issue#1517

Thousands March as Georgia’s Crackdown on Protesters Intensifies

In this week’s

Tbilisi to Launch 2026 Program for Replacing Dilapidated Buildings in Historic Districts

Ukraine Latest: Frontline Battles Intensify as Both Sides Trade Drone Strikes

Amnesty International: Georgian Authorities Using Justice System to Silence Dissent

OP-ED. Peace and the Georgian Dream. Part 1

How Lexden Is Bringing Global CX Expertise to Georgia

Towards Europe: Video Series Explores Georgia’s Deep-rooted European Ties

Novelist Lauren Grodstein Learns Civic Courage from Georgia’s Protest Movement

Liza Chkhaidze: Composer, Pianist, Storyteller

Magnetic Memory: Kordz on Tape — Between the Public and the Intimate

Ambassador Steven Pifer, former US ambassador to Ukraine. Source: ukrinform

Georgia Submits Report to EU Commission on Implementation of Recommendations

BY MARIAM RAZMADZE

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia has confirmed that it submitted a detailed report to the European Commission on August 31, outlining steps taken to implement the Commission’s recommendations. The report was delivered within the official deadline.

The recommendations, issued by the European Commission, focus on strengthening democratic institutions, human rights protections and fitting into EU standards. Among the most pressing requirements are to revoke of controversial laws on ‘transparency of foreign influence’ and ‘family values,’ as well as guarantees for the protection of LGBTIQ rights.

A bigger list of measures for Georgian authorities includes ensuring fundamental freedoms such as association, assembly, expression, privacy and participation in public affairs while prohibiting all forms of discrimination. In addition, the Commission called on Georgia to:

• Repeal legislation restricting fundamental rights, including the laws on foreign influence and family values.

• Amend the national human rights strategy to fully safeguard the rights of LGBTIQ people.

• Align Georgia’s visa policy with the EU list of visa-required countries, particularly regarding states linked to irregular migration or security risks.

• Take stronger steps against unfounded asylum applications and irregular migration through awareness campaigns and stricter border controls.

• Establish both an Asset Recovery Office and Asset Management Office to strengthen efforts in asset tracing, freezing, confiscation and disposal.

• Approve a new anti-corruption strategy and action plan, with adequate resources for investigations and prosecutions of high-level corruption.

• Amend the Law on the Anti-Corruption Bureau in line with Venice Commission recommendations to ensure independence, neutrality and effective functioning.

• Bring the Law on Personal Data Protection into full alignment with EU standards.

Wanderlust Names Georgia among Europe’s

Top Travel Destinations

BY

Georgia has been shortlisted for the title of Europe’s Most Desirable Tourist Destination by the renowned British travel magazine Wanderlust.

The Georgian National Tourism Administration says public voting is now open for the annual Wanderlust Reader Travel Awards. Alongside the country itself, Tbilisi and Batumi are competing in the category of Europe’s Most Desirable City.

The competition is fierce, with nominees including major destinations such as Athens, Berlin, Bologna, Bordeaux, Brussels, Budapest, Dublin, Edinburgh,

Tbilisi to Launch 2026 Program for Replacing Dilapidated Buildings in Historic Districts

BY MARIAM RAZMADZE

Mayor Kakha Kaladze announced during a recent government meeting that a largescale project to replace unsafe buildings in the historic parts of Tbilisi will begin in 2026.

Under the new program, the municipality will acquire properties in the old city directly from private owners, with

a full consent from all residents of each building. Compensation will be based on current market value, ensuring fairness of economic interests.

Kaladze pointed out that the initiative is not only about safety, but also about helping the capital’s cultural identity.

“Dilapidated buildings in Tbilisi’s historic area pose a serious challenge. This is about more than security, it is about our city’s history and heritage. That is why we needed a long-term solution,” he said.

The program builds on the municipality’s earlier success in replacing dete-

riorating multi-apartment buildings, a project launched four years ago. Kaladze stated that initiative has demonstrated how effective collaboration between citizens and the state can deliver tangible results.

The concept for the new project was proposed by Deputy Mayor Giorgi Tkemaladze. Once properties are vacated, the city plans to prepare them for investment in a way that both preserves the historic character of Tbilisi and opens new opportunities for urban development.

Thousands March as Georgia’s Crackdown on Protesters Intensifies

Continued from page 1

The eleven defendants had originally been charged with group violence, which carries a prison term of up to six years. Prosecutors later reduced the charges to organizing or participating in actions that violated public order—mirroring a decision made one day earlier in the trial of eight other protesters.

The trial outcomes triggered a wave of condemnation from rights groups, opposition figures, and family members of the convicted. Many gathered outside the courtroom holding signs and photos, some in tears. Critics argue the legal process was orchestrated to punish dissent and deter further protests.

Marina Terishvili, whose son Giorgi was among those sentenced, recalled losing another son during anti-government protests in the 1990s. Speaking to OC Media, she said: “I raised two sons who loved this country enough to fight for it,” she said. “The authorities will never know what that means.”

Istanbul, Madrid, Porto, Prague, Riga, Vienna, Vilnius, and many others.

Voting will run until October 17, with the winners revealed at the 24th Wanderlust Reader Travel Awards ceremony on November 5, 2025, at the National Gallery in London. The awards celebrate the world’s most desirable countries, cities, regions, and emerging destinations across categories such as adventure, culture and heritage, gastronomy, sustainable travel, and nature and wildlife.

Founded in the UK, Wanderlust is one of the world’s most influential travel publications, with nearly 138,000 monthly copies in circulation and more than 1.6 million website visitors. Each year, its readers vote for their favorite destinations, with participants entered into prize draws worth up to £70,000 in travel experiences.

Defense lawyers argued the prosecution failed to establish any coordinated action among the defendants, most of whom had never met before their arrests.

The state’s case relied on video footage of the protests, police testimony alleging injuries, and documents linking the group to previously sentenced organizers. However, no officer directly identified any of the defendants as perpetrators of assault or damage.

Journalists and court observers, including from RFE/RL, described the evidence as largely circumstantial. Several police statements included nearly identical language, and many cited “poor visibility” during the protest. “The videos show people throwing objects—but they don’t prove who was hit, or even if anyone was,” one defense attorney said.

Wednesday's protest. Source: FB

Multiple defendants reported mistreatment while in custody. Rezo Kiknadze testified that officers threatened him with rape and torture unless he named opposition figures. Onise Tskhadadze and others described beatings during and after their arrests.

These allegations were not addressed during the trial, and there has been no public indication of an investigation into police conduct.

The latest convictions are part of a wider pattern of repression following Georgia’s abrupt shift away from the EU.

Civil society organizations and media outlets have reported increasing pressure, and several journalists covering the trials say they’ve faced threats and surveillance.

Western governments and international rights organizations have expressed concern over what they describe as Georgia’s

democratic backsliding. Calls for the release of political prisoners and for independent investigations into police abuse have been growing louder—but concrete action remains limited. In their closing remarks, many of the convicted spoke emotionally, condemning the trial and asserting their innocence. “You are not defending justice—you are enforcing political decisions,” said Onise Tskhadadze. “If executions were legal, this court would gladly carry them out.”

Valeri Tetrashvili addressed the court defiantly: “You call us criminals, but it is you who are destroying this country’s future. I hope one day you’ll be held accountable.”

Andro Chichinadze struck a different tone: “I forgive you. But I ask only this— don’t take on cases that force you to imprison people who love their country.”

Flags outside Parliament. Source: Politico

TEAM GT

A building in Old Tbilisi. Source: bmg

Ukraine Latest: Frontline Battles Intensify as Both Sides Trade Drone Strikes

COMPILED BY ANA DUMBADZE

The war in Ukraine entered September with some of the heaviest fighting in recent weeks, as Russian and Ukrainian forces traded relentless drone and missile strikes while each side claimed gains on the battlefield. Russian forces carried out 408 attacks on Ukraine’s Zaporizhia region in a single day, killing a 62-year-old man in the Polohy district, said Regional Governor Ivan Fedorov. In the western Khmelnytskyi region, another man was killed in an overnight strike, Governor Serhii Tiurin confirmed.

At least 35 people were wounded nationwide on Wednesday, including 14 in Donetsk and 14 in Kherson, local officials reported. A Russian drone strike in Ukraine’s northern Chernihiv region also cut power to nearly 30,000 households.

Ukraine responded with its own aerial campaign. A drone strike on Russia’s Kursk region killed a 52-year-old man in the village of Belitsa, regional governor Alexander Khinshtein said.

Moscow’s Defense Ministry reported shooting down 170 Ukrainian drones, five guided bombs, and two rockets over the past 24 hours. Kyiv countered with even higher figures, saying its air defenses destroyed 430 Russian drones and 21 missiles during the same period.

On the northeastern front, Russia claimed its troops had taken control of “about half” of Kupiansk, a strategically important city in the Kharkiv region. Ukraine’s 10th Army Corps rejected the statement, accusing Moscow of exaggerating pro-

gress for propaganda purposes. “All such attempts by the Russian occupiers…are doomed to fail,” the unit declared.

Even as fighting raged, Russian President Vladimir Putin suggested he was willing to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Moscow, a proposal he linked to a request from US President Donald Trump. Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha dismissed the idea, calling it a “knowingly unacceptable” ploy, noting that seven countries had already offered to host potential talks.

Putin said Moscow will continue its invasion of Ukraine by military means if no agreement is reached on a peace settlement.

“It seems to me that if common sense prevails, it will be possible to agree on an acceptable solution to end this conflict,” Putin said during a visit to Beijing on Wednesday. “If not, then we will have to resolve all our tasks militarily.”

His remarks came as US President Donald Trump issued a fresh warning, saying “you’ll see things happen” if Washington is dissatisfied with Putin’s decisions regarding the war. Trump added that he was awaiting a response from the Kremlin, while lamenting the continuing loss of lives in the region.

"He knows where I stand, and he'll make a decision one way or another.

Whatever his decision is, we'll either be happy about it or unhappy about it, and if we're unhappy about it, you'll see things happen,” the US president said.

Beijing staged a striking display of both military might and diplomatic solidarity on September 3, as China’s Xi Jinping, Russia’s Vladimir Putin, and North Korea’s Kim Jong Un appeared together in public for the first time.

The occasion marked the 80th anni-

versary of China’s victory over Japan in World War Two, with more than 50,000 spectators gathered in Tiananmen Square. The parade featured laser weapons, nuclear-capable ballistic missiles, and even robotic wolves—an arsenal certain to draw close scrutiny from Western defense analysts.

While leaders from 26 countries attended, almost all Western leaders declined the invitation. Inspecting thousands of troops from the roof of his state vehicle, Xi warned in his address that

the world must “never return to the law of the jungle, where the strong prey on the weak.”

Following the parade, diplomacy took center stage. Putin and Kim held a twoand-a-half-hour meeting that ended with embraces and pledges of closer cooperation. Putin extended an invitation for Kim to visit Russia, after Kim Jong Un pledged “full support” for Russia, citing the defense treaty binding Pyongyang and Moscow.

French President Emmanuel Macron

announced that European allies had finalized “preparatory work” on security guarantees for Ukraine, to be enacted once a peace agreement is reached. Macron met Zelensky in Paris ahead of a gathering of Kyiv’s staunchest supporters.

Meanwhile, Donald Trump promised during a White House meeting with Polish President Karol Nawrocki that the US would strengthen its troop presence in Poland to bolster NATO’s eastern flank.

Following a Russian attack on the city of Druzhkivka, Ukraine, on Wednesday. Photo by Diego Herrera Carcedo/Anadolu

“Putin

Wants More Than Ukraine — Moldova, Georgia, and Kazakhstan Are Next,” Warns Former US Ambassador

INTERVIEW BY VAZHA TAVBERIDZE

This is Putin’s neo-imperialist war, aimed at recovering parts of the Russian Empire lost with the Soviet collapse in 1991, - warns Ambassador Steven Pifer, former US ambassador to Ukraine and one of the chief American negotiators of the original Budapest Memorandum. In a wide-ranging interview with RFE/RL’s Georgian Service, Pifer calls the Alaska summit between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin a “debacle,” criticizes Washington for failing to apply real pressure on the Kremlin, and warns against a repeat of the Budapest-style assurances. He argues that Ukraine will not — and should not — accept a settlement without ironclad Western security guarantees, including hundreds of fighter jets, to ensure the war does not simply pause before Moscow strikes again. Pifer also cautions that Putin’s imperial ambitions may extend beyond Ukraine, threatening Moldova, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Kazakhstan: “If Russia prevails, all of them will come under significant pressure,” he says.

WHERE DO WE STAND RIGHT NOW WITH PRESIDENT TRUMP’S PEACE EFFORTS? WHAT EXACTLY DID THE ALASKA AND WASHINGTON MEETINGS SHOW US, AND HOW CLOSE DID THEY BRING US TO PEACE?

I would say Alaska, unfortunately, was a debacle. President Trump went there saying his goal was to get Putin to agree to a ceasefire. He also said that if Putin did not agree, there would be severe consequences. Well, Putin did not agree to a ceasefire, there were no consequences, and instead the two ended up discussing a Russian proposal filled with poison pills that would be completely unacceptable to Ukraine. So that was a setback if you’re looking at any serious effort to build peace. The discussions in Washington between President Trump, President Zelensky, and seven other European leaders helped recover some of that damage. There was a conversation about security guarantees, and President Trump suggested that while there would be no US boots on the ground, American air power might be involved. I think that helped repair some of the damage, but it remains very

clear — from what Moscow has been saying recently — that the two sides are still very, very far apart.

THE LATEST RUSSIAN DEMANDS INCLUDE HAVING A VETO OVER UKRAINE’S SECURITY GUARANTEES, AND BRINGING CHINA INTO THE PROCESS. WHAT KIND OF SECURITY GUARANTEES ARE WE TALKING ABOUT?

I was a little disappointed the Americans didn’t see the trap when they were talking to Putin in Alaska

Vladimir Putin is prepared to accept a peace agreement, but only on Vladimir Putin’s terms — and those terms amount to Ukraine’s capitulation. It’s no surprise that Ukraine says no. As for Foreign Minister Lavrov’s take on guarantees, that Russia should have a vetoing power — genuine security guarantees have to be between Western countries and Ukraine. Russia doesn’t have a role here. Remember: back in Istanbul in 2022, the Russians suggested security guarantees where Russia itself would be one of the guarantors. But under their proposal, all guarantors had to agree before acting — which would have allowed Russia to invade Ukraine, then veto any collective response. It should not surprise the Russians that there is no interest in such a proposal, not in Ukraine and not in the West.

WHAT ABOUT THE CONCESSION PRESIDENT PUTIN WAS READY TO MAKE, ACCORDING TO SPECIAL ENVOY WITKOFF?

We don’t know. Maybe Putin suggested freezing the lines in Zaporizhzhia and Kherson, but I’ve seen nothing to indicate that Russia has abandoned its claim to all of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia. The most ludicrous part of the Russian

proposal in Alaska was that Ukraine would abandon all of Donetsk — and that was just the entry price to begin negotiations. That would have left Russia positioned to walk away after two or three weeks, declare the talks a failure, and resume the war. Meanwhile, Ukraine would have already handed over the defensive fortifications that have stopped Russia from taking Donetsk for three years. I was a little disappointed the Americans didn’t see that trap when they were talking to Putin in Alaska. There was too much talk about land swaps. Land swaps are really just land concessions by Ukraine. If you look at what Ukrainians themselves have said, they may be prepared to accept some kind of temporary occupation, in fact, in 2024, President Zelensky said Ukraine might agree not to use military force to retake occupied territory. That creates the possibility that — in a final settlement — Ukraine could agree to tolerate temporary occupation of some of its land, without recognizing it internationally. But I don’t think Ukrainians should even be asked to contemplate that unless there are real security guarantees in place, guarantees that give them confidence that Russia won’t simply invade again two years later.

AND IN THE UNLIKELY EVENT THAT THOSE GUARANTEES MATERIALIZE, WOULDN’T IT BE COMPLETELY COUNTERINTUITIVE FOR RUSSIA TO ACCEPT THEM?

That’s exactly the other side of the coin. And here, unfortunately, President Trump has not played some of the high-value cards he actually has. For three or four months now, he’s been threatening new economic sanctions on Russia — but

never imposed them. So there’s been no new economic pressure. More importantly, he hasn’t played the cards that would put real military pressure on Russia: namely, making it clear to the Kremlin that Ukraine will have the resources and weapons it needs for 3, 4, 5, 6 years. Right now, Putin believes he can achieve his goals on the battlefield. What Trump should be doing is making clear that Putin will fail, and that the costs of trying will only keep rising. That means seizing Russia’s frozen central bank assets, asking Congress for more money for Ukraine, making it clear Ukraine’s military will be sustained in the field for the long haul. Only then might the Kremlin start to wonder: do we really want 2, 3, 4 more years of this?

That’s what pressure looks like. Unfortunately, so far, Mr. Trump has shown no willingness to apply it.

WOULDN’T THAT ALSO NEED TO BE PART OF A LARGER STRATEGY — ONE THAT ENSURES UKRAINE CONTINUES RECEIVING THIS KIND OF SUPPORT EVEN AFTER THE WAR IS OVER?

Absolutely. There should be a package of guarantees, and one of them must be a Western commitment to help Ukraine build and sustain a powerful military. And I’m not talking about 40 F-16s. I’m talking 300 or 400 F-16s, so that Ukraine is so strong militarily that Russia says: we don’t want to try this again. That is the best security guarantee — Ukraine armed to the teeth. But yes, additional Western guarantees could and should further strengthen that.

EUROPE ALSO SEEMS INDECISIVE — THIS 'COALITION OF THE WILLING' CAN’T DECIDE ON BOOTS ON THE GROUND. SOME EVEN WARN OF A 'BUDAPEST 2.0,' WHERE THE WEST AGAIN OFFERS VAGUE ASSURANCES INSTEAD OF GUARANTEES, AS WITH THE FIRST MEMORANDUM YOU HELPED DRAFT. HOW LIKELY IS THAT SCENARIO?

The Budapest Memorandum was negotiated in a very different time, back in 1993–94, and with a very different Russia. Boris Yeltsin had plenty of flaws, but he fundamentally accepted Ukraine’s territorial integrity and respected its sovereignty. If there was an oversight, it was ours — by ours, I mean Washington’s and our Ukrainian counterparts’. We did not foresee what Vladimir Putin would do in 2014 or again in 2022. Had Ukrainians seen that as even a distinct probability, the arrangement would never have gone through. There was genuine hope then — ultimately unrealized — that Russia was moving toward a more democratic system, however flawed, and toward a market economy, and that it might evolve in a different direction. Unfortunately, once Putin became president, he reversed those trends. Today’s Russia looks far more like the Soviet Union.

But having said that, I don’t think we’ll stumble unwittingly into a Budapest 2.0.

Of course, we can always do something

What Trump should be doing is making clear that Putin will fail, and that the costs of trying will only keep rising

stupid, but we should have the foresight and intelligence to recognize that while Budapest might have been appropriate 30 years ago, it is not the answer now. Ukraine needs a much more ironclad security guarantee. I don’t believe Ukrainians will agree to end or settle the war unless they have full confidence that it really is over — not just a pause while Putin rebuilds his military for another round.

ON THE WAR’S IMPACT ON WHAT RUSSIA DERISIVELY CALLS ITS “NEAR ABROAD” — WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR COUNTRIES LIKE MOLDOVA, GEORGIA, ARMENIA, AZERBAIJAN?

This is Putin’s neo-imperial war, aimed at recovering parts of the Russian Empire lost with the Soviet collapse in 1991. It is blatant neo-imperialism. And I worry that Putin’s goals and ambitions do not end with Ukraine. If Russia prevails against Ukraine, that will complicate the security of other states —Moldova, the Caucasus countries and Kazakhstan, just to name a few. All of them would come under significant pressure. It’s clear Putin wants to reassert Russian influence — even physical control — across the postSoviet space, and perhaps beyond. DO YOU THINK “PLAYING NICE” CAN HELP? THAT SEEMS TO BE THE TACTIC OF THE CURRENT GEORGIAN GOVERNMENT — ACCOMMODATING MOSCOW AT ALL COSTS. IS THAT GOING TO WORK?

There may be times when playing nice with Putin makes sense. But there are also times when you need to be tough and protective of your own interests. And I worry that our president wants to play nice with Putin, but he may not recognize that he could have a better chance of achieving his objectives if at times he were to play tough.

BUT CAN A TINY COUNTRY IN THE CAUCASUS REALLY AFFORD THAT LUXURY, TO SAY NO TO RUSSIA?

The circumstances are different, of course. But yes, sometimes a small country in the Caucasus must say no and stand up for itself — unless it finds itself in a situation where it isn’t being asked anything at all.

Helsinki Commission to Hold Hearing on Georgia

BY TEAM GT

The US Helsinki Commission announced it will hold a hearing on September 10 titled “From Partner to Problem: Georgia’s Anti-American Turn.”

“Georgia was once a core US partner and a beacon of freedom in the Caucasus. Today, the ruling Georgian Dream party is dragging the country back into Russia’s orbit while deepening ties

with China and other US adversaries,” the Commission stated.

Based on the announcement, Georgian Dream has weakened democratic institutions, undermined sovereignty by favoring Chinese investment while blocking US businesses from Middle Corridor trade and access to Central Asian rare earth minerals, jailed opposition fi gures, used violence against peaceful protestors, and refused to concede power after elections widely criticized as illegitimate. The Commission warned that this trajectory poses a direct threat to US interests

in the region.

The hearing will assess the global implications of Georgia’s democratic backsliding and explore US policy responses, including the bipartisan MEGOBARI Act, designed to support the Georgian people in preserving independence and their longstanding partnership with the United States. Invited witnesses include former Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili, former Defense Minister Tinatin Khidasheli, and Luke Coffey, senior fellow at the Hudson Institute’s Center on Europe and Eurasia.

Ambassador Steven Pifer, former US ambassador to Ukraine. Source: mainepublic

Amnesty International: Georgian Authorities Using Justice System to Silence Dissent

BY TEAM GT

The imprisonment of demonstrators in Georgia illustrates the authorities’ misuse of the justice system to stifle dissent, Amnesty International said in a statement.

Denis Krivosheev, Deputy Director for Eastern Europe and Central Asia at Amnesty International, condemned the sentencing of 20 demonstrators — including activist

Skhvitaridze and actor Andro Chichinadze — for their participation in antigovernment protests over the past two days.

“The trials of Andro Chichinadze, Saba Skhvitaridze, and others reveal how Georgian authorities are weaponizing the courts to punish demonstrators and suppress dissenting voices,” the statement reads. “Protesters in Georgia have faced serious human rights violations, including torture, ill-treatment, arbitrary detentions, and unfair trials.”

Amnesty International stressed that these cases represent a systemic denial

of justice for hundreds of demonstrators.

“Saba Skhvitaridze, sentenced to two years in prison after a flagrantly unfair trial, was also denied an effective investigation into allegations of torture and other ill-treatment. Georgian authorities must overturn these unjust convictions, ensure the release of Skhvitaridze, Chichinadze, and others, and guarantee them new, fair trials. All those detained solely for exercising their rights to peaceful assembly and freedom of expression must be released immediately,” the organization declared.

UNM Torture Report Sparks More Protests

BY TEAM GT

Tea Tsulukiani, chair of the Temporary Investigation Commission reviewing the ruling regime in Georgia from 2003 to 2012, presented the commission’s findings at Tuesday’s parliamentary plenary session. The report exposes widespread and systematic human rights violations under the United National Movement (UNM) government, particularly during 2004–2012. According to Tsulukiani, the commission conducted a thorough review of all available evidence within its mandate and concluded that the UNM’s “zero tolerance” criminal policy institutionalized torture and inhumane treatment across Georgia’s Ministry of Internal Affairs and penitentiary systems. These abuses were not isolated incidents but part of a state-sanctioned system of terror, with political leaders, including former President Mikheil Saakashvili, complicit in orchestrating these policies. The report documents multiple forms of abuse, including harsh prison conditions, inadequate nutrition and medical care, violations of detainees’ personal and family rights, denial of legal defense, and suppression of information about violence. It details cruel, daily torture methods used to extract confessions, seize property, retaliate politically, or settle personal scores. Notably, up to 2,000 new tuberculosis cases were

recorded annually, with prisoners deliberately housed to spread infection. Treatment for Hepatitis C was deliberately blocked to conceal its prevalence.

The Prosecutor’s Office frequently failed to investigate these abuses or was complicit, while courts ignored violations, violating both Georgian law and international human rights standards. State-controlled media also refused to report on these matters, the report claims. The commission highlights a culture of impunity where perpetrators of torture were often rewarded with presidential honors, urging the current president to review awards granted from 2004 to 2013 to identify any linked to crimes against humanity.

The investigation drew on various sources, including speeches from 2012 and forensic psychological evaluations showing lasting trauma in victims. The Public Defender’s Office was the only institution consistently addressing torture complaints until it was weakened between 2010 and 2012.

The report’s release sparked protests near Parliament, with demonstrators chanting “Slaves, go to Russia” and “Traitors to the country” as Georgian Dream deputies exited the building. Protesters attempted to block roads but were prevented by police. The Ministry of Internal Affairs reported detaining 16 people for administrative offenses related to obstructing traffic. Authorities urged demonstrators to protest lawfully and warned of consequences for further disruptions.

Saba

OP-ED. Peace and the Georgian Dream. Part 1

OP-ED BY PAUL R. GRENIER FOR LANDMARKSMAG

In early June 2025, I traveled to Georgia to attend the Tbilisi Forum on Peace and Sustainable Development. My only previous visit to Georgia had taken place in the mid-1980s, when it was still a republic within the USSR. I was curious about many things: how much it had changed, how its culture was holding up, what was the truth about the protests and the political situation there more generally.

When I arrived at the Tbilisi airport I was taken directly to the Iota Hotel, located a few blocks from Liberty Square, though I would later transfer to the nearby and more luxurious Paragraph Hotel, where the conference was to take place. Odd as it may seem, I found my time in the Iota Hotel to be an extremely important part of my experience of Tbilisi. The hotel has certain qualities and virtues that point, potentially, to a better future for Georgia as a whole.

Iota’s interior design has nice, clean lines and an absence of decorative clutter – in other words, it is modern. At the same time, the pervasive use of wood, metal and stone, along with the hotel’s balanced, human-scale proportions, lends to the whole a rooted, classical feel. A few steps from the reception desk one comes across a well-lit staircase with wide, stone steps bordered by a weathered steel banister. I nearly always took this attractive staircase, instead of the nearby elevator, to my fourth-floor room. A modern building design that recognizes that people have legs! Who would have thought!

At breakfast time, the hotel restaurant puts out plates of local fresh fruits, berries and cut vegetables; local fresh-made breads, traditional milk products, a simple lobio (a Georgian salad made with beans), plus the usual omelets and coffee, among much else. Everything one actually needs, but also nothing that one does not need (for example, no annoying American pop music). The many local products brought to mind the relationship between a thriving city and its nearby more or less self-sufficient, diversified farmers (or ‘peasants’ in the language of J.S. Mill and even Simone Weil). It is also this kind of symbiotic relationship between the city and its rural periphery that the urbanist Jane Jacobs emphasized as the key to an economic life oriented to human well-being. Later in my visit I was delighted when a young member of the Georgian Dream party asked me if I knew about Jane Jacobs. When I stopped by the Iota Hotel restaurant one afternoon to get myself a cup of tea, I happened to notice water on the floor. The large-ish puddle was right in front of the hot drinks counter at a spot where customers were likely to walk. I pointed the puddle out to the

staff member standing behind the counter. He nodded, adding: “Yes, I know,” but made zero move to clean it up. I found his refusal to be rushed – aside from being hilarious – relaxing. Apparently, people don’t rush around here all the time like us Americans. Our first thought would have been: there’s a lawsuit waiting to happen! His thought must have been: ‘Any fool can see that there is a puddle on the floor, they’ll walk around it.’ I think it is the Greek Orthodox theologian Timothy Patitsas who has written a lot about the centrality of καιρός, or ‘unhurried time,’ in a rightly ordered city.

THE CITY

When I visited Tbilisi in the mid-1980s, i.e., during the waning years of the Soviet Union, I genuinely fell in love with the place. I decided it was the Italy of the USSR. The wine, the outdoor cafes, the feeling of comparative abundance, the hospitality, and, most of all, the happiness and warmth of the many people I met, it was all irresistible. What I recall of the city center was a charming mixture of Eastern and Western (Baroque and Rococo) architectural styles. If there were any gray Soviet-era buildings in the mix, they didn’t stand out.

Today’s Tbilisi has more wealth than back then, and certainly more cafes and small shops – all of which is to the good.

The charm of the old skyline is now marred, to my taste, by a few incongruous modern buildings wrapped in reflective black glass.

Tbilisi has a great many churches, many of them ancient. A professor of philosophy at the university of Tbilisi, with whom I spent a very pleasant afternoon walking around the old town, explained to me that all, or nearly all of these churches are now functioning and well attended.

Modern Tbilisi also contrasts with its Soviet-era version by being more mate-

rialistic. Expensive western name brand stores occupy the prominent spots downtown. The Paragraph Hotel where I stayed during the conference, though impeccable and extremely hospitable, was luxurious almost to the point of excess (the toilet seat in my room looked like the control panel of a fighter jet and I never figured it out – I was afraid to even touch it). I noticed many drivers showing off by speeding around in their fancy cars. One comes across the ‘massage’ parlors and drinking establishments typical of many American city centers. A high point for me during my stay in Tbilisi was seeing the opera Daisi (Sunset) in the stunning Moorish-style opera house on Rustaveli Avenue. Not since viewing Mussorgsky’s Boris Godunov at St. Petersburg’s Marinsky Theater have I so enjoyed an opera! The music by Paliashvili, the staging, dance, singing, the story – all were of stunningly high quality and very moving. The themes in Daisi overlap, to a certain extent, with those in Godunov. In both, tragedy and foreign invasion transpire against the backdrop of a profound and enduring Orthodox Christian faith.

CONFERENCE, CONVERSATIONS

Since I’ve chosen the ‘notes from a diary’ genre as the format for these reflections, I will restrict myself to sharing only a few of my own contributions to the Tbilisi Peace and Sustainable Development conference. I won’t attempt any kind of overview. A proper treatment of this impressive conference, in both its formal and informal sessions, would require writing an entire book. Suffice it to say that I was thrilled to be in the company of scholars from all over the world that I greatly admire, and thrilled to get the chance to meet some of them – for example Alexander Mercouris, Ian Proud, Amb. Jack Matlock, and Glenn Diesen – for the first time in person.

The central theme of my presentation

during the conference was liberalism’s hostility to the idea of limit. The ‘liberalism’ to which I was referring, I tried to make clear, is an ideology to which virtually all Americans belong, regardless of whether they think of themselves as being on the left or on the right (a point about Americans emphasized, incidentally, by the philosopher Alasdair MacIntyre, author of the seminal work After Virtue). The so-called neocons, I said, are not, as some suppose, a fringe movement, and they are certainly not Marxists. They are, to the contrary, liberals. What sets them apart is their militancy as liberals. Were the neocons to be somehow miraculously excised from the American body politic, the idea of limit would not of itself reappear, and neither would the idea of ‘restraint.’ Why else would there be such unanimity in the US Congress, and in the mainstream US press, in support of every new war?

Sadly, neoconservatives are flesh of flesh of America’s liberal civilization, and in their eagerness to destroy every rival civilization, the neocons differ only in degree from the rest of the American mainstream.

My explanation as to why liberalism as an ideology rebels against limits went something like this. Liberalism, firstly and most importantly, reverses the traditional relation between means and ends. For liberalism, means themselves have become the end. But a means, as already Simone Weil noted, by definition has no limiting principle.

Now, this whole matter of means and ends causes much confusion and helps explain why so many are convinced of an organic linkage between Marxism/ Trotskyism and the neocons. Trotskyists, we know, justified the use of evil means in pursuit of their (Marxist, utopian) ends. To be sure, liberalism, like Trotskyism, is a revolutionary doctrine, but its revolutionary spirit stems from its own distinctive ethical stance – the one I just described, which pursues the unlimited increase of means. These ‘means’ may take various forms: money, military force, rhetoric. The salient fact is nonetheless that liberalism ultimately transforms everything, including every good thing, into a means. Lately, it has been also transforming entire countries into such means.

At the conclusion of my short presentation, I made mention of D.C. Schindler’s book, Freedom from Reality, as an excellent source for anyone interested in digging deeper. I tried to share an insight from Schindler about how the liberal re-definition of freedom (which re-definition is what ultimately explains liberalism’s reversal of means and ends) can easily transform each of us from within, as it were, at the subconscious level. If that is true, then this means that the effort, in Georgia, to protect its national cultural legacy and traditions must not be viewed merely as a matter of protection from external foes. The

quest to remain Georgian also entails carrying out an honest examination of one’s own philosophical presuppositions. Those who, in 1991, were leaving behind communism, the architect Christopher Alexander once noted, may have thought that they were gaining freedom. What they were entering in fact was “a moneycentered world.”

After my presentation, I had the good fortune of making the acquaintance of a Georgian professor of philosophy, we shall call him “N,” who approached me to learn more about the book by D.C. Schindler I had mentioned. We struck up a conversation and ended up, several days later, walking around the city together, all the while discussing our mutual interests. At the outset of our walk, we stopped by a bust of the Russian poet Alexander Pushkin which stands in a park near the Paragraph Hotel. I asked if there was any chance that it would be removed, as has happened recently in Ukraine, as a way of ridding the county of ‘Russian influences.’ “None whatsoever,” was his reply.

N. mentioned that he was struck by an answer I had given in response to the question an audience member had asked about how Georgia, a country for whom the Orthodox Christian faith is central to its identity, could find a place for itself in a wider world which views Orthodox Christianity as something alien. In my response, I suggested as a model the concept of Europe as it was understood by the founder of Russian philosophy, Vladimir S. Solovyov (1853 – 1900). The Russian philosopher held that the idea of Europe, in its essence, is constituted by the combination of Christian revelation and Greek reason. The former instantiates the concrete good in its fullness by means of a revelation, in other words, in the person of Christ. The latter, because it speaks a philosophical, rational language, is accessible to all. I also put in a good word for Simone Weil who, in her writings, insisted that Greek thought was a premonition of the Christian revelation.

“A Europe so defined,” my new friend told me, “is exactly what attracts us to Europe, and it is in this sense that we have always thought of ourselves as Europeans.” This is why Georgians like him are attracted to European literature, including secular literature, which they have always associated with something sane and reasonable. And, of course, Georgians had long assumed that their deep roots in Christianity also signified that they have a rightful place in Europe. It is only recently, he noted, that these same roots of Georgian culture have suddenly been viewed, first of all by the Europeans themselves, as something allegedly outside of and in contradiction with what is still called ‘Europe.’

Continued in next week’s GT. First published on landmarksmag. Reprinted here with permission from the author.

Kavelashvili Urges Trump to Pay Greater Attention to Georgia

BY TEAM GT

In an open letter to US President Donald Trump, Georgian President Mikheil Kavelashvili expressed surprise and concern over what he described as Washington’s passivity toward Georgia.

Kavelashvili noted that in the first months of Trump’s presidency, the administration successfully fostered close relations with all of Georgia’s neighbors— facilitating a peace agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan, expanding cooperation with Turkey, and even restoring partnership with Vladimir Putin. Yet, he argued, Georgia has been conspicuously absent from the White House’s regional agenda.

“Your administration has

changed half the world in just a few months,” Kavelashvili wrote.

“But from Georgia’s perspective, the lack of attention to our country raises doubts and questions about how free and sincere your administration’s actions truly are in strengthening peace in the region.”

Kavelashvili claimed that Georgians fear the growing influence of the so-called “deep state” within their country, which he claimed is driving the nation toward war and instability—while the US remains passive.

He concluded by urging Trump to shift course: “It is important that the Georgian people associate the United States not with the ‘deep state,’ but with a strong American president. Not with destabilization, but with peace and stability. Not with LGBT and gender propaganda, but with respect for traditional values.”

Then-Georgian Dream chair Irakli Garibashvili during final campaign rally in Tbilisi. Photo by Jelger Groeneveld

President Mikheil Kavelashvili

How Lexden Is Bringing Global CX Expertise to Georgia

BY KESARIA KATCHARAVA

For decades, companies around the world and in Georgia have aspired to be “customer-centric.” Yet, despite slick marketing campaigns, digital tools, and service charters, too many organizations have struggled to translate aspiration into action. Customers often experience disjointed service, opaque processes, and unmet expectations. What most organizations lack is a systematic, disciplined approach to customer experience management (CXM) that is not only designed for the local market, but aligned with global best practices.

Into this gap steps Lexden, the awardwinning international consultancy founded in the UK in 2007, renowned for transforming customer experience across more than 25 countries. With its arrival in Georgia, Lexden is not merely offering advice or training; it is introducing a new way of thinking, a methodology that integrates customer insight, operational rigor, and organizational culture into an enduring competitive advantage.

At the global level, Lexden’s Managing Director, Christopher Brooks, brings the international vision and innovative approaches that have reshaped organizations across 25+ countries. Named 2024 CX Influencer of the Year, Brooks is also a published author and visiting academic lecturer whose expertise sets the tone for Lexden’s worldwide impact. Alongside him, the team includes Prof. Dr. Phil Klaus, an internationally recognized academic ranked among Stanford University’s World’s Top 2% scientists and bestselling author of the behavioural metric EXQ, as well as Michael Brandt, Lexden’s Head of Training and Development and former Global Head of Customer Experience at ABB. Together, this leadership ensures that Georgia benefits directly from the same global standards and pioneering practices that have positioned Lexden as a trusted partner worldwide.

In Georgia, this effort is led locally by Sophie Chkhaberidze, Partner at Lexden, certified international CX professional, member of the Customer Experience Professionals Association (CXPA), and business trainer with over 15 years of experience helping organizations develop customer-oriented cultures in both the public and private sectors. Sophie represents Lexden’s local leadership, building the vital bridge between global expertise and the Georgian business landscape.

“Customer experience (CX) is both the perception and the reality a customer has at every touchpoint with a company. The experience should pos-

ership and culture as the twin pillars of CX transformation. Central to their framework is what the company calls the 3Ms: Motivation, Mindset, and Method. Motivation ensures leaders and teams understand why customer experience matters. Mindset cultivates the belief that every decision should account for the customer’s outcome. Method provides practical tools and structured processes to implement this vision consistently.

“Enlightened leaders set the tone and need to be the role model for the customer-centric mindset they wish others to adopt. They need to be true to the customer’s outcome as their goal, empowering teams to be true to customer outcomes and ensure CX principles are embedded in every decision and process,” Sophie emphasizes.

But changing mindset is not about slogans or corporate posters. It is about embedding new ways of thinking into everyday decision-making. Sophie is candid: “We need everyone to stop thinking, ‘how does that impact the business?’ when they hear about an internal change and start thinking, ‘what does that mean for our customers?’, that’s the culture change we look for.”

in their business by applying the course learnings,” Sophie explains.

For Georgia, this program is groundbreaking. It equips professionals with tangible tools, measurable outcomes, and the confidence to place the customer at the epicenter of every decision.

CATALYSTS FOR CHANGE

Sophie observes that organizations don’t become customer-centric overnight. Instead, they often need a catalyst, a significant system migration, digital transformation, or operational change, that highlights the need for change and forces them to confront the reality of their customer experience.

itively contributes towards the outcome the customer is aiming to achieve. A strong CX creates emotional connections that turn customers into advocates,”

Sophie explains.

In Georgia, this is not just an academic concept. It is a practical imperative: as markets become more competitive and customer expectations more sophisticated, organizations that fail to embed CX principles risk falling behind. Lexden’s mission is clear: to equip Georgian companies with the tools, knowledge, and cultural frameworks to make customercentricity a lasting organizational reality.

WHY CX PROGRAMS OFTEN FAIL

Globally, many CX initiatives fail to deliver the expected returns. Sophie points to research led by Professor Dr. Phil Klaus, Lexden’s academic advisor, who has studied the behavioral and operational metrics that underpin successful CX programs.

“Sadly the majority of CX programs still fail. A study by Professor Klaus showed the main three reasons are: 1) leadership treating CX as a project 2) focusing on the wrong measurement.

This usually means looking at metrics from the business point of view rather than ‘has the customer achieved their outcome?’, and 3) not formalized CXM in place to manage important touchpoints and keep the customer’s voice heard throughout the business. These are core to our programs. We know the mistakes to avoid and build in governance and monitoring on key topics. such as continuous leadership support, employee training, customer journey mapping and clear customer performance indicators.”

This pattern is all too familiar in Georgia. Many companies have digitalized processes or launched customer service initiatives but lack systemic alignment.

Teams operate in silos, leadership fails to model the behavior they expect, and metrics track efficiency or revenue rather than the customer’s experience. The result is short-term wins, but long-term stagnation.

Sophie observes that CX initiatives are often tactical, not strategic: “Until those across the business are shown the value being customer centric has to them, their teams, and the business, it will be a tactically focused initiative.” In practice, the gap between aspiration and execution often starts with leadership. Without commitment at the top, CX programs cannot become embedded. “Customercentricity” is relegated to the marketing department or treated as a short-term project rather than a foundational principle guiding every decision.

LEADERSHIP AND CULTURE

Lexden’s methodology emphasizes lead-

The impact of cultural change is tangible. Organizations that succeed in embedding customer-centric thinking see improved alignment across teams, better collaboration, and decisions that consistently reflect the customer’s perspective. It transforms CX from a set of tools or projects into a new way of working for the future.

LEXDEN’S APPROACH: GLOBAL EXPERTISE, LOCAL RELEVANCE

Lexden’s arrival in Georgia brings decades of international experience combined with local market sensitivity. The team has worked in diverse sectors across multiple geographies, understanding that universal principles must be adapted to local cultural and operational realities.

“With proven experience in over 25 countries, we recognize the importance of applying local market adaptations to universal principles. Customer experience is valued by all, and the foundations (we refer to as the 3Ms; Motivation, Mindset and Method) apply equally, but what is delivered for customers and how needs to respect cultural boundaries. Georgian companies will benefit by adopting these proven Customer Experience Management (CXM) practices. Results deliver increased productivity, reduced costs, increased sales and a purpose led workforce,” Sophie explains. This holistic approach spans research and insight, strategic alignment, design, implementation, and performance measurement. It is not a one-off intervention; it is an enduring, measurable approach that enables organizations to maintain and improve CX capabilities over time. Sophie is clear: “Lexden do not believe transformation does not end with implementation. It is not a project, but an enduring approach based on long-term partnership to maintain and improve achieving results.” This philosophy ensures that Lexden’s approach is focused on sustainable capability-building, embedding customer-centricity deeply into every organization rather than treating it as a short-term project.

THE MINI MBA IN CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE MANAGEMENT

Beyond consulting, Lexden brings its Mini MBA in CXM, a program designed to build practical capabilities rather than teach abstract theory. Participants, ranging from beginners to senior professionals, learn to connect CX directly with business strategy, develop skills to influence decisions, and improve team effectiveness.

“We don’t just share theories, our training programs equip professionals with practical tools and frameworks that we’ve successfully used with clients. Our aim is to foster a customer-centric mindset those certified to lead CX initiatives confidently in their organizations. We offer an Honors level for participants who demonstrate the improvement gains

“There needs to be a motive, and an understanding of how being customercentric will make a difference. Companies don’t transform overnight, there is usually a catalyst, such as a system migration or a push to a digital platform for customer interaction. These changes demand an understanding of what matters to the customer, and it is then that organizations realize they don’t really know. They also realize they don’t have an operating model for customer centricity, one that prioritizes customers or keeps them in the decision-making process consistently across the business,” Sophie notes.

By leveraging these moments, Lexden helps organizations not only implement CXM practices but also embed them as an integral part of the organization’s daily culture.

THE CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE WORLD GAMES

Another distinctive Lexden initiative is the Customer Experience World Games (CXWG), which combines CX skillbuilding with social impact. Founded by Managing Director Christopher Brooks, the CXWG brings together teams from around the world to apply CX tools to challenges faced by NGOs and charities.

“The CXWG game provides an interactive and safe environment for teams to explore CX challenges, build empathy, and enhance teamwork. In parallel, they are making a positive contribution to society. Several companies have used them as part of their CSR programs, allowing employees to volunteer their minds to help NGOs and charities. Lexden connects the games to CXM, making learning both engaging and impactful,”

Sophie explains.

For Georgian organizations, participation in CXWG offers a dual benefit: practical CX skill development and meaningful societal contribution. It also exposes local teams to international best practices and collaboration with professionals from diverse industries and geographies.

PRACTICAL GUIDANCE FOR GEORGIAN COMPANIES

What should Georgian businesses do first if they want to raise CX maturity?

Sophie provides a clear, structured roadmap:

“The advice we always give is to first understand the value of customer experience within your organization, how it drives business performance, differentiates your brand, supports strategic goals, and, crucially, whether it meets customer expectations and delivers meaningful outcomes for them. Once this is understood, an internal assessment can identify how well the current setup is aligned to deliver the desired customer outcomes and contribute effectively to the overall business strategy. The findings identify what should be adapted, adjusted or changed. These highlight where capability, skills and new activities are needed across the business and which customer experiences to prioritise. We often find there are significant savings to be made where issues and poor experiences create additional expenses for the business, which can be used to accelerate the establishment of effective CXM. So, knowing where to prioritise and what changes are needed are key. Our professional guidance through consulting and training programs helps organisations achieve this.” This approach ensures that CX improvements are strategic, measur-

able, and aligned with business outcomes, rather than reactive or superficial.

THE ULTIMATE PAYOFF

At the heart of Lexden’s philosophy is a simple but powerful idea: CX is about creating meaningful experiences that make customers return. Christopher Brooks, Lexden’s Managing Director, calls it being a “memory maker.”

“In our roles as customer experience professionals, we create meaningful engagements which help our customers achieve their goals. When we get this right we are ‘memory makers’, encouraging our customers to return time and again.”

Sophie reiterates the point: the goal is enduring cultural transformation, where customer outcomes guide decisions, and CX becomes a natural part of the organization’s DNA.

“When they start to lead this area, we know we’ve switched from a transformation program to a new way of working for the future.”

A NEW CHAPTER FOR GEORGIAN BUSINESS

Georgia’s companies are entering a period of heightened competition and rising customer expectations. With Christopher Brooks’ global leadership and Sophie Chkhaberidze’s local expertise, Lexden’s entry represents a powerful partnership of international vision and Georgian leadership. It provides a rare opportunity to adopt global CX practices, develop practical skills, and embed cultural change that is sustainable over the long term. Through consulting, training, and global initiatives like the Mini MBA in CXM and CXWG, Lexden is not only providing tools and frameworks it is changing the way business thinks. The firm’s combination of international expertise, local adaptation, and focus on measurable outcomes offers Georgian organizations the chance to transform ambition into results, ensuring that customer-centricity is more than a slogan, it is a strategic advantage, a cultural mindset, and, ultimately, a driver of sustainable growth.

Sophie Chkhaberidze

Christopher Brooks

Towards Europe: Video Series Explores Georgia’s Deep-rooted European Ties

BY TEAM GT

The European Union Delegation to Georgia has launched a video series designed to explore the historical bonds between Georgia and Europe. The series – Towards Europe – reminds viewers that while the formal EU-Georgia partnership has been developing for over three decades, the Georgian people have been striving towards European ideals for centuries.

The video series features Georgian historian Beka Kobakhidze, who recalls episodes in the long-standing path travelled by Georgia and Europe #ertad (together in Georgian). The series highlights the moments in Georgian history

that reflect its deep and abiding connection to European values and traditions.

“Through this lasting partnership, the EU has played a transformative role, strengthening democratic institutions, fostering economic growth, enhancing education and infrastructure, and creating new opportunities for Georgian citizens to travel, work, and study across Europe,” the EU Delegation to Georgia said in a press release. “This video series serves as a powerful reminder of a shared past and a testament to the strong, ongoing partnership that continues to support Georgians on their European path.”

The videos are based on a publication from the Economic Policy Research Centre (EPRC), developed as part of its ‘United Georgia for Europe’ initiative. The series is available in Georgian with English subtitles.

Qvavilnari Interlude

It was time for my wife and me to take a few days’ break from our mountains, in the main kind of landscape which, for me, they lack: at the sea. We left the house in the hands of a few friends who had volunteered to look after its guests, packed the car, and took off. It was already 5 pm. Arriving at our destination by a new ring road in the early dark, asking around, we found a cheap guest house in Qvavilnari, near Ureki: 50 GEL for a room per night, with its own bathroom and fridge and a communal kitchen. Ideal. A bit basic, but perfectly fine. Within 10 minutes’ walk from the coast, though we drove this, so as to have the car with table, chairs and other things right with us.

The weather was a bit cool and cloudy, with even a bit of rain off and on, but nothing to stop us from swimming off the sandy, gently sloping beach with its backdrop of evergreen forests, and sunning on our plastic chairs. Here, too, was development: a long fence parallel to part of the beach, with “Private Territory” signs, but a few people camping inside, apparently having paid a small sum for entry. We were still able to park in the trees and start a fire to cook our lunch. New signs on the village’s main road advertise plots of land for sale, at least 500 square m, with a contact phone number, which we’ll call just for interest in the price.

I had both my cell phone camera and my big Canon digital one with me, and now was using the latter for some experiments. I had brought back a couple of ND (neutral density) filters from Canada in May, a long-awaited purchase. These have the effect of dramatically cutting down the amount of light entering the camera, forcing much longer exposures than usual when you want them. You will need either a tripod or other sturdy surface to fix the camera to; I used my elbows on my knees for the shots, ranging from 1/2 second to about 10 seconds. I could hardly see anything through the darkened viewfinder, but just enough to see by. I even tried moving the camera parallel to the flat coastal horizon for a few shots, instead of keeping it still, to blur the rolling waves and more static sky as much as possible and end up with the dreamy, surrealistic frames I was after. Thanks to a large memory card, I could shoot hundreds of frames quickly, and did so, missing my years of 35mm film rolls of 36 exposures not at all. That evening, uploading everything to my laptop, I was able to see how things had gone, and ended up with plenty of very satisfying images. This time I kept them in the muted colors in which I had shot them, instead of reducing them further to monochrome. In nearly every case, the slightly crooked and barrel-distorted horizon needed straightening, along with a slight color and contrast improvement;

but nothing more.

That wavy day of shooting was the best of our three at the sea, as the other two days were too windless, with much flatter waves and lower landscape contrast. So my timing had been good for what I was aiming for. This was only the start; I still want to try much longer exposures, to motion-blur the clouds as well as moving water. But I saw the possibilities in my new filters, and will continue experimenting with pleasure. Because the shutter was down for most of each shot, preventing a sight of what I would get, it was very much trial and error, but ended up with the kind of things I had in my mind’s eye.

I commented on my Facebook post accompanying a few of the images that the camera is a great tool for surrealism. I stand by this: it can show not only what you think is real, but also what you can only dream of or imagine. I play with other dimensions of time, and am delighted. Life is too short for otherwise.

Tony Hanmer has lived in Georgia since 1999, in Svaneti since 2007, and been a weekly writer and photographer for GT since early 2011. He runs the “Svaneti Renaissance” Facebook group, now with over 2000 members, at www.facebook.com/groups/ SvanetiRenaissance/

He and his wife also run their own guest house in Etseri: www.facebook.com/hanmer.house.svaneti

BLOG BY TONY HANMER

Photo by the author

Photo by the author

Photo by the author

Novelist Lauren Grodstein Learns Civic Courage from Georgia’s Protest Movement

BY TEAM GT

While traveling to Georgia for food and inspiration, novelist Lauren Grodstein found herself in the midst of a democracy in crisis—and went home transformed.

In What I Learned From the Georgia Protests, a blog written for The Atlantic, Grodstein recounts her 2023 visit to Tbilisi, where mass demonstrations erupted against a proposed “foreign agents” law modeled after Russia’s crackdown on civil society. Protesters flooded the capital’s streets, waving EU and Georgian flags, chanting slogans, and even dancing in defiance of riot police. “Liberty is the only wealth,” graffiti proclaimed. Another message on a café door read: “You are more than welcome here if you agree that Putin is a war criminal.”

“I felt awe at the bravery of the Tbilisi protesters,” Grodstein writes, “some of whom actually danced—danced!—in the face of police.”

Returning to the US after a week of protests, food, and conversations with

Georgians, Grodstein began writing a novel inspired by her experiences. But by her second visit in late 2024, the situation had worsened: she says the ruling pro-Russia Georgian Dream party had rigged parliamentary elections, derailing

the country’s EU aspirations.

At the same time, Grodstein says her own country—facing another Donald Trump presidency—was slipping into authoritarianism. “I am surprised, most of all, at how little I myself have resisted,” she admits.

In Georgia, she witnessed citizens standing up for democracy at personal risk—despite knowing their protests may not lead to change. “You protest to remind yourself who you are,” she writes. “Even something as ephemeral as graffiti takes on the power of a civic declaration.”

Her time in Georgia forced a reckoning with her own political silence. “It’s long past time to become the person who decides, in the face of water cannons, to dance.”

Grodstein’s novel, A Dog in Georgia, inspired by those events, was just released.

At a celebration in Philadelphia’s Megobari Cafe, she raised a glass to the brave Georgians who taught her that silence, in the face of injustice, is the most dangerous choice of all.

What if Machiavelli Was Right?

OP-ED BY NUGZAR B. RUHADZE

When discussing education, let's for a second step away from dry trivial rationales and embrace a philosophical perspective. According to Thomas Hobbes, political philosophy remains futile because even the most brilliant political thinkers couldn't transform political wisdom into achievable goals (My personal lifetime dilemma!). This suggests that prudent individuals don't necessarily become intelligent leaders. Was Hobbes pointing toward something more profound – the possibility of creating systems that produce optimally thinking citizens who benefit their societies, using education as their primary tool? The question is difficult to answer definitively.

If wisdom truly means thinking and acting correctly at the right moment and to the right degree – especially when facing life's inevitable challenges – then we must acknowledge that wise people cannot be formed solely through our conventional educational approaches, despite their historical acceptance and presumed effectiveness. Niccolò Machiavelli, however, offers a provocative alternative. He argued that acquiring knowledge – the foundation of wisdom – actually means attaining power, which enables one to gain advantage over adversaries. This raises compelling questions about

enlightenment and our motivations for education. Why do we eagerly pursue schooling? Why do we sacrifice so much for college diplomas? The most common answer to this fundamental question is our desire to live better and achieve happiness – goals that typically require wellpaying careers. Put more bluntly, education has become an economic endeavor. This might mean that our love of knowledge isn't really about pursuing pure wisdom, but about securing jobs and material satisfaction through power. In essence, the pursuit of knowledge equals our human drive to possess power.

Here lies a troubling distinction: according to Machiavelli, school isn't education – it's control. School promotes conformity, while true education should grant freedom. Our educational institutions are molding young people into obedient servants of the society they'll eventually serve.

Machiavelli didn't view education through the traditional lens of soul formation, or as something separate from politics and religion. Instead, he saw education as a practical, historical, and revolutionary tool for developing active leadership – not merely theoretical virtue. His educational philosophy focused on studying history and the actions of great figures to master the arts of statecraft and power. The goal wasn't preserving the status quo, but invigorating individuals to reform unhealthy political regimes.

This revolutionary approach emphasized learning from historical examples

to gain the skills necessary to challenge and transform society. (Frankly, I would use this Machiavellian postulate to describe our own social and political reality in Sakartvelo in the last two scores of years, when we totally refused to consider the lessons of history). Machiavelli

believed that ‘whoever wishes to foresee the future must consult the past.’ Education should therefore center on historical case studies, learning from past successes and failures to build a practical foundation for contemporary leadership.

Machiavelli championed an education

that celebrated the ‘active’ leader over the ‘contemplative’ individual. He argued that emphasizing action and worldly engagement strengthens society, while excessive quiet contemplation weakens it. He envisioned education as a tool to ‘disrupt and reform unhealthy regimes’ and prepare young people for revolution – not simply maintain existing orders. (I would not be surprised if somebody admits that something smells truly Machiavellian in today’s Georgia – of course only in terms of educating the generations to come).

A cornerstone of his philosophy involved studying the character and methods of history's ‘great figures’ to absorb their traits and rhetorical abilities. His educational ideas were deeply rooted in historical knowledge and political power dynamics. (These kinds of thought have also found parallels in this country!) Unlike classical philosophers who emphasized virtue and spiritual development, Machiavelli focused on education's pragmatic and political dimensions. His approach was grounded in the ‘real world,’ (Mine too!), concentrating on ‘what actually works’ rather than abstract ideals (Wow, the reflection of my longstanding educational philosophy!)

To cut a long story short, in our current educational climate, Machiavelli's insights feel remarkably relevant. Perhaps it's time to reconsider whether our pursuit of knowledge truly serves wisdom, or merely perpetuates our long and firmly perpetuated educational standing, principles and methodology.

Tbilisi Introduces European Youth Card Program for Young People

BY MARIAM RAZMADZE

Starting this autumn, young people in Tbilisi aged 18 to 30 will be able to benefit from the European Youth Card, giving them access to over 25,000 discounts across 40 countries and joining a network of 9.3 million cardholders.

The program was officially launched by Tbilisi Mayor Kakha Kaladze who signed a memorandum with the Bank of Georgia’s CEO, Archil Gachechiladze.

The initiative will be managed locally by the Municipal Sports and Youth Center, with the Tbilisi City Hall as the exclusive

partner of the European Youth Card Association in Georgia.

The card, active in Europe since 1986, offers young people discounts on travel, accommodation, culture, sports and education services. Partners include airlines, transport providers (such as FlixBus and Iberia Airways), restaurants, music festivals, bookshops, hotels and entertainment venues.

Tbilisi City Hall stated that Georgian youth will enjoy discounts across Europe while international visitors will benefit from reduced prices in Georgia. Those already using digital banking products will be able to access the European Youth Card’s advantages directly through the Bank of Georgia’s internet banking platform.

Author Lauren Grodstein. Source: FB A Dog in Georgia book cover.

Source: hachettebookgroup

Niccolo Machiavelli. Source: Britannica

Liza Chkhaidze: Composer, Pianist, Storyteller

BY KESARIA KATCHARAVA

At 24, Liza Chkhaidze is already building a career that crosses musical boundaries. A composer, pianist, and songwriter originally from Tbilisi, Georgia, she has written orchestral concert works, scored for television and film, performed internationally, and released electronic pop albums with her Berklee-formed band, Beyond Niagara. In 2023, she was named to the Forbes Georgia 30 Under 30 list in the culture and arts category.

Trained as a classical pianist since childhood, Chkhaidze began performing piano concertos with orchestra at the age of six. Her early studies in Georgia led to opportunities abroad, first in New York at the Long Island Conservatory, and later at the Boston Conservatory at Berklee, where she earned recognition for her solo and chamber performances.

A full scholarship to Berklee College of Music allowed her to formally study film scoring, opening a new chapter in composition that now includes work for Georgian television, short films, commercial projects, and large-scale orchestral premieres.

FROM CHILD PRODIGY TO MULTIDISCIPLINARY COMPOSER

“I would describe myself as both a pianist and a composer whose journey began very early in Tbilisi,” Chkhaidze says. “I started experimenting at the piano as a child, and by the age of six I was already performing concertos with orchestra.”

Her musical path began with classical piano, studying with renowned Georgian professor Natalia Natsvlishvili until she was 15. She then moved to the U.S., first studying at the Long Island Conservatory in New York, and later enrolling at the Boston Conservatory at Berklee, where she performed extensively and won multiple awards, including the Honors Competition with her piano trio.

“Over time, improvisation and curiosity led me more deeply into composition,” she explains. That path ultimately led her to Berklee College of Music, where she earned formal training in orchestration and scoring for the screen.

Since then, Chkhaidze’s work has reached both concert halls and visual media. “In 2024 my orchestral and choral works were premiered at the Tbilisi State Opera and Ballet Theatre,” she says. “And in 2023, I was honored with a Forbes Georgia 30 Under 30 award.”

“Today, I balance concert music, film

scoring, and songwriting. Whether I’m writing for orchestra, band, or screen, my goal is always to create music that resonates emotionally and tells a story.”

DISCOVERING MUSIC

When asked to recall what drew her to the piano so early, Chkhaidze says:

“What drew me to the piano was pure curiosity. As a child, I didn’t understand meaning or emotion in the way adults talk about it what I understood was logic, patterns, and the beauty of sound.”

She remembers how she would sit at the instrument and explore, sometimes improvising in the style of the composers she was supposed to be practicing.

“That simple curiosity is what first pulled me into music.”

Her first public piano performance was at the age of six. “I played Elizbar Lomdaridze’s Mini Concerto for Piano and Orchestra with the Tbilisi State Opera and Ballet Orchestra,” she recalls. “I only remember it in fragments: walking on stage, bowing, looking at the conductor and the orchestra, and then suddenly it was over I was bowing again and shaking the conductor’s hand.”

Though she wasn’t nervous as a child, she admits that stage anxiety came later. “Interestingly, as I grew older and more conscious of my presence, I actually became more nervous before performances. But I’ve always found a way to face that feeling and overcome it.”

A MUSICAL EDUCATION ON TWO CONTINENTS

Moving abroad at 15 to study music wasn’t just a logistical shift, it was transformational.

“Studying abroad changed my life,” says Chkhaidze. Under the mentorship of Professor Tamara Poddubnaya, she began performing internationally. “I performed in piano festivals in New York and Spain, won first prizes at the Forte International Competition and the President’s Cup, and had the opportunity to perform at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, and Steinway Hall.”

She continued to flourish at Boston Conservatory, where she studied piano under Professor Michael Lewin. “Those years were full of concerts, recitals, and chamber music,” she says. “In 2021, my piano trio won the Honors Competition, which gave us the chance to perform across Massachusetts.”

Her eventual admission to Berklee College of Music marked a turning point.

“That was the first time I formally studied composition and orchestration, and it completely reshaped my path, giving me the tools to translate the improvisa-

tions and ideas I had carried with me since childhood into professional work for orchestra, film, and television.”

INSPIRATION, EMOTION, AND STORYTELLING

When it comes to inspiration, Chkhaidze draws from a wide range of sources, personal and imagined.

“Personal experiences matter, my first real composition came after the Tbilisi flood in 2015, when I turned shock and sadness into music,” she says. But even imagined emotional states can be fertile ground: “I can draw from the past, or even imagine what something might feel like, and turn that into sound.”

Film scoring, in particular, requires a shift in perspective. “I don’t compose ‘for the music’ the music itself isn’t the point. It’s about what the music is about: the story, the character, the unspoken subtext.”

Still, she reflects on how music can transcend even that: “If you put Bach’s music against almost any image, it will still make sense, no matter what the visual is. That shows the universality of music it can both serve a story and stand completely on its own.”

Concert music, on the other hand, “is the story.” Describing her October 2024 debut at the Tbilisi State Conservatoire, she says: “I wrote orchestral and choral works that were not connected to an external narrative, they carried their own architecture and emotional journey.”

She values the listener’s interpretation: “The listener can interpret it in their most personal way and see what they have to see when listening.”

BEYOND NIAGARA: EXPERIMENTING

ACROSS GENRES

In late 2022, Chkhaidze co-founded the band Beyond Niagara with fellow Berklee students. The group blended electronic pop, jazz, and experimental textures.

“It started during our free time outside of classes, simply as a way to experiment with sounds we all loved,” she says. “Each of us came from a different musical background, so bringing together electronic textures, pop structures, and jazz harmonies felt natural, it was about finding a common language where those worlds could coexist.”

The band released two albums and reached audiences in both the U.S. and Europe. Though the project is currently on pause, Chkhaidze says it gave her “a different perspective on collaboration, production, and connecting with an

including commercial music. “Right now I’m composing music for a whisky commercial, another exciting challenge where the music shapes mood, identity, and storytelling in a completely different way.”

BETWEEN CLASSICAL DISCIPLINE AND MODERN FREEDOM

Balancing classical training with modern musical styles isn’t a contradiction for Chkhaidze it’s a strength.

“For me, there’s never really been a conflict between the two it all feels connected,” she says. “My classical training gave me discipline, technique, and a deep understanding of structure… At the same time, exploring styles like electro-pop and jazz lets me approach music with freedom and curiosity.”

The balance between long-form, architecturally driven concert music and rhythm-driven modern styles “keeps me fresh,” she says. “The classical side gives depth, and the contemporary side keeps my ideas alive and flexible.”

MUSIC WITH A PURPOSE

Recent performances have reinforced for Chkhaidze how music can serve a greater good. In Batumi, her piece Encore No. 1 for cello and piano was premiered at a fundraising concert for individuals in need of shelter. It was performed by Lizi Ramishvili and Sandro Gegechkori, both internationally acclaimed musicians.

audience outside the concert hall.”

COMPOSING FOR TELEVISION AND COMMERCIALS

In 2020, Chkhaidze composed the theme music for the Georgian game show “Mtavari Chkviani” on Mtavari Arkhi, one of the country’s leading TV channels. “That was probably my first real professional scoring job,” she says.

She views television composition as distinct from both concert and film work: “Television… often has its own rhythm - themes that return, music that sets the identity of the program, or short cues that frame transitions. It’s about clarity and immediacy, while still supporting the story.”

Since then, her scoring work has expanded to include various projects,

“Having such extraordinary musicians bring my work to life in that context reminded me that music can also carry social meaning and contribute beyond the concert hall.”

ADVICE FOR THE NEXT GENERATION

To young musicians in Georgia or anywhere, who dream of following a similar path, Chkhaidze offers the same guidance she would give her younger self: “Be present, love yourself, and master your craft. Be your own parent, nurture and nourish your music and your ideas. Take risks, and don’t let doubt speak louder than what you’re going for.”

She adds: “Carry your roots proudly, but don’t be afraid to dream beyond borders, music has no boundaries, and if you stay honest and persistent, the world will find space for your voice.”

Liza Chkhaidze. Source: The artist

Magnetic Memory: Kordz on Tape — Between the Public and the Intimate

BY IVAN NECHAEV

The cassette does not demand attention the way vinyl does. It doesn’t gleam under lamplight, doesn’t declare its grooves as sacred geometry. A cassette sits in the palm, light as a pack of cigarettes, humble, sealed in plastic that ages into translucence. To listen, you press a button that clicks with the finality of a latch. Then comes the interval of anticipation: a brief hiss, a ribbon of static, the ghost of an earlier recording. And then, music.

For Kordz, the Tbilisi-based electronic artist, the cassette becomes more than a carrier. It becomes a metaphor for artistic identity divided into two halves. The A-side carries the music already sanctified by release, polished into tracks that circulate in playlists, clubs, international festivals. The B-side—hidden, unfinished, unmastered—remains inaccessible to all but the most curious. To play a cassette is to acknowledge this architecture of duality: one side made visible, the other recessed into shadow. Sandro Tavartkiladze’s design sharpens the metaphor. His geometric cover— spare, architectural, precise—frames the

cassette as a modern reliquary, a vessel of dual truths. The visual line is almost surgical, as if to suggest a fold in the surface of sound itself. You flip the tape, you cross a threshold.

Kordz’s cassette insists on ritual in a culture allergic to it. In a world of streaming platforms where music arrives as weightless data, the act of turning an object in your hand feels radical. The cassette refuses the convenience of shuffle. It reminds the listener that art has order, sequence, and secret reversals. To turn the tape is to acknowledge that every artist has two lives: the curated one offered to the world, and the other that unspools in the privacy of drafts and errors.

THE PUBLIC FACE: SIDE A AS CARTOGRAPHY OF RECOGNITION

Side A is curated like a visiting card, a sonic biography compressed into ribboned magnetism. These are the “hits” — the tracks that have already entered circulation, the collaborations that anchor Kordz within a larger constellation of Georgian and international electronic music. To play Side A is to hear the artist in his public voice, articulate and already mediated through audience response.

The atmosphere is one of declaration. Beats arrive clean, rhythms scaffolded with architectural precision, the sound design tailored for rooms where music becomes a collective experience — clubs, festivals, radio broadcasts. Each track feels weighted with recognition, a body of work that has survived the Darwinism of taste.

Kordz positions Side A as the surface narrative: the works that listeners already know, the collaborations that signal his cosmopolitan reach. In these tracks, the Georgian underground folds into a wider electronic discourse, linking Tbilisi’s scene to Berlin, London, or Amsterdam. The cassette’s first half, therefore, functions as a cartography of recognition. It maps a trajectory from the intimate studios to the international stage, charting Kordz’s growth through the pieces that became calling cards.

Side A insists on repetition. To re-hear a hit is to test its durability. Does the track still carry its pulse after repeated exposure, or has it dulled into familiarity? In Kordz’s case, the hits survive the stress test. Their density, their textural layering, their carefully measured architecture reveal themselves anew when pressed onto tape. The analog format adds a soft granularity, as if reminding the listener that sound, like memory, always arrives slightly eroded.

Side A is therefore less about surprise than about affirmation. It declares: this is the artist you know, the Kordz already inscribed in collective listening. But it also prepares the ear for reversal. The listener, aware that another side exists, begins to anticipate the shadow archive waiting on the flip.

ideas unfold in their raw state, where harmonies stretch into unexpected dissonances and beats falter into silence only to reassemble into a new rhythm. The cultural significance of Side B lies in its refusal to conform. For an artist like Kordz, whose music already balances between Georgian specificity and international abstraction, these unreleased tracks reveal the sediment beneath the polished surface. They suggest experiments with texture, improvisations with form, soundscapes that flirt with ambient drift or industrial fracture. One track may hang on a single synthesizer tone stretched until it shimmers like stained glass; another may lean on field recordings that carry the muffled sound of a street in Tbilisi at dusk.

Listening to Side B is to overhear the artist thinking. It is an archive of hesitations, of gestures too delicate or unruly to be turned into a “hit.” The tape medium, with its grain and hiss, accentuates this intimacy. Where Side A is linear and declarative, Side B is elliptical and unresolved.

international recognition with clean, exportable works. Privately, they generate experiments that preserve local textures, idiosyncrasies, and eccentricities — pieces that might resist global legibility but remain crucial to the ecology of the scene.

Side B is therefore less an appendix than a revelation. It shows the shadows behind the spotlight, the “other Kordz” who refuses closure. To listen is to hear the artist in process, and to acknowledge that music’s true power often resides in what is withheld.

THE FLIP OF A CASSETTE: BETWEEN SPECTACLE AND SKETCH

ARCHIVE

THE SECRET LIFE: SIDE B AS SHADOW

If Side A is the public stage, Side B is the after-hours room. It holds the unreleased tracks — B-sides that never made it to digital platforms, sketches polished into obscurity, or perhaps pieces too fragile to survive the spotlight. On tape, they bloom.

The atmosphere of Side B is different from the declarative confidence of the “hits.” It is hushed, exploratory, and private, as though the artist had unlocked a diary rather than a discography. Here the listener enters a workshop where

Culturally, this side matters because it resists commodification. In a landscape where streaming platforms flatten listening into algorithms, Side B reasserts the value of scarcity. These tracks exist only here, in this cassette, in a format that demands rewinding, flipping, re-listening. It is a gift economy disguised as a commercial product. For collectors and listeners, Side B becomes a form of trust: the artist is sharing what would otherwise remain unshared.

In a broader sense, Side B articulates the dual life of contemporary Georgian music. Publicly, artists like Kordz build

The cassette form itself deepens this duality. To flip a tape is to enact a ritual of reversal, to leave one room for another. It emphasizes that art has two faces: the sanctioned, glossy surface and the hidden drafts, both necessary, both true. Kordz and designer Sandro Tavartkiladze—whose visual work captures this doubleness with stark precision— have built an object that reminds us what it means to inhabit music across different registers of intimacy.

In the end, the cassette is not merely a document of tracks but a portrait of an artist divided between two imperatives: to be heard, and to hear himself. Its power lies less in the hits than in the quiet, unreleased materials where risk and invention take root. To sit with both sides in sequence is to witness a rare honesty: the spectacle and the sketch, the public and the private, held together by the magnetic tape that spins, endlessly, between them.

Richard Galliano New Viaggio Trio at International Arts Festival ‘Tbilisi Rhythm’ in Marjanishvili Theater

BY TEAM GT

Aone-of-a-kind live event that transforms the lasting legacy of VIAGGIO and emotional storytelling of the NEW VIAGGIO with French icon accordionist Ricard Galliano and virtuozi musicians Adrien Moignard (guitar) and Philippe Aerts (double bass).

In October 2025, Richard Galliano presents the reissue of his legendary album “Viaggio”, originally released in 1993. A timeless musical journey, filled with poetry and emotion, this album marked a turning point in his international career. Remastered and enriched with exclusive bonus tracks, this new edition invites listeners to rediscover its unique atmosphere.

This new Viaggio is both a tribute to the past and a bridge to the future, with a renewed lineup bringing new life to these timeless compositions.

“I’m delighted to be continuing this musical journey with new companions: Adrien Moignard and Philippe Aert. Their talent and sensitivity bring a new dimension to these compositions.” -Richard Galliano

Tickets on sale at www.tkt.ge

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Kordz tapes. Source: IG/kordzmusic

Tapes. Source: IG/kordzmusic