Page 6 - GEORptApr19

that Russia or any other power can decide what members can do.”
Bakhtadze said that “Nato membership is the choice of the Georgian people.”
Despite Stoltenberg’s words, when German Chancellor Angela Merkel visited Georgia during her trip across the South Caucasus last year she left audiences in no doubt that given Russian sensitivities Berlin in no way saw the time as ripe for advancing the Nato membership ambitions of Georgia.
At a 2008 summit in Bucharest, Nato agreed that Georgia would eventually become a member of the defence bloc, but no firm date has ever been set even though the membership objective for the country has been reconfirmed at every summit since.
2.3 Mikheil Saakashvili replaced at top of Georgia’s UNM opposition
Grigol Vashadze, the defeated presidential candidate and main rival of incumbent President Salome Zoubarishvili, was elected as chairman of the United National Movement (UNM) opposition party at its ongoing congress on March 24.
The post remained vacant after Mikheil Saakashvili lost his Georgian citizenship in 2015, as a consequence of receiving Ukrainian citizenship (to become governor of Odessa). Saakashvili is wanted by Georgia's new government on multiple criminal charges, which he decries as politically motivated.
Vashadze was the only candidate nominated for the post.
The eighth congress of the UNM is being attended by its members and supporters and representatives of its broader coalition.
2.4 Chief of Georgia’s TBC Bank testifies to parliament on “written threat” from interior minister
Co-founder and chairman of the board of TBC Bank Group Mamuka Khazaradze has accused Georgian Minister of Interior Giorgi Gakharia of sending him written threats, civil.ge has reported . He made his claim while addressing the Georgian parliament’s finance and budget committee on March 4.
A presentation and question-and-answer session lasted for almost four hours. Khazaradze spoke of an “orchestrated attack”, “blackmail” and “threats” from politicians and public officials, directly accusing Gakharia. He also g ave details of a capital increase used by the bank in 2018-2019, stating that everything was done in compliance with the regulations.
“Ahead of the second round of [the presidential] elections, I received a letter from one high-ranking official which contained threats, direct threats, that they would destroy our reputation both here and in the international arena. I was very surprised that this was a written down, rather than told to us orally. There were also demands, which we did not fulfil, of course...you know what
6 GEORGIA Country Report April 2019 www.intellinews.com