Category: Georgia

Georgia leader breaks shoulder during Turkey state visit

In this photo released by the Turkish Prime Minister’s Press Office, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, right, and Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili shake hands before a meeting in Istanbul, Turkey, Saturday, April 6 , 2013. (AP Photo/Kayhan Ozer, Turkish Prime Minister’s Press Office)

TBILISI: Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili has suffered multiple shoulder fractures after a bicycle accident while on a state visit in Turkey, his office said on Monday.

“The president has suffered an injury during his daily bicycle workout and was diagnosed with a triple fracture of the shoulder,” his office wrote in a post published on the Georgian leader’s Facebook page.

According to the statement, which did not give details of Sunday’s accident, Saakashvili has undergone surgery for his injuries at an Istanbul hospital.

It was not immediately clear if he had been released from hospital.

Due to the accident, the president’s schedule for Monday — a dinner meeting with his Turkish counterpart Abdullah Gul — was pushed back to Tuesday, after which he is due to leave Turkey.

On Saturday, Saakashvili met with Turkey’s Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Georgia’s key regional ally Turkey supports the ex-Soviet republic’s bid to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) — an ambition strongly opposed by its former imperial master Russia.

The neighbouring Black Sea countries also share economic interests in promoting the transit of Caspian gas to Europe via a pipeline bypassing Russia.

Saakashvili is due to step down from his post in October when his second and final presidential term expires.

via Georgia leader breaks shoulder during Turkey state visit | News , Middle East | THE DAILY STAR.

April 9, 2013
Saakashvili visits Turkey

TBILISI, DFWatch–Georgia’s president Mikheil Saakashvili is on an official visit to Turkey, and has already held meetings with the Turkish prime minister and ethnic Georgians living in the northern industrial city Bursa.

President Mikheil Saakashvili met with Georgians in the Turkish city Bursa. (President’s photo.)

After meeting with the prime minister, Saakashvili said they discussed the issue of Rabati Castle, along with other important topics.

“First of all we spoke about the issue of NATO integration, and Turkey promised to help us in this direction,” he said on a joint press-conference held after the meeting, “Our main guide to the NATO integration is Turkey.”

The two also discussed the economy.

Commenting on the reconstruction of Rabati caste, a hot topic during the last week, he said that the Turkish prime minister assured him that there weren’t any categorical demands about the castle.

“The prime minister agreed with me that the dome should remain gold. All the other issues should be discussed in detail together with specialists not to harm the interests of any party,” Saakashvili said.

He said he had agreed with the Turkish prime minister that Georgian specialists will be allowed onto Turkish land to study the Georgian heritage there, which is important, he said, because this cultural heritage needs to be saved.

“Let them leave Rabati dome alone. We need to conduct a respectful policy in regards to foreign affairs,” he added.

During the visit the president met with ethnic Georgians living in Bursa. The locals there told him about a desire to have close relations with their historic homeland. The president promised to grant citizenship to everyone who retained Georgian language and culture.

via Saakashvili visits Turkey | Democracy & Freedom Watch.

April 8, 2013
Turkey confirms Rabati castle agreement

Turkey’s ambassador to Georgia confirms that experts from Turkey have visited Rabati castle and requested certain ‘changes and improvements’ for the complex.

Two days ago, a spokesperson for President Mikheil Saakashvili presented a draft of an agreement the government has prepared with Turkey, which included making changes to the rehabilitated Rabati castle complex in southern Georgia.

The president and his party are strongly opposed to the plans and argue that the changes would destroy the castle.

Turkish ambassador Levent Murat Burhan on Thursday told journalists that there is no final decision yet, but experts expect there to be made corrections and changes at the complex.

Rabati castle dates back to the 13th century and lies in the town of Akhaltsikhe. It contains a synagogue, a mosque, a church and a minaret, and was refurbished in 2011-2012 by Saakashvili’s government.

Now, the Culture Ministry will organize a round table discussion about the reconstruction of Rabati, and has invited experts, employees of the complex, and representatives of civil society. The ministry also has invited Vano Merabsivhili, one of the National Movement leaders, who managed the last round of rehabilitation work at Rabati.

Yesterday, he responded to this issue saying that ‘the government started fighting against Rabati complex.’

“Everyone can come and present their own arguments and counter-arguments,” Culture Minister Guram Odisharia said after Thursday’s government session.

The minister said that a group from the ministry has arrived in Akhaltsikhe in order to study the situation and inform society. Meanwhile, discussion may continue during the round table.

The new government thinks there were made mistakes during the last reconstruction of Rabati, and Turkey has requested to improve them. The government therefore prepared the text of an agreement, which Manana Manjgaladze, Saakashvili’s spokesperson, presented yesterday.

The text of the agreement foresees ‘restoring the Akhaltsikhe bath complex from the 18th century; to change the color of the dome, to bring back the older lattices, to check the drainage system around the buildings and if needed, to improve the facing material.’

via Turkey confirms Rabati castle agreement | Democracy & Freedom Watch.

April 5, 2013
Georgia, Azerbaijan, Turkey Sign Cooperation Plan

The foreign ministers of Georgia, Azerbaijan, and Turkey have signed a wide-ranging plan to expand cooperation between their departments.

Georgia’s Maia Panjikidze, Azerbaijan’s Elmar Mammadyarov, and Turkey’s Ahmet Davutoglu held talks in the Georgian port city of Batumi on March 28.

At a joint press conference after the meeting, Panjikidze said the two-year cooperation plan would strengthen relations between the three countries.

Mammadyarov said their cooperation was “an example for the whole region.” Davutoglu said the trilateral meeting was a “unique cooperation platform.”

The first such trilateral foreign-ministerial meeting was held in Trabzon, Turkey, in June 2012.

The next one is expected to be held in Azerbaijan later this year.

Based on reporting by ITAR-TASS and Apsny.ge

via Georgia, Azerbaijan, Turkey Sign Cooperation Plan.

March 29, 2013
Ballet “1001 nights” by Azerbaijani composer performed in Turkey

“1001 Arabian nights” ballet by prominent Azerbaijani composer Fikrat Amirov was perfomed in Samsun State Opera and Ballet under the 3rd Eskishehir National Opera and Ballet days organized by the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism.

Prepared by Georgian choreographer Nugzar Magalashvili, the ballet was performed by Turkish and Georgian ballet dancers.

via Ballet “1001 nights” by Azerbaijani composer performed in Turkey – AzerNews.

March 20, 2013
Georgia and Turkey discuss joint military exercises

Georgia, Tbilisi, 16 Feb. / Trend N.Kirtskhalia /

Georgian Defense Minister Irakli Alasania and Chief of Staff of the Turkish Armed Forces, Army General Necdet Ozel agreed on issues of conducting joint military exercises at a meeting in Ankara on Saturday, the Georgian Defense Ministry told Trend.

According to the ministry, the meeting discussed matters related to strategic partnership of the two neighboring states, particularly, the future cooperation and joint exercises.

On Saturday, the Georgian delegation also met with representatives of the defense industry of Turkey.

Within the visit, Alasania and delegation members met with the management of the committee for defense and security of Turkish Parliament.

During the meeting, the sides discussed both military cooperation and strategic partnership between the two countries. The Turkish side also expressed its full support for Georgia’s aspirations to join NATO.

via Georgia and Turkey discuss joint military exercises – Trend.Az.

February 17, 2013