Speaker urges respect for OSCE/ODIHR report, affirms Georgia’s elected gov’t

Zurab Pataradze has been nominated for the role of Chairman of the Government of the Autonomous Republic of Adjara.The nomination was announced at the Presidential Palace by President Mikheil Kavelashvili and Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze.Pataradze, who previously served as Georgia’s ambassador to Azerbaijan, has a notable history in regional leadership. He held the position of Chairman of the Government of Ajara from 2016 to 2018.He is set to succeed Sulkhan Tamazashvili, who was appointed Minister of Internal Affairs of Georgia on April 21.

“The basis for the government reshuffle is very simple—we need close coordination between law enforcement agencies,” Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze told journalists.According to him, numerous issues require daily joint action by law enforcement institutions.“The basis for the government reshuffle is straightforward: we need close and even further strengthened coordination between law enforcement agencies. We have already had good practice in this over the past months, for example, when we had to respond to the events of October 4. Coordination was effective, although it was not formally structured.Now we have the opportunity to continue this work in a formalized and stronger coordination framework. There are many issues that must be addressed jointly by law enforcement agencies on a daily basis. Personally, it is not possible for me to monitor every issue every day. That is why the creation of a new position is a pragmatic decision based on these needs,” the Prime Minister said.

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.