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Bagapsh’s successor: How the candidates stack up
Preparations for Abkhaz presidential elections enters decisive phase
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Author: By Zaza Jgharkava
On August 26, three candidates will fight for Abkhazia’s de-facto presidency during the elections taking place in Georgia’s unrecognized breakaway region. The candidates include acting President Alexander Ankvab, Prime Minister Sergey Shamba and opposition leader and former vice-president Raul Khajimba.
Taking into consideration that all three candidates are founders of the Abkhazian separatist movement, any electoral outcome will result in pro-Russian policies. That said, the degree to which each candidate would espouse pro-Kremlin policies varies.
It should be expected that if Shamba ends up as the winner, Abkhazia’s domestic and foreign policy will be ‘pro-Russian’; if Khajimba is the winner, then the breakaway republic’s policy will be ‘strongly Russian’; and if it is Ankvab who becomes the president then Abkhaz politics should be described as ‘sophisticated Russian’.
Tbilisi’s position remains largely unchanged: the elections are not viewed as legitimate and the international community does not recognize the process nor will they recognize the final results. However, the political situation in Abkhazia is not as simple as it may seem at first glance.
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Putin weighs in on the future of South Ossetia
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Author: By Nino Edilashvili
After three years of recognizing Georgia’s breakaway region of South Ossetia as an independent entity, senior Russian officials announced the possibility of uniting South Ossetia and North Ossetia as part of the Russian Federation.
Speaking at a youth forum in the North Caucasus, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, who is personally advocating on behalf of the self-proclaimed authorities of breakaway Abkhazia and South Ossetia, said that historically there were not borders between North and South Ossetia.
“The border emerged in the framework of a uniform state and in the framework of the Russian Empire in order to make governance easier,” he replied to a forum participant after posing the question of whether it was possible to unite the two regions.
“Russia helped South Ossetia to avoid Georgian aggression in 2008 and now the “future will depend on the people themselves,” Putin added.
Taimuraz Mamsurov, Leader of North Ossetia praised Putin’s answer, saying that the South Ossetian people are in favor of unification. “I have no doubt that they would vote for joining,” Mamsurov said.
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Georgian citizens get eID cards
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Author: By Tamar Khurtsia
Starting from August 1, Electronic Identity cards (eID) - in use in most EU countries such as Italy, Finland, Belgium and Spain - are available in Georgia. The Civil Registry Agency of Georgia, a body of the Ministry of Justice, is responsible for issuing the cards which apart from online identification and authentication, allow their holders to sign electronic documents with a digital signature.
The eID has the same format of a regular bankcard, with printed identity information on the surface (such as personal details and a photograph) as well as an embedded microchip.
The eID card’s main functions include identification and proving who you are. It also functions as a means of authentication and it is used to verify whether a person is who they say they. It also provides the cardholder with an electronic signature, which will allow Georgians to sign forms electronically and has the same legal weight as a handwritten signature.
The new eID cards are currently available in Tbilisi, Rustavi and Batumi, where old personal identity (ID) documents will be gradually replaced over next several years. The new electronic cards will be available in other parts of the country starting from September.
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U.S. Senate unanimously supports Georgia’s territorial integrity
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Author: By Nino Edilashvili
The US Senate passed a resolution last week confirming that the United States supports the territorial integrity of Georgia and recognizes Abkhazia and South Ossetia as the territories of Georgia “occupied by the Russian Federation.”
“The Senate was unanimous in support of Georgia’s territorial integrity,” Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen said after adopting the resolution on July 29. According to Shaheen, with this move the United States is sending a clear message to Georgia and Russia that these territories are still occupied by Russian forces.
Praising the resolution, the Georgian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on July 30 that the decision is a “significant step” in the US-Georgia partnership. “By passing this resolution, the US has made an accurate legal and political evaluation of the situation in Georgia,” the Ministry added.
While the Georgian government hailed the document, Russian senior officials commented that with this decision the US has shown the lack of knowledge it has of international law or complete disregard for the real facts.
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