Politics
President Zourabichvili – Georgia wants to reunite with its European family
On Wednesday afternoon, Georgian President Zourabichvili addressed the European Parliament in Brussels.
The first Georgian head of state to give a speech in the hemicycle for 13 years, President Salome Zourabichvili called for her country’s ‘reunification with its European family’ and for Georgia to be granted EU candidate status by the end of 2023. She stressed that Georgia’s European future starts with its European past, and recalled the price Georgia’s people have paid in the face of Russian aggression.
President Zourabichvili said the granting of EU candidate status to Georgia would give recognition to the Georgian people’s relentless fight for their European identity, provide protection and security for a Georgia that experienced multiple Russian occupations, help safeguard democracy, and cement the country’s role as a pro-European force in the Caucasus.
She said the recommendations set out by the EU for Georgia to secure candidate status “are already part of our culture, values and heritage.”
“Your recommendations are not some foreign ideas imposed on us – as was Soviet ideology. These are in essence Georgian. What you are recommending is that Georgia eliminates the remnants of the totalitarian past and reunite with itself and its European roots,” she said.
President Zourabichvili also emphasised the fact that EU candidate status will cement progress in a country marked by recent political polarisation and democratic backsliding.
‘While we are the first to understand our current shortcomings, we do not want those to overshadow our achievements. That for the past 30 years – that is one generation! – we have made extraordinary progress through substantial reforms,’ President Zourabichvili said.
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Politics
Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew congratulated Donald Trump
On November 7, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew sent a congratulatory letter to the newly elected US President Donald Trump, wishing him health, strength and success in his upcoming second presidential term.
“Recognizing the enormous responsibilities of such a leadership position, we pray that your decisions will be guided by wisdom and compassion, as well as by the strength necessary to maintain harmony and security in your great and God-protected nation,” noted Patr. Bartholomew:
“The Ecumenical Patriarchate, with its ancient history and its fundamental commitment to dialogue and reconciliation, remains a constant supporter of all efforts to promote peace and understanding between people of different cultures and beliefs. We hope that under your leadership the United States will continue to support the cause of religious freedom and human dignity – values that resonate deeply in the Orthodox Christian tradition and all faith communities,” the congratulatory letter said.
Politics
The US excludes the last major Russian state bank from SWIFT
The last of Russia’s major state-owned banks, which retains access to the SWIFT system for international payments in the world’s major currencies, will become subject to new US sanctions.
The White House is considering blacklisting Gazprombank, the Russian Federation’s third-largest bank by assets, which is a “hub” for gas payments with Europe. As the Nikkei reported, citing officials familiar with the matter, GPB could be subject to blocking sanctions: it would be barred from any transactions with US banks. A decision on sanctions will be made by the end of November – the United States has notified its G7 partners about this, sources told the publication, including high-ranking European officials.
Directly owned by Gazprom with a third and another 40% by its pension fund, Gazprombank is not yet subject to strict Western restrictions: in the United States it is only prohibited from raising capital on the debt market, although its top managers and a subsidiary are subject to blocking sanctions IT company. In the European Union, GPB also avoids blacklists, and only Britain has introduced blockers against the bank.
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