies, Mamuka Mdinaradze will be an outstanding head of the State Security Service and will further strengthen the security system that has been developed in Georgia over many years, which allows us to maintain peace and the pace of prosperity in the face of regional uncertainty and turbulence that Georgia is going through. We wish Mamuka Mdinaradze the same success in this role as he had as a member of parliament and leader of the majority,” Shalva Papuashvili stated.At the plenary session of parliament, before being elected as head of the State Security Service, Mamuka Mdinaradze addressed the Defense and Security Committee in a closed format.It should be recalled that Anri Okhanashvili resigned as head of the State Security Service on August 23, after which Prime Minister of Georgia Irakli Kobakhidze nominated Mamuka Mdinaradze for the position.

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The plenary sitting of the autumn session of parliament began with the performance of the national anthem of Georgia. A total of 87 members of parliament registered.Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili presented the lawmakers with the legislative body’s work schedule.“In accordance with the regulations of the Georgian parliament, in an election year, during the month leading up to election day, plenary sittings are generally not held. Therefore, we will follow this tradition unless there is a need to convene a plenary sitting. Accordingly, plenary sittings will take place only this week and will then resume from October 15. As for the current week, we will need two days for plenary sittings,” said Shalva Papuashvili.The first plenary sitting of the autumn session began with political statements.

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The presidents of Georgia Mikheil Kavelashvili wrote open letter to the President of the United States of America.«Open Letter To the President of the United States of America, His Excellency Mr. Donald Trump.First of all, I would like to reaffirm my deep respect for you as the leader elected by the American people. I would like to reiterate my hope that your presidency will strengthen the United States of America and bring greater prosperity to the American people, as well as greater peace, tranquility and prosperity to the world.As the leaders of the Georgian government have repeatedly stated publicly, resetting relations with the United States and renewing the strategic partnership between the two countries from a clean slate is one of the top priorities of Georgia’s foreign policy. We would like to remind you that the aforementioned strategic partnership was terminated by the Biden administration after your election as President of the United States, a few weeks before your inauguration, as part of the unjust, harsh and aggressive policy it pursued towards a number of sovereign states.Against this background, it is necessary to note with regret once again that your administration does not pay due attention to Georgia, which against the backdrop of complete value congruence ​​between the governments, causes bewilderment in Georgian society. The issues that your administration is focusing on today were discussed by the ruling team of Georgia many years ago. However, despite the identity of the worldview, surprisingly and unfortunately, the “deep state” continues to operate in Georgia instead of your administration, which, using traditional tough methods, based on the model of USAID, NED and other similar organizations, continues to try destabilizing the situation and disrupting peace in Georgia. Fortunately, the Georgian people are more united than ever in the fight against the Deep State, as our fellow citizens have proven many times over the past four years. Four attempts at revolution organized by the Deep State in Georgia were prevented, first of all, thanks to the wisdom, experience and integrity of the Georgian people.It is noteworthy that in the few months of your presidency, you have established close relations with all of Georgia's neighboring countries: you have successfully facilitated the signing of a peace agreement between Azerbaijan and Armenia, are actively cooperating with the Turkish authorities, and have even restored partnership relations with Vladimir Putin. However, against this background, your administration says nothing about Georgia, which, as I have already noted, surprises the Georgian society.They say that in the past few months you have changed half the world. However, naturally, everyone sees events from their own perspective, and given that your administration does not show logical attention to our country, your passivity raises doubts and questions among the Georgian people about how free and sincere your administration’s actions are in terms of strengthening peace in the region. The Georgian society is concerned about the domination of the "deep state" in Georgia, which is oriented towards war and chaos, which your administration, unfortunately, passively observes.I remain hopeful that your administration’s attitude toward Georgia will change. It is important that the Georgian people associate the United States not with the “deep state,” but with a strong American president, not with constant attempts to disrupt and destabilize the peace, but with peace and stability, not with gender and LGBT propaganda, but with respect for traditional values.Personally, as the President of Georgia, I am ready to do everything possible to realize the stated goal of the Georgian government – ​​to restore the strategic partnership between Georgia and the United States from scratch and on the basis of a specific roadmap. A prerequisite for achieving this goal is the formation of a fair and respectful attitude of your administration towards the Georgian state and the Georgian people.With deep respect,Mikheil KavelashviliPresident of Georgia», - Mikheil Kavelashvili wrote in open letter to Donald Trump.

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For years Georgia suffered reputational, political, and economic damage. The Anaklia port project failed to develop solely because a legal dispute was underway, Vice Speaker of the Georgian Parliament Gia Volski stated.According to him, the reputational and economic harm inflicted on the country is far greater than the amount paid as a fine.“For the democratic world, an arbitration dispute, even between a state and a company, is nothing unusual. However, behind this dispute lies a serious crime against one’s own state and nation — Georgia suffered serious harm.For years, Georgia was subjected to reputational, political, and economic damage which, in total, exceeds the sum paid as a fine. That is a meager part of the damage inflicted on our own country. For years the project could not develop solely because the court case was ongoing.We were accused of following a ‘Russian narrative’ and the project of the leaders of ‘Lelo’ was cited as an example. They used false examples, and this went on for years. The country suffered reputational and financial damage.The Washington arbitration once again confirmed that they are not right before the country. Behind this cold-blooded decision of the court lies a major crime against the state and the homeland,” Volski emphasized.

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“The public should know that pranksters — people who make phone calls with the purpose of spreading disinformation — called the former head of USAID and received an admission from him that the billions, which the new U.S. administration speaks about, were spent in order to manage processes. These processes were political in nature, aimed at specific tasks, and these tasks implied rather serious consequences,” said the First Deputy Speaker of the Georgian Parliament, Giorgi Volski.According to Volski, tens of millions of dollars were spent by the non-governmental sector to carry out destabilization in Georgia, and he hopes that the new U.S. administration will also address this issue.“As we can see what is happening in Ukraine, as well as in Moldova, this issue was also discussed, but Georgia should not be excluded from this list. Naturally, we hope that the new U.S. administration will also pay attention to the Georgian issue, since it is from them that we know that tens of millions of dollars were spent in Georgia during the pre-election period and after the elections to organize this destabilization process. These funds were used by specific non-governmental organizations, including for purchasing ammunition and other purposes, in order to make the destabilization process irreversible. This matter is currently being investigated by the Prosecutor’s Office of Georgia,” said Giorgi Volski.

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Georgia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Maka Bochorishvili, held a farewell meeting with the Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of the French Republic, Sheraz Gasri. The information was released by Georgia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.According to the ministry, the meeting focused on the current agenda of cooperation between Georgia and the French Republic, as well as developments taking place in the region. It was noted that maintaining active dialogue and exchanging views are important for overcoming common threats and challenges.The ministry also reported that among the issues discussed was Georgia’s integration into the European Union. The importance of continued cooperation in this process was emphasized, and hope was expressed that relations between the EU and Georgia would return to their normal agenda.The minister wished the ambassador success in her future activities.

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Head of the State Security Service Anri Okhanashvili has resigned. His resignation statement was published on the agency’s official Facebook page. Okhanashvili said that he made the decision to step down after consultations with the ruling team. He also noted that he will take the position of Advisor to the Prime Minister of Georgia on National Security Issues.“In the face of modern global challenges, world and regional security are encountering new threats that will have a particular impact on the security of our country. Taking this into account, the analytical processing of information about these challenges and the development of recommendations for government response measures are of great importance. I am confident that my experience and knowledge will help me successfully handle analytical work on national security issues. At the same time, I remain a strong supporter of the State Security Service of Georgia. I would like to express my gratitude to the Service’s personnel for their significant and successful teamwork during this short period.”Okhanashvili thanked the ruling team “for their trust and support,” and expressed “special gratitude” to the founder and honorary chairman of Georgian Dream, Bidzina Ivanishvili, for his “great trust and constant support.”Meanwhile, Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze has already nominated Mamuka Mdinaradze for the position of head of the State Security Service. At a press conference, Kobakhidze announced that his candidacy will soon be presented to parliament.Anri Okhanashvili was appointed head of the State Security Service in April 2025. He replaced Grigol Liluashvili, who resigned before the end of his term. Previously, Anri Okhanashvili served as Minister of Justice.

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The Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of Georgia to the United States, Tamar Taliashvili, held a meeting with Georgia’s honorary consuls in the U.S. and the President of the American-Georgian Business Council, Mamuka Tsereteli. The information was reported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia.According to the ministry, during the meeting, the ambassador spoke about large-scale reforms and infrastructure projects implemented in Georgia, aimed at strengthening the country’s position as a multifunctional trade and economic hub. She also informed the meeting participants about Georgia’s leading positions in international rankings.Tamar Taliashvili emphasized that promoting the deepening of international economic ties is one of the priorities of Georgia’s foreign policy.The discussion also touched upon the upcoming Tbilisi Silk Road Forum, scheduled for October 21–23, 2025, and the visit of a U.S. business delegation to Georgia in September of this year.The event was also attended by Georgia’s Consuls General in the United States — Maia Bartaya and Levan Kulijanashvili.Present at the meeting were Georgia’s honorary consuls in the U.S.: Zaza Pachulia (California), Berry Edward Greer (Florida), David Shimpi (South Carolina), Janet Muri (Texas), Jared William Guthrie (Massachusetts), John Evert Hall (Georgia), and Isaac Appelbaum (California).

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The official visit of the President of Georgia to the Republic of Turkey has begun. Mikheil Kavelashvili is in Ankara together with his wife.An official welcoming ceremony for the President of Georgia was held at Esenboğa International Airport. Mikheil Kavelashvili and the Georgian delegation were greeted at the airport by high-ranking representatives of the Turkish authorities.Today, an official welcoming ceremony for the President of Georgia will take place at the Presidential Palace of Turkey. Mikheil Kavelashvili will be hosted by the President of the Republic of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. The President of Georgia will hold high-level meetings with his Turkish counterpart, after which a joint statement will be made for the media.The Georgian delegation includes: Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Lasha Darsalia, the Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of Georgia to the Republic of Turkey Archil Kalandia, representatives of the Presidential Administration, and the head and members of the friendship group with the Parliament of the Republic of Turkey — Giorgi Chkonia, Mariam Lashkhi, and Guram Macharashvili.

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“Georgia welcomes this historic moment for Armenia, Azerbaijan, the region, and the entire world,” wrote the Prime Minister of Georgia, Irakli Kobakhidze, on the social network X.The head of government emphasized that Georgia has always supported and will continue to firmly support peace and stability in the region.“Georgia welcomes this historic moment for Armenia, Azerbaijan, the region, and the entire world! Congratulations to the Presidents of the United States and Azerbaijan, as well as the Prime Minister of Armenia, on this success — the achievement of a historic peace agreement and the beginning of a new era of stability and economic development in the region! Georgia has always stood on the side of peace and cooperation in the region and will continue to provide it with strong support,” stated Irakli Kobakhidze.The President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, and the Prime Minister of Armenia, Nikol Pashinyan, signed a ceasefire agreement in the presence of Donald Trump. The ceremony took place on Friday, August 8, at the White House during a leaders’ summit.