PM: Government reshuffle aims to ensure tighter coordination between law enforcement agencies

During her visit to China, Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development Mariam Kvrivishvili will conduct another meeting focused on the introduction of direct flights between Tbilisi and Shanghai.According to the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development, negotiations have been ongoing for several months with local Chinese airlines to establish regular flights on the Shanghai-Tbilisi-Shanghai route.“The strategic partnership and economic ties between Georgia and China have grown significantly in recent years. Since signing a free trade agreement in 2018, trade volume has surged, with a 148% increase in turnover by 2025 compared to 2017. Notably, the implementation of the visa-free travel agreement in 2024 has played a major role in boosting both air traffic and tourist arrivals. In the first quarter of 2026, the number of visitors from China rose by 49%, a growth driven by high-capacity direct flights.In light of these dynamic developments in trade and economic relations, active negotiations are underway to establish additional direct flights, including on the Tbilisi-Shanghai route, where flights have not previously been operated,” the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development stated.

Head of the Revenue Service of the Ministry of Finance, Irakli (Dachi) Beraia, and Head of the Customs Department, Mikheil Chokoshvili, held another working meeting with the Chairman of the State Revenue Committee of the Republic of Armenia, Eduard Hakobyan, to discuss the project of a joint management border checkpoint.The project envisages the creation of infrastructure in line with modern standards and the simplification of customs control procedures by introducing a joint management system, which will significantly facilitate the smooth movement of passengers, light and heavy vehicles between Georgia and Armenia. The meeting was held at the customs checkpoint “Gogavani” located on the territory of the Republic of Armenia (Guguti BCP on the territory of Georgia), at which the parties discussed the challenges existing between the customs administrations and the possibilities of deepening future bilateral cooperation.In addition, during the meeting, the parties emphasized the need to introduce the principles of joint management of customs checkpoints, and also positively assessed the process of exchanging preliminary information on cargo and vehicles moving between the borders of the two countries. The joint management of customs checkpoints project is being implemented with the support of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and is based on the bilateral agreement signed on January 17, 2013 between the Government of Georgia and the Government of the Republic of Armenia “On the Joint Use of Land Customs Checkpoints”.The entry into force of the Protocol will promote effective cooperation between customs administrations, enforcement of security requirements and legal trade. The meeting, which was held in an expanded format, was attended by the Head of the International Relations Department of the Revenue Service, Archil Darakhvelidze, as well as the Deputy Head of the Customs Department, Irakli Tevdoradze, and other responsible persons. At the end of the meeting, the parties expressed their readiness to continue active cooperation in the future.

“Trump Tower Tbilisi represents a landmark development for the country’s economy and for our sector as a whole,” Ilia Tsulaia, founder and chairman of the supervisory board of Archi construction company, said on the Business Partner programme on GPB First Channel.Tsulaia noted that no comparable project has been realised anywhere else in the region; Georgia is the first.“We worked on this project for quite some time, with a great many meetings along the way. In the end, we are delighted to have brought it to a successful conclusion and signed the final contract. The world’s largest and most authoritative architecture firm, Gensler, is involved in delivering the project, and something truly extraordinary will be created in Tbilisi.We are speaking of approximately two billion dollars in investment, encompassing not only Trump Tower itself, but also the development of the surrounding area, which will become an entirely new destination for Tbilisi. The adjacent territory will feature restaurants, cafés, high-end retail, an office complex, and hotels. A great deal of good news will follow as construction progresses. We are currently in negotiations with several renowned international brands in the hospitality and dining sectors, and we have already secured signed agreements with some of them. We will announce all of this in stages. The finest and most compelling neighbourhood in the region will be created here, a destination for both international visitors and Georgians alike.We are proud to be delivering this project alongside our partners. Trump Tower Tbilisi is a message to the region and to the world: Georgia is a very deliberately chosen location selected by the Trump Organisation. The selection of countries and cities is carried out with the utmost care and scrutiny,” said Ilia Tsulaia.According to The Wall Street Journal, the Trump Organisation plans to build a 70-storey luxury residential tower, Trump Tower Tbilisi, in the Georgian capital, in partnership with local developers.

A Tbilisi City Court has handed down a ten-year custodial sentence to Juansher Burchuladze, Georgia’s former Defence Minister, along with a two-year ban from holding public office. Judge Irakli Khuskivadze delivered the verdict this evening.By order of the court, Burchuladze has also been stripped of his assets, including a plot of land and a house in Spain, as well as a property and parking space in the Daba Tskneti.Alongside Burchuladze, his former deputy at the Defence Ministry, Giorgi Khaindrava, and Burchuladze’s brother-in-law, Vasil Mkheidze, were each sentenced to eight years’ imprisonment.The former head of the Defence Ministry’s procurement department, Vladimer Ghudushauri, reached a plea agreement with prosecutors two weeks ago. Under its terms, he received a four-year suspended sentence, a fine of 10,000 lari, and a one-year ban from public service.Burchuladze had faced charges under Article 194(3)(g) and Article 332(2) of the Criminal Code, covering abuse of official authority and money laundering, offences carrying a sentence of between nine and twelve years. In total, he stood accused of laundering 1,593,212 lari in unlawful and unaccounted income. According to the charges, in 2023, Burchuladze, acting in concert with his deputy, a relative, and the then-head of the Ministry’s procurement department, supplied a military hospital with medical equipment at an inflated price of 3,940,000 lari rather than the actual value of 2,606,272 lari, causing the Ministry a loss of 1,333,728 lari. Furthermore, investigators established that in March 2025, Burchuladze and his wife purchased property in Spain for 544,000 euros. To conceal the true source of these funds and give the transaction an appearance of legitimacy, the couple entered into a fictitious sale agreement with a third party regarding a property in Tskneti.Ghudushauri and Khaindrava were charged with the large-scale embezzlement of public funds, whilst Mkheidze faced charges of aiding and abetting the same. All were prosecuted on charges of large-scale embezzlement of Defence Ministry funds by an organised group acting in concert and exploiting official positions, as well as influence peddling. These offences are punishable by between seven and eleven years’ imprisonment.

“The Autonomous Republic of Adjara is the most beautiful and one of the most vital regions of our country, and it requires special attention. Its management must be entrusted to reliable hands,” stated Georgia’s Prime Minister, Irakli Kobakhidze, when nominating the candidate for the Chairmanship of the Government of Adjara.Kobakhidze also expressed his gratitude to Sulkhan Tamazashvili for his service as the Chairman of the Adjara Government.“Tamazashvili deserves special thanks for his dedicated work. He took a very important position within the Georgian Government, that of Minister of Internal Affairs. I wish him every success in his new role,” added Irakli Kobakhidze.Furthermore, the Prime Minister highlighted Zurab Pataradze’s extensive experience, noting his successful leadership of the Autonomous Republic of Adjara over many years.“Under Zurab Pataradze’s leadership, the foundation was laid for numerous large-scale infrastructure projects. His years in office have been exceptionally successful for Adjara. He is also a distinguished diplomat, especially in recent years. I would like to highlight his tenure as Georgia’s Ambassador to the Republic of Azerbaijan. It was during his ambassadorship that Georgian-Azerbaijani relations entered a new phase, and Zurab Pataradze made a significant personal contribution to this progress. I thank him for his past service and wish him success. He will be a highly respected and worthy Chairman of the Government in Adjara. I am confident that, under his leadership, this beautiful region of our country will achieve remarkable new successes,” the Prime Minister concluded.