Issue no: 929
• MARCH 17 - 20, 2017
• PUBLISHED TWICE WEEKLY
PRICE: GEL 2.50
In this week’s issue...
Get Energetic with Radio NRJ Georgia NEWS PAGE 2
Putin Approves “Military Deal” with Georgia’s Breakaway South Ossetia POLITICS PAGE 5
VESTUS: First Georgian-Made Nanotechnology Product on the Market
FOCUS ON THE PENAL SYSTEM
BUSINESS PAGE 7
COE report names Georgia among countries with highest incarceration rates PAGE 10 Source: washingtontimes.com
Why Georgia Should be Worried about Marine Le Pen BY MARIAM TABATADZE AND JOSEPH LARSEN
SOCIETY PAGE 11
Jamiroquai to Perform at Black Sea Jazz Festival 2017 CULTURE PAGE 13
Zaza Pachulia on the EuroBasket and Georgian Basketball
W
hile European Union member states are preoccupied with countering Russian propaganda and the related rise of domestic right-wing populist movements, Georgia is steadily working toward integration with the EU and NATO. The Council of the European Union approved visa-free travel for Georgian passport holders, a measure likely to go into effect in late March. While visa liberalization is a clear positive, complicated domestic situations in several EU member countries threaten to derail further advances on the integration path. The obstacles put up by domestic politics in EU and NATO member states tend to be poorly understood in Georgian society, largely due to the lack coverage by local media. Many Georgians are left in the dark about EU member states and how their societies view and approach relevant issues. Taking a closer look helps put the country’s Euro-Atlantic aspirations, achievements, and
Tskhinvali Region Is Not Alania: Regional Problems in Tskhinvali
SPORTS PAGE 15
disappointments in proper context. France is a prime example of the connection between domestic politics and Euro-Atlantic integration. There, charismatic populist Marine Le Pen of the right-wing nationalist National Front (FN) is a leading contender in the French presidential election scheduled for April. Le Pen is a fierce critic of both the EU and NATO. If
she emerges victorious, she could squash Georgia’s Euro-Atlantic aspirations. Le Pen is supported by notable Russian propagandists, including Marina Katsonova, who commented this year that Le Pen is “a Euroskeptic, she supports Russia and she’s just the best candidate … It’s hard not to love her.” Continued on page 5