Europe must help Georgia and Armenia, or Russia will (17 April 2013; The Guardian)

In Georgia and Armenia I saw how vital European integration will be to a fragile post-Soviet spring

I recently travelled to Georgia and Armenia to meet human rights groups. After two days in Georgia we drove east, the hilly landscape gradually turning mountainous, sheep and cattle tended by shepherds in littered, post-Soviet villages. For a long time the road followed a small river, plastic trash snagging on rocks and branches. This could have been a landscape of extraordinary beauty; instead it was depleted and scarred by nearly a century of bad or indifferent governance.
Crossing the border into Armenia, the river was still there, the litter now older, almost indistinguishable from the brown water and grey rock. There were remnants of the Soviet state – giant concrete chutes channelling water from the steep mountains, occasional blocks of flats now, like the rubbish, taking on the colour of the dark earth. In one valley ruins from the earthquake in 1988 stood like archaeological remains.

Saakashvili Wants Improvement in Relations with Russia (17/04/2013; RIA News)

TBILISI, April 17 (RIA Novosti) - Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili said on Tuesday he was not against mending diplomatic relations with Russia that were severed several years ago.
“I am one of those supporting the improvement of these relations. It was my initiative to lift the visa regime with Russia so that more Russian tourists could visit Georgia,” Saakashvili said in an interview with Rustavi-2 television channel.
“I am also not against improving cultural relations, although some certain rules must be applied, and, moreover, I support trade relations and investments,” he added.
The Georgian president said, however, that in regard to the current situation with Russia “Georgia must be careful.”
Georgia broke off diplomatic relations with Russia following the 2008 war over South Ossetia. Tensions, however, have started to thaw in recent months, with Russia recently lifting its import ban on Georgian wine.

http://en.rian.ru/politics/20130417/180677376/Saakashvili-Wants-Improvement-of-Relations-with-Russia.html

Former Georgian prison chiefs detained in inmate torture case (16/04/2013; RAPSInews.com)

TBILISI, April 16 – RAPSI. The former heads of three prisons in Georgia have been arrested over accusations of torturing prisoners, the News Georgia news agency reported on Tuesday, citing Georgian Prosecutor General Archil Kbilashvili.
Speaking with journalists, Kbilashvili said the arrested people include the former director and two top officials of Ksani Penal Colony No. 15, the former director of Rustavi Penal Colony No. 6 and his deputy, and the former director of Prison No. 2 in Kutaisi.
The detained individuals have been charged with inhumane treatment, torturing and beating inmates.
This is not the first time that officials have been fired over charges of torturing inmates in Georgian prisons.
In October 2012, the Interior Ministry said it had uncovered incidents of prisoners being treated poorly in Gldani Prison No. 8 in Tbilisi. Investigators said a group of prison employees were treating prisoners cruelly, and recorded video materials of their actions. The Prosecutor General's Office said ten Corrections Department employees have been arrested, including the deputy department head and the prison director.
Later, similar acts by administration officials were reported by prison inmates in Kutaisi and Rustavi. Former Corrections and Legal Assistance Minister Khatuna Kalmakhelidze and Interior Minister Bacho Akhalaya resigned due to the incident. Nearly 20 staff members in the colonies were detained or fired. Mass protests spread throughout the country, with people demanding punishment for those accused of torture.    

 

 http://rapsinews.com/judicial_news/20130416/267053726.html

Georgia Fighting a War to Investigate the War (April 15, 2013; Eurasianet.org)

In a controversial undertaking by Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili, Georgia plans to go down the slippery slope of re-investigating its 2008 war with Russia. But it is unclear if the new investigation is going to leave Georgia with a picture any clearer or more objective.
The proposal caused a stir among Georgian society, heretofore steadily treated to a black-and-white, big-bad-Russia narrative.
Georgia conducted its first probe of the war when President Mikheil Saakashvili and his United National Movement Party still held political court. The parliamentary investigation, predictably, put the then Georgian authorities in the right all around. One attempt to place part of the blame on Tbilisi resulted in an angry outburst by the parliamentary commission, complete with tossing a pen at the lone critic.
But, coming on the heels of dozens of other investigations into past doings under the United National Movement, the repeat investigation is unlikely to avoid the label of bias. It is already seen as part of the ongoing Ivanishvili-Saakashvili war.
The president, who was questioned during the first probe, declared that he will not obey any interrogation requests by the new commission, led by Ivanishvili’s Georgian-Dream coalition. Repeating previous allegations, the president accused the prime minister of being an apologist for Russia, and a new shouting match between the two camps began.
The prime minister’s team claims they do not intend to justify the Russian invasion and the uprooting of thousands of Georgians, but, rather, need to establish the facts. Why that need has moved to the forefront right now is less clear.

Georgia propose joint league with neighbouring countries (Apr 15, 2013; Reuters)

(Reuters) - Georgian soccer chief Zviad Sichinava has proposed launching a joint league with neighbouring countries Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan.
"This is the plan but we must first get the approval of both Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan," Sichinava was quoted as saying by local media.
He did not say how many teams might join the new league or when the project could get started.
Each of the three countries has a top-flight 12-team league at present. Kazakhstan's season runs from March to November while Georgia and Azerbaijan follow a more traditional European calendar.
This was the latest proposal to start a joint league in the former Soviet Union.
In December, several top Russian clubs, including champions Zenit St Petersburg, big-spending Anzhi Makhachkala and CSKA Moscow, unhappy with the way the domestic game is run, unveiled a plan to break away from Russia's top flight and start a joint venture with neighbouring Ukraine as early as next year.
The plan called for the creation of a unified league with 20 teams, 10 from each country, and $1 billion in prize money. The head of Russian energy giant Gazprom said at the time that his company would be the league's major sponsor.
However, that plan is unlikely to get off the ground after it was opposed by both the Russian and Ukrainian soccer federations as well as the world and European governing bodies.

http://in.reuters.com/article/2013/04/15/soccer-georgia-league-idINDEE93E09L20130415?rpc=401&feedType=RSS&feedName=sportsNews&rpc=401

Kazakhs cold on united league with Azerbaijan and Georgia ( 15 April 2013; Inside World Football)

By Mark Baber
April 15 - The Kazakhstan football federation has poured cold water on the hopes of Georgian federation president Zviad Sichinava (pictured), who is pushing to submit plans to UEFA for a united football league for Azerbaijan, Georgia and Kazakhstan which he claims would be able to attract significant investment.

According to Sichinav, "Russia and Ukraine already have submitted their [respective] plan. The Baltic States likewise want to have a united league. Georgia, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan will develop their own plan."

Sichinava said Azerbaijan had agreed to the plan and negotiations with the Kazakhs were ongoing.

However, at the weekend, the Football Federation of Kazakhstan announced that it has no plans to unite with the league of any country.

The planning for a new league, including just Azerbaijan and Georgia to begin with, seems likely to continue as a new league would have higher competitive levels, attracting more interest. The budget for a new league has been estimated at $50 million.

http://www.insideworldfootball.com/world-football/europe/12329-kazakhs-cold-on-united-league-with-azerbaijan-and-georgia

Film London launches international training programme (15 April, 2013; Screen Daily)

Pilot scheme in Georgia may pave the way for other territories.

Film London is to extend its Microschool training programme outside of the UK and will pilot the scheme in Georgia, Eastern Europe.
Microschool International will be funded by the British Council and the pilot is presented in partnership with the Georgia National Film Center (GNFC) and Batumi International Art-house Film Festival (BIAFF).
Six Georgian film-making teams will be selected for the intensive three-day development workshop, to be held in mid-September at the BIAFF, and a call for applications has begun.
Established teams of directors and producers with feature screenplays in development can apply to the scheme. The deadline for applications in 24 May and will be received by the GNFC in Tbilisi.
The training ‘boot camp’ is based on Film London Microwave’s Microschool, which is made up for seminars, masterclasses and one-on-one sessions, focussing on micro-budget topics alongside specific project development.