#Kakha Kaladze

[nate-acmilan]

Why is zanetti in my country rn and with kaladze

[gerardt10]

🇬🇪 🇺🇦 🇺🇲 🇪🇺 🇬🇧 🇨🇵 🇩🇪 𝕂𝕒𝕜𝕙𝕒 𝕂𝕒𝕝𝕒𝕕𝕫𝕖

Le maire de Tbilissi, Kakha Kaladze, ancien joueur du Dynamo Kiev à la fin des années 1990, qui a été frappé de sanctions par l'Ukraine, s'est exprimé durement à l'égard de Zelensky :

" Aujourd'hui, Zelensky n'appartient pas à lui-même, à sa famille et, surtout, n'appartient pas à l'Ukraine et au peuple ukrainien. Il sert les intérêts d'autres pays. "

NdT : Zelensky a récemment demandé d'imposer des sanctions contre la Géorgie, pour des motifs… surprenants, Cf.

[cruyffista]

Alessio Tacchinardi, Kakha Kaladze, Massimo Ambrosini and Rui Costa for Dolce & Gabbana, 2003 (photos by Mariano Vivanco for the book Calcio, x).

[beardedmrbean]

Former Georgian Prime Minister and opposition party leader Giorgi Gakharia has been treated in hospital after he came under attack at a hotel, reportedly by members of the ruling Georgian Dream party.

Gakharia is said to have suffered a broken nose in the incident in Batumi on the Black Sea coast. His party said it was "politically motivated" and aimed at intimidating the opposition.

The southern Caucasus state has seen political turmoil and repeated attacks on opposition figures and protesters in the months since Georgia's contested elections in late October.

Protests have taken place every night since Georgian Dream's leaders announced a month later they were freezing the issue of opening talks on joining the European Union.

Hundreds of businesses took part in a three-hour strike on Wednesday on the 49th day of protests in a row.

Video of the incident late on Tuesday night in the Sheraton hotel lobby in Batumi was unclear, although Gakharia could be seen being forced to the floor by a group of men. Images showed him later with blood on his shirt.

Giorgia Gakharia posted on social media on Wednesday morning that "healthwise I'm doing fine", but the doctor who treated him said he had fractured a bone in his nose and had concussion.

European Commission spokeswoman Anitta Hipper said the "reported involvement of Georgian Dream politicians in the brutal attack" was shocking, and there was no place for violence or impunity in any democracy.

However, Georgian Dream figures have accused Gakharia of initiating the clash himself. MP Levan Machavariani told reporters everything was clear from the footage, while Tbilisi Mayor Kakha Kaladze said the opposition's agenda was based on lies and deceit.

An MP with Georgian Dream and other members of the party have been linked to the assault, which took place shortly after Zviad Koridze, a journalist and regional head of anti-corruption organisation Transparency International, also came under attack.

Koridze had been visiting Batumi to cover the trial of a leading media figure, Mzia Amaghlobeli, the founder of independent online outlets Netgazeti and Batumelebi.

She was ordered into pre-trial detention in the Black Sea coastal city on Tuesday two days after her arrest during a heated argument with a policeman in which she is accused of slapping the officer. A cameraman was also arrested.

The UK's ambassador to Georgia, Gareth Ward, said developments in the political crisis in recent days had been "extremely worrying". "Renewed violence against opposition politicians and arbitrary detention of journalists and protesters is unacceptable," he said.

Gakharia is not the first opposition leader to face violence in recent weeks. Nika Gvaramia, who heads Coalition for Change, was knocked to the ground unconscious when he was detained in the capital, Tbilisi, last month.

Dozens of Georgian journalists and protesters have also been attacked and injured by pro-government thugs during the nightly protests.

Georgian Dream has been accused by the EU and US of democratic backsliding, and opposition groups accuse the party and its billionaire founder Bidzina Ivanishvili of pursuing Russia's interests, while the vast majority of Georgians want to join the EU.

Giorgi Gakharia was formerly a leading member of Georgian Dream until 2021 serving as interior minister and then as prime minister, before setting up his own For Georgia opposition party.

In a statement, Georgia's ombudsman Levan Ioseliani condemned the attacks on both Gakharia and Zviad Koridze. He called for an immediate response "so that attacks on politicians and journalists are not incited".

Gakharia's party was one of four opposition groups that secured seats in the October elections, but they all refused to take up their seats, accusing the ruling party of rigging the vote.

The European Parliament has called for a re-run of the election, describing it as neither free nor fair, and the EU's foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas has accused the government of using repression against the opposition.

[zogdon]

Zelensky does not serve interests of Ukraine – Tbilisi mayor

Zelensky does not serve interests of Ukraine – Tbilisi mayor https://www.rt.com/russia/608862-georgia-tbilisi-zelensky-sanctions/

We congratulate the Georgian people for sticking with what's best for Georgia.

And that's the close friendly relationship with the Russian Federation...not entering the corrupt world of the west..and it's dark, disfunctional, violent organisations..of Nato, EU..and all the Washington dominated, rest.

[history-matters]

Two identical former soccer players will serve in the leadership of the Democratic (Pro-Euro-Commission) Oligarchate of Georgia (DOG). Kakha Kaladze (first from right) - current head of Tbilisi Oligarchic Precinct, and Mikhail Kavelashvili (third from right), who will assume post of the President of DOG from December 14. The decision on Presidency was announced by Supreme Oligarch (first from left).

[aurevoirmonty]

«Ils nous imposent que le blanc serait noir»: la petite Géorgie défie l’hyperpuissance américaine

«Cela ne peut pas continuer, cela n’arrivera pas», a promis le maire de Tbilissi, Kakha Kaladze, devant des milliers de Géorgiens.

–Tandis que les médias aux ordres montreront des images de manifestants munies de drapeaux de l’UE et excités par les services spéciaux occidentaux et ukrainiens–

«Les forces extérieures ne peuvent accepter le fait que la Géorgie n’ait pas connu le sort de l’Ukraine», a poursuivi le maire.

Ils nous imposent que le blanc serait noir, que la transparence serait antidémocratique et la propagande LGBT, une manifestation d’humanisme et de libéralisme.

Washington et Bruxelles ne digèrent toujours pas la loi, votée par le Parlement géorgien en juin, sur les «agents étrangers».

C’est-à-dire les ONG habituelles, en réalité des proxys de Washington, qui infiltrent, agitent et déstabilisent la Géorgie depuis les années 2000.

[mariacallous]

TBILISI, Georgia — In the lead-up to Saturday’s parliamentary election, the ruling Georgian Dream party is turning to some literal heavyweights.

Number seven on the party list is 183 kg Lasha Talakhadze, a three-time Olympic weightlifting gold medalist. Number 10 is 125 kg Geno Petriashvili, a gold-medal winning wrestler in the Paris games.

These national heroes may have united the nation round their TV sets during the Olympics, but whether they can cast the same magic at a political level is a very different matter.

Saturday’s election promises to be highly divisive and is viewed as a defining moment for whether Georgia makes a strategic move toward the EU and the West, or toward a more illiberal, Russia-friendly agenda under Georgian Dream.

Talakhadze is, unsurprisingly, a very large man — and an inescapable presence on the front row of marches. POLITICO caught up with him on Wednesday to ask whether his new political calling meant giving up the hours in the gym.

Not necessarily.

“The two are not incompatible,” he said, adding that he’ll be the voice of Georgian athletes in parliament. “Currently, I don’t train because of injury. At the moment, my country needs me. We’ll see what will be in the future … I’ve always stood by my country and will continue to do so in whatever capacity I’m needed.”

A nation divided

Georgians are bitterly divided on many topics, especially around politics. In fact, the political polarization is so severe that the EU has requested Georgia resolve it if it wants its membership bid to continue.

But those schisms vanish when it comes to sport. Thousands of football fans came together in the streets of Tbilisi in June to celebrate Georgia’s 2-0 victory over Portugal at Euro 2024. Sports unite people, and politicians know it.

“Political parties need trustworthy faces. Bankrupt of public trust, they pick uncontroversial, positively perceived athletes to join their ranks,” said Nino Samkharadze, a political analyst at the think tank Georgian Institute of Politics. “Their association with victory affects voter behavior, be it consciously or unconsciously.”

But politics — especially Georgian politics — can be very toxic. What’s in it for the athletes?

“It is a barter — I give you my face, my image. You give me power and peace of mind,” she explained.

Football factor

The beefy Olympians are not the only Georgian sportsmen to have strayed into the political arena.

When the Georgian parliament adopted a controversial Russian-style law on “foreign agents,” some football players from Georgia’s beloved national team felt compelled to comment.

Regarded as the main obstacle to Georgia’s EU accession, the law brands civil society organizations and media receiving more than 20 percent of their funding from abroad as foreign agents, leaving them open to state-backed crackdowns.

“The European way united us. Forward to Europe! Peace to Georgia,” Khvicha Kvaratskhelia— winger for Serie A club Napoli and a scorer for the national team in the legendary win against Portugal — wrote on Facebook in April, as Georgians were holding protests against the “foreign agent law.”

Many other players from the Georgian national team followed suit. The ruling Georgian Dream party has mostly been cautious in responding to such resistance, aware of the athletes’ popularity.

Still, they didn’t completely let it slide. Secretary General of Georgian Dream Kakha Kaladze— an example of an athlete-turned-politician who played football for A.C. Milan — was quick to respond to one Georgian national team player, who posted his support for the pro-EU protests against the foreign agent law.

Giorgi Kochorashvili, a central midfielder for Spanish club Levante UD and the national team, had reposted a photo from an anti-foreign agent law rally. Kaladze responded by telling journalists that Kochorashvili’s father, who also supported the demonstrations, was “Natsi” — a derogatory term for the opposition United National Movement party, often rolled out by Georgian Dream to discredit opponents.

As the election has nears, Georgian Dream has made more direct efforts to associate themselves with football stars.

After their successful performance at Euro 2024, Georgian Dream founder Bidzina Ivanishvili donated 30 million Georgian lari (€10 million) to the national football team.

To the disappointment of the opposition, four players from the national team have recently appeared in a Georgian Dream campaign ad.

Come Saturday, it’s all to play for.

[head-post]

Speaker Papuashvili to sign law on foreign agents instead of Georgian president

Speaker of the Georgian Parliament Shalva Papuashvili assumes that the country’s President Salome Zourabichvili will not sign the law on foreign agents, so he would do it himself instead of her, Imedinews reports.

He reminded that the law “On Transparency of Foreign Influence” was sent to the Presidential Administration the day before, on May 28. Papuashvili told a press conference:

“Now we are waiting for the signature. It is clear that with a high degree of probability she (Zourabichvili) will not sign it. Accordingly, I will sign this law.”

Earlier, the Georgian parliament passed a draft law on foreign agents, but on May 18 Zourabichvili vetoed it because she considered the document “Russian” and unconstitutional. The EU said the adoption of the law could hinder the republic’s entry into the association. Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze accused Zourabichvili of treason, while Tbilisi Mayor Kakha Kaladze, leader of the ruling Georgian Dream party, promised to override the veto.

On 26 May, a “Freedom and Protest” march of many thousands took place in Tbilisi, with participants opposing the government’s actions. People shouted slogans and sang songs while waving Georgian and EU flags. The wave of demonstrations against the law on foreign agents in Tbilisi has not subsided since mid-April, one of the protests was attended by the foreign ministers of Iceland, Lithuania and Estonia.

Foreign Agents Bill in the US and the EU

However, the US has had its own law on foreign agents since the first half of the 20th century. The 32nd President of the US, Franklin Roosevelt, signed the American Foreign Agents Act into law in the summer of 1938. The law required foreign agents representing the interests of foreign powers in a “political or quasi-political capacity” to disclose their relationship with the government of another country.

EU countries also have similar laws. On 27 March 2024, the French National Assembly approved a bill on the prevention of foreign interference. According to the bill, France should have its own register of foreign agents.

Read more HERE

[researchlinks]

"Georgia was not granted EU candidate status for refusing to impose anti-Russian sanctions - Kakha Kaladze

"The government of Georgia is a problem for them, because it does not join the sanctions, does not start a war, does not open a "second front" in the country," said the Secretary General of the ruling Georgian Dream Democratic Georgia party.

In the spring of 2022, Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili noted that his country would not impose anti-Russian sanctions based on its national interests."

-

https://t.me/c/1328032498/14584.

Russia gloating Georgia is being tolerant to russias actions

[nate-acmilan]

We’ve all seen the pictures they look absolutely beautiful. Um and he’s there.

[anguloinverso]

Carnevale 🎉

Photo credits: Kakha Kaladze.

[scala26]

AC Milan Glorie 2019

[beardedmrbean]

Georgia's MPs have voted to overturn a presidential veto on a contentious “transparency on foreign influence” bill - often dubbed “foreign agents law” - which has sparked several weeks of protests in the capital Tbilisi.

Under the legislation, media and non-governmental organisations that receive over 20% of their funding from abroad will have to register as “organisations acting in the interest of a foreign power”, submit themselves to stringent audits, or face punitive fines.

A plenary session on Tuesday saw the vote pass with 84 votes for - mainly from the governing Georgian Dream party - versus four votes against, with the opposition abstaining.

The law had already been passed on 14 May, but was then vetoed by pro-Western President Salome Zourabishvili.

The law is expected to come into force in 60 days' time.

The Georgian government argues it will ensure transparency of money flowing to support NGOs and protect Georgia from foreign interference.

But its opponents - who have dubbed it "Russian law” because of its similarities with an existing law in Russia - believe the real reason for the legislation is to stifle dissent ahead of October's parliamentary elections.

The EU said it "deeply regretted" the Georgian parliament's decision.

EU officials had previously warned the bill could jeopardise further progress within the bloc. Georgia was granted candidate country status in December 2023.

Many NGOs have already announced they will not abide by legislation that requires them to state they are “acting in the interest of a foreign power” as they say it is "insulting" and "factually incorrect".

On Tuesday, as MPs debated the bill, people again gathered outside parliament amid a heavy police presence.

When the result of the vote was announced, many protesters shouted “slaves!” and “Russians!”

Since the protests began, police have repeatedly used force to disperse the protesters.

Dozens of opponents of the foreign agents law have reported being beaten up or intimidated, with insulting posters stuck outside their homes or threatening phone calls.

Still, more than six weeks since the start of the protests, demonstrators - many of them young - feel there is no option other than to continue taking to the streets.

“Our whole future is stake, it's either Europe or nothing,” 18-year-old Kato said as she stood outside the parliament with her friends.

Observers believe passing the foreign agents law has turned into a battle for survival for Georgian Dream, which has managed to alienate many of its traditional partners in the process.

The US joined the EU in warning the law would entail consequences. The US State Department said last week that travel restrictions would be imposed on those who “undermine democracy” in Georgia, as well as their family members.

But the authorities brushed the warnings off. The Secretary General of Georgian Dream, Tbilisi Mayor Kakha Kaladze, said there would never be a "trade-off" against the interests of the country.

Knowing that she had run out of options to stop the government from passing the bill, on Monday Ms Zourabishvili presented a new charter which she said would be a plan to move Georgia towards Europe.

"To rebuild trust, we need a new political reality: a distinct unity, different elections, a different parliament, and a different government," she wrote on X.

The charter includes the abolition of laws which she said were harming Georgia's chances of EU membership, as well as significant reforms designed to depoliticise the justice system and security services.

Ms Zourabishvili invited all opposition parties to sign the charter before 1 June and go united into parliamentary elections in October.

[wander-lane]

Bride ✨