GEORGIAN BULLETIN

1. GEORGIANBULLETIN Monthly Issue N° 4 May 2010 Embassy of Georgia to the Kingdom of Belgium and Grand Duchy of LuxembourgMission of Georgia to the European Union www.belgium.mfa.gov.ge • Georgia marks Independence Day • The President of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili opened a monument of Heroes' Square • Georgia Holds Local Elections • Statement by High Representative Catherine Ashton on the adoption of negotiating directives for Association Agreements AGENDA 26/05/10 Georgia marks Independence Day 26/05/10 The President of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili opened a monument of Heroes' Square 30/05/10 Georgia Holds Local Elections 31/05/10 Ugulava Heading for Landslide Victory 31/05/10 OSCE/ODIHR Statement on Local Elections 31/05/10 Statements by international election observers & opposition parties 20/05/10 Adoption by the European Parliament of a resolution on the South Caucasus 11/05/10 Statement by High Representative Catherine Ashton on the adoption of negotiating directives for Association Agreements Georgia marks Independence Day Georgia celebrates the Day of Independence on May 26. The military parade began at 11 a.m., where the commander, Major General, Devi Chankotadze, who is the chief of staff of Georgia`s armed forces made the report to the president of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili. President addressed the army, guests and the nation. `Today, one of the oldest nations is celebrating the Day of Independence and its young sovereignty. This is the most precious day for the freedom-loving nation because nothing is more precious and tender, then the independence and the sovereignty of the nation, especially for the one, who stood many invasions and pressure of empires,` Saakashvili said and added that the occupation of Georgia very often lasted for several hundreds of years. `I can remember very few nations, having experience of fight for independence like Georgians, if any nation can understand the price of freedom, this is Georgian nation` Saakashvili said and congratulated the nation on the day of Independence. 26.05.10 http://rustavi2.com/news/news_text.php?id_news=37122&im=main&ct=25 PAGE 1

2. GEORGIAN BULLETIN MAY 2010 www.belgium.mfa.gov.ge The President of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili opened a monument of Heroes' Square in a Military Uniform The President of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili opened a monument on Heroes' Square in a Military Uniform. "No matter how many new buildings or how many cities we construct, how many new roads or highways we build, all the basis for it is the heroism of these people", Mikheil Saakashvili stated. Mikheil Saakashvili said that he was always worried about the fact that there was no monument erected in honor of our heroes, it seemed that the heroism of these people was forgotten. "There were people, who wanted to surrender and live under the pressure of occupants, these people left Georgia then, but patriots didn't do it. Patriots are peoples of various nationalities, there are names of Ossetians, Armenians, Azerbaijani, Abkhaz on the monument. I will never separate them they are three times Georgians. They, together, saved Georgia for at the cost of their own blood", Mikheil Saakashvili pointed out. He expressed his wish not to add new names on the monument, but he noted that every Georgian should be ready to defend their country in the decisive moment. "There are names of 4 000 heroes here. There are many empty places and I would wish not to add new names. But if we want Georgia to exist, we all must be ready, we all must put on this uniform, we have to be ready to get the weapons and in the decisive moment be ready to fall dead on the Georgian soil and put our names on the empty places of this monument". Mikheil Saakashvili stated. The monument will be lit at night and it can be seen from any flying object. "The idea of the monument is based on being light, transparent and not heavy, not very sad. The main thing is that their names must be written with gold letters on this monument. This monument must be like a shining torch that will be a big column of light and whoever flies over Georgia will be able to see it from the airplane. This is a shining soul of our warriors", Mikheil Saakashvili pointed out. Despite the fact that foreign forces occupy the best parts of our country the world could see that Georgia stands like a symbol of freedom. "If the plan of Russia's Prime Minister had been fulfilled in 2008 August, Georgia would not have its statehood, today there would not have existed the capital of Georgia and our national flag wouldn't have flown. Today we wouldn't have held a parade, but we would celebrate the anniversary of Soviet Georgia's birthday, that unfortunately is done by some people. Georgian heroes stopped for several days the movement of the very army that occupied Afghanistan in 24 hours, Czechoslovakia in 48 hours and Hungary in several days, at the cost of their lives", the President of Georgia stated. Georgian warriors gave a chance to the Georgian government to inform the world about Russian aggression and stop Russia with all diplomatic means - I will be in debt before them all my life" Mikheil Saakashvili stated. 26/05/10 http://www.president.gov.ge/index.php?lang_id=ENG&sec_id=226&info_id=5223 http://rustavi2.com/news/includes/get_image_big.php?filename=&dir=news_photos&im=main&id_news=37135 Georgia Holds Local Elections Georgian voters will elect 64 municipal councils for a four-year term and voters in Tbilisi will also elect the capital city’s mayor in first-ever direct vote. 3,694 polling stations will be closed at 8pm local time and first early official results of Tbilisi mayoral race are expected just after the midnight, according to Central Election Commission (CEC). The ruling National Movement party holds majority of seats in all outgoing municipal councils, including the one in Tbilisi. Simultaneously with local elections, in three single-mandate constituencies voters will also elect lawmakers to fill three vacant seats in the Parliament. MP by-elections will be held in Tbilisi’s Chugureti single-mandate, majoritarian constituency, as well as in two provincial constituencies of Ozurgeti western Georgia and Gurjaani in eastern region of Kakheti. These by-elections for three parliamentary seats will not influence to the current power balance in the parliament, dominated by the ruling party. Few hours before the polling stations were opened, court in Tbilisi ruled positively on Christian-Democratic Movement’s (CDM) appeal to ban those Interior Ministry officers, mainly those serving in special purpose unites, who are on duty in barracks, to vote for majoritarian candidates running in single-mandate constituencies for municipal council membership. PAGE 2

3. GEORGIAN BULLETIN MAY 2010 www.belgium.mfa.gov.ge As a result they will only be able to cast ballot in proportional, party-list contest and those stationed in Tbilisi will also cast ballot for the capital city’s mayoral candidates. The Interior Ministry said on May 29 that although it disagreed with CDM’s court appeal, but would not challenge it. 30/05/10 http://www.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=22356 Ugulava Heading for Landslide Victory With most of the votes already counted in Tbilisi mayoral race, Gigi Ugulava is set for a landslide re-election, winning with about 54% of votes. His closest rival, leader of Alliance for Georgia Irakli Alasania, received up to 20%. A day after the Sunday’s polls, Ugulava’s election campaign banners in the capital city were replaced with new ones reading: “Thank you Tbilisites for support.” In proportional, party-list contest President Saakashvili’s ruling National Movement party is also set to win a landslide victory both in Tbilisi and nationwide. With more than half of the votes for party race for Tbilisi City Council counted, the National Movement leads polls with about 50.5%, followed by Alliance for Georgia – 18.5% and Christian-Democratic Movement (CDM) – 12.5%. National Council, a coalition of Conservative Party, Party of People and ex-PM Nogaideli’s Movement for Fair Georgia, has garnered about 9% in Tbilisi. Industry Will Save Georgia is also set to clear 4% threshold required for taking proportional seats in Tbilisi City Council. 31/05/10 Information was partially taken from http://www.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=22372 Photo http://pirweli.com.ge/eng/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=7990&Itemid=1 Distribution of Seats in Tbilisi City Council The ruling National Movement party will have 39 seats in new 50-member Tbilisi City Council with the rest 11 seats distributed among four other parties. The ruling party is also heading to winning majority of seats in rest of 63 councils across the country. In Tbilisi the ruling party is expected to take all 25 seats, which were up for grabs through majoritarian contest in Tbilisi’s single-mandate constituencies. In addition the National Movement party, which garnered 52.48% of votes, secured 14 seats from 25 available through party-list, proportional contest. Alliance for Georgia, a four-party coalition, received 17.9% votes and secured 5 seats in the Tbilisi City Council, followed by Christian-Democratic Movement – 12%, translated into 3 seats in the council; National Council, a three-party coalition, has 8.3% and 2 seats and Industrialists Party – 6.3%, which means 1 seat in the Tbilisi City Council. Other nine political parties running for the Tbilisi City Council failed to clear 4% threshold. 01/06/10 http://civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=22377 OSCE/ODIHR Statement on Local Elections May 30 local elections in Georgia marked “evident progress towards meeting international standards, but significant shortcomings remain to be addressed,” international observers from the OSCE/ODIHR and the Council of Europe's Congress of Local and Regional Authorities said on Monday. International observers said although election administration organized elections in a transparent and profession manner, systemic irregularities were observed on election day in some regions, including several cases of ballot box stuffing and procedural violations during the vote count. “The observers also noted deficiencies in the legal framework and its implementation, and characterized the campaign environment as an uneven playing field favouring contestants from the incumbent party,” the statement says. "These elections were marked by clear improvements and efforts by the authorities to address problems occurring during the process. It is now time to fix the remaining shortcomings and take effective steps to prevent electoral malpractices before the next elections at the national level," Ambassador Audrey Glover, head of the OSCE/ODIHR long-term election observation mission, said. The preliminary report of the mission on the May 30 elections is expected to be released shortly. 31/05/10 http://civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=22374 PAGE 3

4. GEORGIAN BULLETIN MAY 2010 www.belgium.mfa.gov.ge STATEMENTS BY INTERNATIONAL ELECTION OBSERVERS & OPPOSITION PARTIES “We consider these elections as an important stepping stone. I was here twice before and I see there is big progress here… Georgia has made considerable progress with respect to democracy, rule of law, and local self-government. The campaign was characterized by a competitive atmosphere, substantive issues, and improved electoral legislation. Election Day was generally well organized and calm…” Gunther Krug, Head of the Council of Europe Monitoring Mission “These elections have represented a real step toward the democratic development of the country…. The Delegation noted that the process was well organised, without tensions, and managed in a quiet, peaceful, and orderly manner…Progress has been made in the preparation of the elections by the Central Election Commission and the positive work of the Inter-Agency task Force has to be underlined.” European Parliament Delegation “These elections were marked by clear improvements and efforts by the authorities to address problems occurring during the process.” Ambassador Audrey Glover, Head of ODHIR Mission  “Strong democracy is built from local level upwards so we were particularly pleased to see the high level of engagement and interest of young people, women, and minorities in these elections.” Sharon Taylor, Speaker of the European Union Committee of Regions, part of ODIHR mission “What I and my colleagues have seen at different precincts confirms that elections were well organized. I must note the professionalism and devotedness of the people working there. There were minor shortcomings, but only as a result of human mistakes.” Ambassador Per Goran Eklund (Permanent EU Ambassador to Georgia "I would warn against questioning the legitimacy of the whole electoral process based on these shortcomings.” Ambassador Peter Semneby, EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus “Despite significant shortcomings, which we have observed, elections were valid; Tbilisi has made its choice." Irakli Alasania, Tbilisi Mayoral Candidate, Alliance for Georgia “I want to sincerely congratulate Gigi Ugulava with this success and once again express my readiness to cooperate”. Gia Chanturia, Tbilisi Mayoral Candidate, Christian Democratic Movement “The Christian-Democratic Movement doubled its support in the 2010 elections, and so is very pleased with the results of the electoral process.” Giorgi Targamadze, leader of the Christian Democratic Movement ISFED (Georgian domestic NGO/observers): “Based on the findings of the ISFED observation mission, ISFED considers that the May 30 Local Elections can be considered valid as demonstrated by the high participation of Georgian citizens. The Election Administration and the Government demonstrated their will to conduct fair elections, during both the pre- election period and on Election Day. This positive trend is worth noting.” SILBA (Danish observation mission) “Overall SILBA didn’t observe any major irregularities, and the elections were held in a calm environment.” Eastern Europe Studies Centre (Lithuanian observation mission): “The overall observations made by the EESC representatives allow to evaluate Georgian Local election being in accordance with the principles of democratic, free and fair elections and organised with a general respect for fundamental rights… According to the reports from polling stations, the voting process can be evaluated as essentially consistent with the main principles of democratic and free elections. Polling took place in a peaceful atmosphere and within well-organised election framework. The EESC observers have not reported any serious violations although few shortcomings have been noted… The election environment/atmosphere during the Election Day has significantly improved since Presidential and Parliamentary Election in 2008.” Information was taken from the “Georgia Update”, issue of 31/05/10 MFA hails local government elections Georgian Foreign Ministry hails the local government elections held on May 30. Deputy Minister Nino Kalandadze told media at the briefing today that the elections were observed by numerous foreign and local monitors, over 2000 monitors from local NGOs and others from 40 international organizations. PAGE 4

5. GEORGIAN BULLETIN MAY 2010 www.belgium.mfa.gov.ge `Though the official results of the final vote count have not been published, the general picture gives us grounds to say that the elections were positively conducted and no serious violations have been revealed- Nino Kalandadze said. 31/05/10 http://rustavi2.com/news/includes/get_news_photos.php?id_news=37215&ct=0 Photo http://pirweli.com.ge/eng/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=7992 U.S. Embassy Statement on Georgian local Government Elections The United States Embassy in Georgia shares the initial assessment by OSCE/ODIHR and other international monitors and supports their primary conclusions.   Georgia's conduct of these elections marked evident progress over past polls and represents clear improvements toward international standards. Embassy teams observed technical improvements in the administration of the elections on election day, although we also observed irregularities in individual precincts in Kakheti, Kvemo Kartli, Samtskhe - Javakheti and Samegrelo. We recognize the Central Election Commission's efforts to improve transparency and responsiveness to electoral concerns.  We highlight the commitment of the government's interagency task force to engage political parties and civil society on elections-related issues. However, we also note reports during the campaign of the misuse of administrative resources, a lack of impartiality of media coverage, instances of intimidation of opposition parties and candidates, and inaccuracies in the voters' list.We look forward to continuing to work with the Georgian authorities, political parties and civil society to address these challenges and shortcomings. Additional improvements in both the administration of elections and the campaign climate will be essential to increase public confidence in democratic institutions and processes. Successful democratic parliamentary elections in 2012 and presidential elections in 2013 would result in the first peaceful, constitutional and democratic transition of presidential power in Georgia's history.The U.S. Embassy in Georgia fielded 19 teams to observe elections in Tbilisi and throughout the country.  The Embassy seconded an additional three teams to support the OSCE/ODIHR Election Observation Mission to Georgia. U.S. Embassy Statement on Georgian local Government Elections 31.05.10 http://georgia.usembassy.gov/latest-news/official-statements-2010/u.s.-embassy-statement-on-georgian-local-government-elections-may-31= Information on the adoption by the European Parliament of a resolution on the South Caucasus On 20 May 2010 the European Parliament adopted a resolution on the South Caucasus. The Resolution gives a survey of the situation in the region and emphasizes that retaining the status quo in the conflicts in the region is unacceptable since it bears the constant risk of an escalation of tensions and a resumption of armed hostilities. The European Parliament reiterates its unconditional support for the sovereignty, territorial integrity and inviolability of the internationally recognized borders of Georgia, and calls on Russia to respect them; supports the EU Monitoring Mission (EUMM) mandate and "calls on Russia and the de facto authorities of the breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia to stop blocking parts of its implementation". The European Parliament deplores the recognition by the Russian Federation of the independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia and notes with satisfaction that the international community almost unanimously rejects this fact. The European Parliament emphasizes the importance of complying with the 2008 Ceasefire Agreement and calls on Russia to honour its commitment to withdraw its troops to the positions held before the outbreak of the August 2008 war. The European Parliament notes with concern the agreement concluded on 17 February 2010 between the Russian Federation and the de facto authorities of Abkhazia to establish a Russian military base in Abkhazia without the consent of the Government of Georgia and notes that such an agreement is in contradiction with the Ceasefire Agreements of 12 August and 8 September 2008. PAGE 5

6. GEORGIAN BULLETIN MAY 2010 www.belgium.mfa.gov.ge The European Parliament stresses the importance of "protecting the safety of all people living within the breakaway regions", of promoting respect for ethnic Georgians' right of return under safe and dignified conditions. The European Parliament considers the great importance of the Geneva Talks as the only forum in which all sides to the conflict are represented and where three major international actors - the EU, the OSCE and the UN - work in close cooperation for the security and stability of the region. The European Parliament welcomes the progress made by Georgia in the fight against corruption and in economic reforms. 20/05/10 http://belgium.mfa.gov.ge/index.php?lang_id=ENG&sec_id=223&info_id=7229 Statement by High Representative Catherine Ashton on the adoption of negotiating directives for Association Agreements between the EU and Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia Catherine Ashton, the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the Commission, made the following statement: “I welcome the adoption by the General Affairs Council on 10 May of the negotiating directives for the future Association Agreements between the EU and Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia. The adoption of these negotiating directives is a clear sign of our strong commitment to further deepen the relationship between the EU and the countries of the South Caucasus, on the basis of shared values and principles, including democracy, the rule of law and respect for human rights. The Eastern Partnership, launched at the Prague Summit on 7 May 2009, provides an ambitious framework for taking the relationship with the countries of the South Caucasus to a new level. In this context, Association Agreements are an important instrument to upgrade our relations beyond existing commitments with a view of political association and gradual economic integration with the EU. The negotiation process will be guided by the principles of inclusiveness and differentiation, as well as joint ownership. Successful implementation of the Eastern Partnership with the active engagement of the partner countries both in its multilateral and bilateral track will strengthen relations on the basis of shared values and will help advancing political and economic reforms, consolidate governance and foster regional stability, prosperity and confidence building. I look forward to the launch of negotiations on these ambitious and comprehensive agreements with Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia." 11/05/10 http://belgium.mfa.gov.ge/index.php?lang_id=ENG&sec_id=223&info_id=7098 Information regards the meetings of EaP Platforms On 7th, 20th and 27th of May the meetings of the Platforms for “Economic integration and convergence with EU policies”, “Energy Security” and “Contacts between People” of the Eastern Partnership was held in Brussels. Delegates discussed present important issues and future arrangements and targets of the Platforms. 31/05/10 For more information find http://ec.europa.eu/external_relations/eastern/platforms/index_en.htm PAGE 6