Press Digest 20.06.2014

President sidelined

Activating their agents is paramount for the Nationals today – Vakhtang Maisaia

Kakha Kukava – I will donate my bonuses to children’s assistance funds … I am not such a fool to channel these money into Shikhiashvili’s pockets

"The High Executive is not expected to be involved in Georgia’s delegation planning to finalize the EU deal on 27 June. Consultations on involving the President in the delegation have not even been held. Georgia’s Foreign Ministry that mans the delegation has even refused to contact the President’s Administration. Politicians have viewed their decision to give the Chief Executive the cold shoulder and disregard his existence as a disgraceful and flagrant attempt to besmirch his name,” reports the Rezonansi gazette.

“Only a month has been left before our delegation leaves Georgia for Brussels, however, Georgia’s Foreign Minister has refused to notify us whether or not the President is expected to join the delegation. As head of the Press Service of the Ministry claims, today the Minister intends to hold a press conference with regard to the association agreement to answer all questions swirling round the issue. Yesterday, Panjikidze only declared that the association pact will be signed by the PM who will also head the delegation involving only those people who are directly linked to the association accord as well as the all-embracing trade deal. The fact that Margvelashvili is not likely to go to Brussels has already become palpable; as it has become known, the Government has even refused to offer our top official to join Georgia’s delegation to Brussels,” the article says.

“As per Head of President’s Administration, Tinatin Mzhavanadze, negotiations regarding this matter have not been held, and she falls short of the information in terms of this issue. As she states, the President does not have any paramount tasks or urgent meetings on his closest agenda and, thus, he is expected to be in Georgia by this time. “The issue of the President’s involvement in the delegation has remained open, and further information regarding this subject will be released in the coming days,” states Mzhavanadze. However, Deputy Chairperson of the Foreign Parliamentary Committee, Ani Mirotadze, alleges that the President is not intended to be involved in the delegation as an ordinary member as the PM is to complete the accord,” reads the paper.

“I share the allegation saying that after deciding that the Chief Executive will not sign the deal, his involvement in the delegation has become of minor significance. How can they take the President to Brussels as an ordinary member of the delegation? This is simply ridiculous. Their decision to ban Mr. Margvelashvili from signing the deal can truly not be defined as rational. In my mind, both the President and the Premier should have signed the agreement; the PM must have counter signed it. Their behavior is simply beyond me; if they deem the High Executive to be such an important figure that cannot serve an ordinary member of the delegation, what thwarted them in getting that he and only he must sign the landmark deal?” states expert in international relations, Tornike Sharashenidze.

Activating their agents is paramount for the Nationals today – Vakhtang Maisaia

"The Nationals have lost their leverages and have found themselves in deadlock; especially today, when their leading figures Merabishvili, Akhalaia, Ugulava have been faced with different terrible charges. They are in a really inauspicious situation today, and against this background, activating their agents is simply of vital importance for them. These agents are mainly congregated in the law-enforcement agencies as well as armed forces,” declares security expert, Vakhtang Maisaia, in his interview with the Alia gazette.

“As a matter of fact, these agents have infiltrated other different bodies – former Nationals are involved within the Euro Atlantic summit, for instance. To define this more accurately, the former Defense Minister is a member of the group of counselors specializing in Euro Atlantic issues; thus, he, in fact, serves as the Minister’s advisor. Different Government agencies do also shelter these agents. They are ubiquitous – these people are within Counter Intelligence Departments too. For instance, the U.S. Association of Veterans that can be defined as a powerhouse organization has promulgated concrete materials regarding Valeri Zumbadze, who served within counter intelligence department. Precisely Zumbadze has transferred Islamists involved in the Lapankhuri case to Turkey, and precisely he participated in the demonstration aiming to back terrorism. And believe this or not, today, this very man heads the group of investigators looking into the Lapankhuri case. Is it possible to put more facts on the table regarding this issue? I don’t think so…,” maintains Mr. Maisaia.

"The members of the U.S. Veterans’ Association are Reagan’s former counselors on national security issues, American naval and land forces commanders as well as Deputy Director of Intelligence Agency…These people play the leading role in the U.S. foreign affairs and this letter is posted on their webpage. I am sure that when you put this fact in your paper, they will even refuse to react on it. Plus, in the letter, Americans have given their travel route by naming those villages from which they were transferred to different places… What more credible evidence do you need to believe that these agents are among us? “The League of Justice” that is involved in the assassination of Irakli Pirtskhalava, Vazagashvili and Robakidze, is also manned with the agents, who can easily get hold of different bodies of strategic importance and, accordingly, jail those people who can counter them by foiling all their attempts of arranging a coup,” contends the respondent.

“Like Bolsheviks, these agents are apt to arrange a classic military coup. I do repeat the Nationals are strongly expected to reserve nothing on earth to reinstate their lost status and come into power again. I have not mentioned Bolsheviks by chance – the present situation in our country can really easily be linked to that of the era of Bolsheviks, who were forced out of their office in August, 1917. Those Bolsheviks also presided over some agents like the Nationals, who are strongly expected to make the people who are malcontented with the present Government side against it soon,” concludes Vakhtang Maisaia.

Kakha Kukava – I will donate my bonuses to children’s assistance funds … I am not such a fool to channel these money into Shikhiashvili’s pockets

"I have been in Akhalkalaki for three days and I have no idea for what kind of merit they have granted me a bonus. I have even been clueless regarding their intention to give these employment benefits out. I have learned of this situation via papers and as soon as I enter Georgia, I will deal with this money as it is due. By all odds, I do not plan to return it; do you think I am such a fool to channel it into Shikhiashvili’s bottomless pockets? I will perform much better deed if I distribute this sum to different children’s assistance funds; as for the documents corroborating the fact that I have donated this money to different organizations, I will promulgate them via the net,” announces leader of “Independent Georgia” Kakha Kukava in his interview with the Rezonansi gazette,” reports the paper.

“They have issued some kind of fringe benefits in the past too; however, if my memory serves me right they have never distributed such flagrantly boosted bonuses earlier… I have repeatedly shown my position regarding this subject; no matter which body the issue of fringe benefits will touch … Such behavior is immoral and illegal simultaneously. I have always held strongly that such a behavior is condemnable and I am not going to use it to my own benefit,” maintains the respondent.

To the question how could he explain the fact that the issue of employment benefits has always been a topic of an ongoing debate in Georgia, Mr.Kukava replies:

“They don’t care about their people and their country. Nothing, including the Government, has changed in Georgia for the better; the former authorities have stayed in power thus far; only three or four of them have been dismissed. So in what miraculous way could the ills of our country have been cured? We have been faced with the same problems and against this dark backdrop nothing is striking about this fact.

"Even if they assemble a New City Hall, you yourself will see how its members will declare a tender on cars in a week’s time. By the way, regarding Guliko Zumbadze, I want to say that she has enjoyed flagrantly boosted employment benefits like Shikhiashvili; however, she has never taken the lid off this issue. She decided to crusade against injustice only when she was forced out of her office. As for our position, it is firm like steel – we do urge the Government to pass a law on banning the state institutions from distributing these bonuses. And we will be done.”