Vano Merabishvili’s wife Tamar Salakaia leaves Georgia. According to a representative of the Prosecutor’s Office, Salakaia left Georgia on 21 May

People who care about Georgia need to come to an understanding about what happened on Friday 17 May 2013 in Tbilisi. A group of people decided to demonstrate against homophobia and a very large mob of people chased them away and in some cases beat them severely. There were many police but they were not successful in managing the crowds.

A row has erupted between Russia and Azerbaijan over the Eurovision song contest, with the Russian foreign minister accusing the Azerbaijanis of vote-rigging.

We are used to handling minor social rifts as well as major political chasms in Georgia, but this does not mean that we are handling them right. Handling a problem adequately means to ask from us enough knowledge, skills and experience, compatible with the problem that we are intending to handle. Handling the problems of minorities is a new trend in this political culture. Citizenry of Georgia, having lived as part of a totalitarian soviet regime for 70 years, have never experienced anything like handling lawful persistent demands of various groups of people, euphemistically called Constitutional Rights.

Several days ago in the interview with ‘Euro News” the Prime Minister spoke about the Kosovo model and noted that it is possible to use this model in Abkhazia and Tskhinvali. But for the time being nothing is said whether the Kosovo model will be acceptable for Russia. Zurab Abashidze, Prime Minister’s special representative in Russia speaks about the ‘red lines’ drawn by Russia.

Expert Kakhi Kakhishvili about May 17 event

The most critical response that followed the May 17 action in Tbilisi was expressed in Western press. It’s an interesting fact – the enthusiasts who round the clock are connected to internet calculated that on European or American sites Georgia was mentioned with such frequency only during the August war. Pathos of the Western press was almost identical – such Georgia won’t become the EU member. Diplomats were indignant too but Holland went the farthest – its minister of foreign affairs summoned Georgian ambassador in order to personally express his concern. Expert Kakhi Kakhishvili thinks that all this was caused by coincidence of several factors:

The last order of Ministry of Finances of Georgia paves way to establish Georgian Post as the monopolist at a carrier market. As Transparency International Georgia (TI Georgia) informed on May 8, 2013, Minister of Finance (MOF) signed an order abolishing MOF’s previous regulations issued in this January as an anti-smuggling remedy that caused serious problems to local small and medium sized carriers and placed the state-owned Georgian Post in an advantageous position. The trick is however that the new regulation canceling the previous one enters into effect on January 1st, 2014 that means the hazardous regulation will be in force for 8 months that is more than enough to oust small and medium sized shipping companies off the market and insure monopolist position to Georgian Post.

Tolls on the use of natural resources increased on extraction of only two mineral waters - Borjomi and Nabeghlavi for they are big fishes. Margebeli Water company holding license on bottling Nabeghlavi protests against the decision, arguing that it will affect its competition power and export and appeals business ombudsman for help. IDS Borjomi International enjoying an exclusive license on bottling Borjomi has not appealed to business ombudsman or made any comments as of yet.

Georgian authorities find unreasonable the construction of Kopitnari and Mestia airports with the state investment funds. However, some Georgian experts believe that infrastructure development falls in the state responsibility whatsoever.

Georgian government works hard to blueprint the EU electricity trade pattern in Georgia in order to get access to the regional market that will boost investments in Georgian hydro-power sector and also make Georgia’s electricity system safer.