Related items

• 3rd Global Meeting 2-5 November in Alanya

  

  The 3rd Global Journalism Council (GJC) Global Media Meeting will be held in Alanya on 2-5 November with the participation of around 250 journalists from 32 countries.

  The 3rd Global Media Gathering, which has become a tradition and the first two of which were hosted by Alanya, consists of a series of events. Nearly 200 journalists from Turkey who are members of GJC and 50 members and guest journalists from 31 countries will attend the meeting, which will also include various trips to the touristic spots of the city for the promotion of Alanya.

  HIGH LEVEL PARTICIPATION FROM RUSSIA

  The meeting in Alanya will be attended by 10 top journalists from Georgia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and European countries as well as Russia. The titles and names of the Russian journalists are as follows:

  Tatiana EFREMOVA, senior specialist of the International Cooperation Department of TASS, head of the programmes and projects department of WARP Foundation, Alexander KLEIN, Director of WARP (World Russian Media Council) Foundation, Vladimir MAMMONTOV, Chairman of the Board of Komsomolskaya Pravda newspaper, Pavel NEGOITSA, General Director of “Moscow Speaks” radio, Alena POTAPKINA, General Director of Rossiyskaya newspaper, Yuliya SHARIFULLINA, senior specialist of the Asia Department of the International Cooperation Directorate of TASS Agency, Lyubov SAKHNO, Deputy Editor-in-Chief of the TASS Agency, Head of the Foreign Policy Information Service and the Department for Relations with Foreign Media Organisations; Vladimir GUSATINSKY, Editor-in-Chief of the Finnish Newspaper and Vice President of WARP; Ramina ZEINALOVA, Foreign Affairs Editor of the TASS Agency and Special Rapporteur of the Russian Foreign Ministry; and Jamila ALLAHVERDIOYEVA, Editor-in-Chief of Ezhednevnye Novosibirsk Newspaper.

  GJC FULL STAFF

  Nearly all members of the GJC widespread, local and foreign media assemblies will attend the Alanya meeting. In addition, nearly 60 of the 79 provincial representatives of GJC and nearly 30 of the 65 foreign country representatives will attend. Within the scope of the meeting, before the Workshop that will start in the afternoon of 4 November, the elected boards of GJC will hold their meetings until noon and discuss the professional and sectoral reports that will constitute the agenda of the workshop. In addition to professional problems and solutions, presentations on various topics will be made at the workshop, while sectoral and social cooperation and solidarity opportunities will be discussed with the participation of local and foreign journalists. The guest journalists will stay at the 5-star Eftelia Marin Hotel, located in the Türkler neighbourhood, for 3 nights with the all-inclusive concept.

  AWARD CEREMONY

  On the evening of 4 November, important local and foreign names from the world of media and politics will attend the gala dinner and award ceremony to be held in the Ballroom of the 5-star Lonicera World Hotel in the Türkler neighbourhood. Former Minister of Foreign Affairs Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu will be the guest of honour at the gala dinner and the Global Achievement Awards will be presented for the third time this year.

  HERE ARE THE AWARDS

  Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu (Global Diplomacy Award), Kazakh Cosmonaut Toktar Ebubekirov (Global Science Award), President of the Volleyball Federation Akif Üstündağ (Global Sports Award) on behalf of the Women’s National Volleyball Team, President Prof. Dr. Şeref Ateş (Turkish World Award) on behalf of Yunus Emre Institute, CEO Mammad Gulmammadov (Global Media Award) on behalf of Haber Global, Ali Kemaloğlu (Global Humanitarian Aid Award) on behalf of TURMAKS and Tourism Doyen Hüseyin Baraner (Global Tourism Promotion Award).

  DIM A PROMOTION OPPORTUNITY FOR ALANYA

  GJC President Mehmet Ali Dim said that the increasing interest and momentum of the traditional Alanya meetings every year is pleasing. Stating that journalists from 32 countries including Turkey will participate in the event in Alanya in accordance with the global and international identity of the Council, he said, “We will also make an important contribution to the touristic image of Alanya, a world brand. It is very honouring that all public and private persons and institutions of Alanya have embraced and supported this organisation. I wish that our Alanya meeting will be beneficial for our council, media community and Alanya. I wish all our colleagues who will contribute and participate a productive and enjoyable journey.”

  Source: https://www.gjc.org.tr/3rd-global-meeting-2-5-november-in-alanya/

• THE PRESIDENT OF TURKMENISTAN RECEIVED THE MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF TÜRKIYE

  On October 11, 2023, President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov received the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Türkiye Hakan Fidan.

  The guest conveyed to the head of state, as well as the National Leader of the Turkmen people, Chairman of the Halk Maslahaty of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, cordial greetings from the President of the Republic of Türkiye Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who addressed wishes of well-being and prosperity to all Turkmen people.

  President Serdar Berdimuhamedov conveyed his best wishes to the President of the Republic of Türkiye, expressing confidence that the negotiations and meetings planned during the current visit of the head of the Turkish Foreign Ministry to Ashgabat will give new impetus to further bilateral interaction. The head of Turkmenistan also congratulated the minister and the fraternal Turkish people on the upcoming the 100th anniversary of the Republic of Türkiye.

  As the President of Turkmenistan noted, the Republic of Türkiye is a friendly and fraternal state for our country, and bilateral relations are of a strategic nature. Centuries-old Turkmen-Turkish ties have a wealth of experience, which is confirmed by the high level of interaction in the political, economic, cultural and humanitarian spheres.

  Cooperation between countries is successfully developing and strengthening on a mutually beneficial basis, both in a bilateral format and within international organizations.

  The prospects for increasing cooperation were discussed, where mutual visits of government delegations, as well as regular consultations and meetings between the foreign ministries of the two countries are a significant factor.

  The head of state expressed confidence that the upcoming official visit to the Republic of Türkiye will open new pages in the further development of Turkmen-Turkish friendly and fraternal relations.

  In the context of a multifaceted bilateral partnership, a special place is given to the trade and economic sphere. In this regard, it was noted that currently the Republic of Türkiye occupies one of the leading positions in the country’s foreign trade turnover.

  Our states actively cooperate in almost all sectors of the economy, the head of Turkmenistan stated, emphasizing that there are great opportunities for developing fruitful relations in the fuel and energy sector, in the fields of transport and communications.

• STATEMENT OF THE MINISTRY OF INTERNAL AFFAIRS

  The Ministry of Internal Affairs, on the basis of Article 174¹⁸ under the Code of Administrative Offenses, launched administrative proceedings, which implies Desecration of official symbols of the European Union, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization or other international organizations or desecration of the flag or coat of arms of other states.

  The law enforcement officers will identify and fine the violators.

  The Ministry of Internal Affairs calls on rally participants gathered near the Parliament, not to go beyond the limits defined by the law on freedom of assembly and expression, observe the norms of public order and follow the lawful requests of police.

  Each act of violation will be immediately foiled by police and strict legal response will be followed.
• Public Defender of Georgia Echoes March 7-9 Developments on Rustaveli Avenue

  The Public Defender of Georgia Levan Ioseliani and his authorized persons were continuously monitoring the rallies held on March 7-9 against the draft laws initiated by People's Power in the Parliament of Georgia. The Public Defender and employees of the Public Defender’s Office made visits to various divisions, departments and temporary detention centers of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia to meet the persons detained during the rallies.

  The Public Defender of Georgia emphasizes that freedom of peaceful assembly is enshrined in the Constitution of Georgia. According to the definition of the UN Human Rights Committee, "violence" implies the use of physical force by participants against others that is likely to result in injury or death, or serious damage to property.[1] Accordingly, according to the Committee, mere pushing and shoving do not amount to “violence”.[2] At the same time, it is important that verbal or physical acts of aggression or violence by an individual or a small number of people does not remove the right of those who continue to act in a peaceful manner.[3] In similar cases, any intervention should aim to deal with the particular individuals involved rather than dispersing the entire event.[4]

  Based on the mentioned international standards, continuous monitoring and the information and video recordings released by the media, the Public Defender of Georgia is presenting his evaluations to the public:

  On the evening of March 7, the situation became tense after some of the participants in the assembly tried to approach one of the entrances to the Parliament building, the road to which was blocked by the law enforcement officers. This was followed by a statement from the Ministry of Internal Affairs that the assembly became violent, that there was an attempt to block one of the Parliament entrances and that there were incidents of violence against the employees of the Ministry. Soon, a small part of citizens moved towards the second entrance. Clashes occurred at both locations.

  According to the Public Defender's assessment, at the time of the warning made by the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia in the evening hours of March 7, 2023, the assembly had a peaceful character and there was no reason to terminate it or use force against it. As for the cases of violence by individual participants in the rally, if there were any, individual - necessary and proportionate measures should have been taken against them. Contrary to this, the law enforcement officers started using special equipment against the participants in the assembly, including peaceful demonstrators, which contradicts the standard of necessary and proportionate interference with the right.

  The violent actions started by individual participants in the assembly at the Parliament’s back entrance became the basis for the unjustified termination of the assembly with the use of force by the law enforcement officers on March 8. After some of the participants started breaking the windows and damaging the Parliament building at the back entrance, the police took appropriate actions, although the said use of force continued in a completely illegitimate manner against the peaceful participants in the assembly standing in front of the Parliament of Georgia.

  It should also be noted that, in both cases, and especially after the first use of force in the night hours of March 8, the situation became tense several times and special equipment were repeatedly used against the participants in the assembly, including when there was no such necessity. According to the Public Defender's assessment, unjustified cases of the use of force in a similar situation always contribute to the artificial escalation of the situation, which law enforcement officers are obliged to prevent.

  The media footage shows cases when special equipment was used against the participants in the rally without any reason, including by targeting their faces, when they just approached police officers peacefully. This clearly represents a criminal act. Several video materials released by the media clearly show gross physical violence against citizens.

  As a result of the measures used by the law enforcement officers in order to manage the rallies, media representatives were also injured. Information was spread about interference with their activities,[5] whereas, legislation puts them under special protection during assemblies.[6]

  At the same time, before and during the termination of the assembly, the law enforcement officers actively resorted to the practice of mass detention of demonstrators in an administrative manner. The relevant footage makes it clear that in some cases, the above was not a measure against the existing offence, therefore, it failed to meet the requirement of necessity and had the form of an unjustified interference with the right.

  On March 7-9, the Public Defender and his authorized persons visited various divisions, departments and temporary detention centers of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and met 96 detainees. The authorized persons worked intensively not only in Tbilisi, but also in the regions in order to visit the detainees. At the same time, several detained persons appealed to the Office with a request to study the legality of their detention.

  The detainees indicated harsh forms of detention and in some cases, injuries. In relating to several detainees, with their own wish and consent, the Public Defender’s Office immediately applied to the Special Investigation Service with a request to start an investigation.

  The case of Zurab Japaridze is particularly noteworthy. According to him and one of the witnesses, several representatives of the Ministry of Internal Affairs physically assaulted him. He was beaten with hands, feet and batons, as a result of which he sustained multiple injuries in the head and neck area, as well as in the wrist area.

  In addition, according to the reports, in a number of cases, family members and lawyers of the detained persons, could not get information about the whereabouts of the detainees, as the Ministry of Internal Affairs did not provide the relevant information. Several Persons applied to the Public Defender’s Office for help. The above violates the detainees' right of defence, as they were not given the opportunity to meet with lawyers on time or develop a defence strategy.

  The Public Defender’s Office will continue to study the cases of persons detained at the rallies. In addition, he will monitor the investigation launched by the Special Investigation Service into the ill-treatment of persons. The Public Defender calls on the investigative agencies to conduct an effective investigation into the use of disproportionate force, as well as the damages suffered by representatives of the media.

• LASHA DARSALIA HAS MET WITH MEMBERS OF THE DELEGATION OF AZERBAIJAN AND TURKEY

  On 6 March 2023, the First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia, Lasha Darsalia, held a meeting with the members of Chairman of the International and Inter-Parliamentary Relations Committee of the Milli Majlis, and the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey, who are on an official visit to Georgia.

  Discussions focused on the importance of the strategic cooperation, including the inter-parliamentary Georgia-Turkey-Azerbaijan cooperation.

  Special attention was paid to the new regional project on strategic partnership in the field of green energy development and transmission initiated by Georgia.

  The parties talked about the complex security environment of the region, existing challenges and the importance of diplomatic efforts. Opportunities of the region and aspects of future cooperation were highlighted. The sides stated that they are ready to make appropriate contributions to ensuring regional peace and stability.

  During the meeting, the Turkish side expressed special thanks to Georgia for the invaluable assistance provided to the Republic of Turkey after the devastating earthquake.