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The Dispatch – June 6-7: Puzzle

Ninotsminda Foster Home: New Accusations and Protests – Gakharia’s Puzzling Political Role – Rally in Solidarity with Chiatura Protesters – Diplo Bae: Diplomats on Cuisine Tour in Tsinandali

Politics in Georgia has been less about good governance and more about out-of-touch power games, as social protests gaining strength to counterbalance the detachment. One may hate these games but still enjoy good players, particularly amid endless confusion on whose game they are playing. Here is Nini with our usual updates from Georgia.

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NINOTSMINDA DEVELOPMENTS

GAKHARIA PUZZLE

MINING THEIR OWN BUSINESS On June 6, Tbilisi hosted a rally in solidarity with residents of Shukruti village, Chiatura municipality, who continue their hunger strike, with their lips sewn shut, in Tbilisi, demanding fair compensation for mining activities in their village that destroy their living environments. After months of ignoring from the top, the problem starts appearing in political discourse too, with opposition politicians such as Strategy Agmashenebeli’s Giorgi Vashadze repeatedly reminding the ruling party of Shukruti’s plight. Is it that MP Vashadze really cares about Chiatura’s woes or is he as someone owning 57 Bitcoins and 315 Ethereums (cryptocurrencies with the current total approximate worth of USD 3 Mln) just into a different, modern kind of mining? It can be both.

GLOCAL AFFAIRS But where are the government leaders while the crises wash over the country, one might ask: well, minding international affairs of course. This time, government officials, including PM Irakli Garibashvili, took the diplomats to Tsinandali, Kakheti region, and gave them a tour of Georgian wine and cuisine. The photos uploaded by the Government Administration show diplomats enjoying themselves, making Churchkhelas, traditional hazelnut desserts, and cooking Khinkali, world-famous Georgian dumplings. Not an easy undertaking! Having dealt with the complexity of Georgian politics, however, all this seems like less of a challenge.

That’s the full lid for today. Celebrate the bizarre and the curious in Georgia’s politics with us every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday!