EU’s Borrell urges action on Georgia, proposes €100M funding shift to civil society

“Georgia plays a crucial role in connecting Europe and Asia,” said Levan Davitashvili, First Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development, emphasised the need for high-level coordination with the Middle Corridor nations. Davitashvili was a key speaker at the ministerial discussion on “Sustainable and Digital Middle Corridor and Beyond” at COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan. During his address, the Economy Minister stressed Georgia’s role in the development, digitization and transformation of the Middle Corridor. Davitashvili highlighted Georgia’s railway projects, high-speed highway, digitisation, and climate-friendly efforts. “We had an interesting discussion with the representatives of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, Azerbaijan, Romania, Turkey and other countries, which play a very important role in the development of the Middle Corridor. We also discussed the five-year plan for further development of the Middle Corridor. We talked about the recent achievements in transport and logistics,” the First Vice Prime Minister noted.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili for her solidarity message. “Thank you, dear Salome Zourabichvili, for your message and solidarity. We appreciate Georgia’s support and hope for a peaceful and prosperous future for both our nations,” Zelenskyy wrote on the X Platform. Georgia’s President Salome Zourabichvili, on November 19 expressed her solidarity with Ukraine, marking the 1,000th day of its fight against Russian aggression. “Ukrainian friends, for 1,000 days you have been fighting to defend your country, your independence, your freedom, and you are waging this fight on behalf of all Europeans who want to defend their freedom from Russian imperialism,” Zourabichvili said in her video address.

Georgia’s U21 national team faced Croatia in the Euro 2025 playoff return match in Rijeka, securing their victory through a penalty shootout. In the first leg held in Tbilisi on November 15, the national team emerged victorious with a score of 1-0. With this win in the return match, Ramaz Svanadze’s team has qualified for the European Championship for the second consecutive time. The match began with Croatia dominating play, and in the 10th minute, Dion Beljo opened the scoring. However, in the 28th minute, Luka Gagnidze dazzled with a stunning shot from near the penalty area, equalizing the score at 1-1. After the break, three more goals were added to the tally. The Croatians regained the lead in the 63rd minute with a penalty converted by Dion Beljo, but in the 78th minute, Nodar Lominadze levelled the score once again. In the 90+1st minute, Marin Sotiček put the hosts ahead again. With the aggregate score tied at 3-3 over the two matches, extra time was required. The extra period could not determine a winner either but Georgia’s national team excelled during the penalty shootout. Goalkeeper Luka Kharatishvili made two crucial saves, securing Georgia’s ticket to the European Championship.

Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili echoed the remark by House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La, who said, “A man is a man. And a woman is a woman. And a man cannot become a woman.” Papuashvili stated, “When the Speaker of the most influential state has to say this, it is clear what kind of absurdity we are dealing with.” “This is what is regulated by the law on ‘family values and the protection of minors’, whose repeal the opposition demands at the request of foreigners,” Papuashvili wrote on Facebook.

“In my opinion, the opposition should recognize the importance of attending the first session; everyone should enter, take their seats, and begin working,” said Aleksandre Rakviashvili, a member of the Girchi party. “However, I understand that Khazaradze is unlikely to enter. Just as he once evaded Zarkua’s bullying, he’ll evade it again,” Rakviashvili remarked during the Free Market program. Rakviashvili also emphasized that the opposition must acknowledge its mistakes and accept responsibility. “Robespierre ended up having his head chopped off, and this opposition deserves a similar fate. The leaders must be held accountable. If there are any reasonable individuals within this opposition space—whether journalists or party members—whose opinions are worth considering, they should publicly and directly remove these ineffective leaders and enter parliament to engage in a long-term strategy. They need to admit their errors, including Gvaramia’s claim of having 4,000 observers and Melia’s assertion that no fraud could occur and that secrecy would be maintained—all of these statements have proven false. They must take responsibility and say, ‘We apologize, Georgian people, and to the million voters who placed their hopes in us. We lost, and we currently have this regime. While some regimes have been worse, better ones can exist. Let’s focus on a long-term strategy to avoid repeating these mistakes.’ Parliament is a venue where people convene, where the majority that governs this country resides. The Georgian people comply with these lawmakers because they pay taxes and adhere to the laws. You enter this building, and when these individuals enact legislation, you criticize and contest them. When did it become a crime to sit alongside these lawmakers and critique them for bad laws? Why should my conscience prevent me from demanding new elections from that very seat? I could sit in this studio and call for elections, but if I were to take just 20 steps over to that seat, I would no longer have the right to demand new elections or express concerns about leaks. What, then, is the problem with simply sitting there?” Rakviashvili stated.