Ruling party Sec Gen rejects media “speculation” on Vice PM’s “personal communication” with Putin at Forum in China
In his response to the reports, Kaladze said officials from the Government would be “present where we will always pursue the interests of our country”. Photo: Tbilisi City Hall
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Kakha Kaladze, the Secretary General of the ruling Georgian Dream party and Mayor of Tbilisi, on Tuesday rejected domestic media “speculation” on the country’s Economy Minister and Vice Prime Minister Levan Davitashvili having had “personal communication” with the Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the Belt and Road Forum in China earlier this month.
In his response to the reports, Kaladze said officials from the Government would be “present where we will always pursue the interests of our country”.
It is a lie that there was personal communication between them [Davitashvili and Putin]. Who is disseminating this information? You spread it. Do not mislead the public and stop telling lies”, he told reporters of domestic media outlets.
Kaladze stressed the One Belt, One Road economic and logistical project, headed by the Chinese President, was “important for us and interesting for the country”.
Therefore, it is necessary to participate in such events. Since the President of Russia was invited to this event, it does not mean that we will reject this project. It is about the future of the country and how our economy should get more benefits. We will do everything for it”, he concluded.
Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Monday rejected as “classic manipulation” the media reports that criticised Davitashvili’s participation in the Forum as a case of the Georgian Government’s “bilateral contact” with the Russian leader.
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili on Monday lauded Turkey as “one of the major regional and global players” and commended the “unique friendship and brotherhood” between the two states in his address at a reception dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the Republic of Turkey in Tbilisi.
Pawel Herczynski, the European Union Ambassador to Georgia, on Tuesday said Georgia’s domestic Law on Broadcasting, approved by the country’s Parliament this month, met the related standards of the bloc.
Irakli Kobakhidze, the Chair of the ruling Georgian Dream party on Monday rejected claims by non-governmental organisations that alleged the Georgian authorities had left the sanctions imposed by the United States Department of State on Georgian judges and on the former Prosecutor General “without response”.
Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Monday rejected as “classic manipulation” the domestic media reports that criticised Economy Minister Levan Davitashvili’s participation in the Belt and Road Forum, an event hosted in China and also involving the Russian President Vladimir Putin, as a case of the Georgian Government’s “bilateral contact” with the Russian leader.
Georgian Vice Prime Minister Levan Davitashvili on Tuesday rejected “baseless” media reports as though he had had “personal communication” with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the Belt and Road Forum in China earlier this month, by saying he had not had “any kind of closed negotiations or dialogues” during the Forum.
Georgian Deputy Economy Minister Romeo Mikautadze on Wednesday rejected claims he had received undocumented income while being employed in the public sector, calling the allegations “absurd” and “slander” against him and his family by “some media outlets".