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• THE SPECIAL SESSION OF THE ADVISORY COUNCIL AT THE CULTURE COMMITTEE WAS ATTENDED THE DIPLOMATIC CORPS

  The Advisory Council at the Culture Committee Parliament of Georgia held a Special Session.

  

  The ceremony was attended by MPs, the diplomatic corps, and the specially invited guests. The main rapporteurs of the panel discussion were: the former Director General of UNESCO, the Head of the International Scientific Council at the Scientific Missions and Sustainability Global Commission, Irina Bokova; the Vice-President of the Swiss International Policy Forum, associated expert of the Geneva Centre for Security Policy, David Chikvaidze; the leadership, culture and development professor, Ghassan Khalil; as well as: the US Ambassador, H.E. Robin Dunnigan; the Ambassador of France, H.E. Sheraz Gasri; the Ambassador of the Czech Republic, H.E. Petr Kubernát; the Ambassador of Japan, H.E. Ishizuka Hideki; the Ambassador of Bulgaria, H.E. Vesselin Valkanov; the Ambassador of Germany, H.E. Ernst Peter Fischer; the Ambassador of Italy, H.E. Enrico Valvo; the Ambassador of China, H.E. Zhou Qian; and the Ambassador of Azerbaijan, H.E. Faig Guliyev.

  The Speaker, Shalva Papuashvili addressed the attendees accentuating the activity of the Culture Committee and the role of the Council.

  

  “I am glad that against the background of a busy political agenda, we can always find a moment to discuss culture and the issues, which ultimately serve as the basis for the development of our country, nation and society. Thus, I particularly value the activity of the Committee and the Advisory Council as a model of cooperation between the Parliament and civil society, when the Councils at the Committees are engaged in the development of the policy.”, - he stated.

  The Vice-Speaker, Archil Talakvadze also emphasized the importance of the Culture Committee, stating that culture and arts in Georgia are of particular value since they are part of our national identity and the business card of our country.

  “I would like to express my support to the cultural sphere and extend best wishes to the Culture Committee and its Chair, Eliso Bolkvadze. Taking respect to our cultural heritage, I believe that we will build a more harmonic, educated, and successful society”.

  The Chair of the Culture Committee, Eliso Bolkvadze overviewed the importance of cultural diplomacy and noted that it is one of the priorities of the Committee. According to her, in 2024, the Parliament will consider the legal initiative on art education.

  

  “Against the current reality and in the context of the approximation of the nations, culture plays a key role. The cultural cooperation of the nations with the identity enriches the idea of a unified Europe and globally facilitates the development of humankind. I would like to underline that the establishment of the Culture Committee as a standalone unit evidences that the state vision implies the development of culture for the benefit of the country”, - she stated.

  The panel discussion agenda included: the importance of the art education reform in Georgia; raising awareness and creativity of the youth in the modern world; the role of leader women through culture; and the role of culture in peacebuilding processes.

• Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili sets out for Baku

  Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili has set out for Baku on the invitation of President Ilham Aliyev. On November 24, the Head of Government will attend the SPECA (United Nations Special Program for the Economies of Central Asia) Baku Economic Forum as Guest of Honor.
  
  The Prime Minister of Georgia will deliver a speech at the Summit of Heads of State scheduled within the scope of the forum. Irakli Garibashvili will also meet with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev.
  
  Marking the 25th anniversary of the SPECA, this year's forum will be chaired by Azerbaijan.

  Press Service of the Government Administration

• VIDEO/Irakli Garibashvili at Paragraph Tbilisi's opening ceremony: The entry of the Luxury Collection, a top-tier brand of Marriott's international chain, into our country marks a new paragraph in Georgia's hospitality industry

  The entry of the Luxury Collection, a top-tier brand of Marriott's international chain, into our country marks a new paragraph in Georgia's hospitality industry, Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili stated at the opening ceremony of Paragraph Tbilisi Hotel.

  As the Head of Government pointed out, this is another exceptional project for Georgia.

  "Greetings, dear friends! I greet our Parliament Speaker, Tbilisi Mayor, Party Chairman, and MPs, our dear guests, esteemed audience. I am excited to be participating in the opening ceremony of this excellent, unique hotel. I congratulate all of you on the completion of this unique project. This is another exceptional project for our capital, our country.

  "I would like to say a few words about the importance of this project. Before that, let me remind you that, in 2018, the Autograph Collection, a brand of Marriott's international chain, entered our country and, as you all know well, opened the famous Paragraph Shekvetili Hotel, a truly exceptional hotel in the entire region. Today, the entry of the Luxury Collection, a top-tier brand of Marriott's international chain, into our country marks a new paragraph in Georgia's hospitality industry. Given the positive dynamic in the tourism and hospitality sector, the operation of this excellent, unique new hotel in the capital's center is very important, of course. Thus, I once again congratulate all of you. I also want to emphasize that the hotel's international-standard infrastructure, modern multifunctional complex, 220 rooms, and five restaurants of different categories, along with various spaces, all this allows the hotel to host top-level international events, business conferences, visitors, vacationers, our tourists," Irakli Garibashvili stated.

  According to the Prime Minister, the total investment value of Paragraph Tbilisi is 150 million USD.

  "Besides its investment value-which is in itself a direct contribution to Georgia's economy-it is also important that this stands for stimulating the development of new services and, most importantly, hundreds of jobs for the capital. It is with special gratitude that I would like to underline the role of the project's main author, Mister Bidzina Ivanishvili, and once again thank him for the implementation of such an important, remarkable project. I would like to thank the Co-Investment Fund, its every employee, everyone involved in the implementation of this outstanding project. I am convinced that this new hotel will soon become a place favored by Tbilisi's guests. I also would like to say that, for many years, the Co-Investment Fund has been actively participating in the development of our country's economy. Of course, I would like to reiterate the enormous volume of charity carried out by Mister Bidzina Ivanishvili-charity amounting to over 3 billion USD, and now hundreds of millions of USD contributed to the development of our country. Also, I would like to point out briefly that, in the past 10 years, some 85,000 new hotel beds have been created across the country, with the total investment amounting to over 2 billion GEL. Tourism is developing rapidly in our country. Last year, the country received 3.5 billion USD in revenues from international travel. In the first three quarters of this year, Georgia has already received 3.3 billion USD in revenues. All this allows us to be very optimistic about the country's development, the economy's development. Thus, I once again congratulate you on the completion of this new project. Thank you very much!" the Head of Government said.

  The event's invited guests were also addressed with speeches by the Hotel Management Company's CEO George Togonidze, President of Marriott International Chain Satya Anand, the Georgian Tourism Development Fund's CEO Giorgi Baidarashvili, and Paragraph Tbilisi's General Manager Thomas van Opstal.

  Paragraph Tbilisi is a hotel under the first Luxury Collection brand of the Marriott international chain. The total investment of Paragraph Tbilisi amounts to 150 million USD. The hotel includes 220 rooms, five restaurants, with top-category spas on three floors, and hi-tech meeting and conference spaces. The number of people employed by Paragraph Tbilisi and Paragraph Shekvetili exceeds 900.

  Paragraph Tbilisi will be able to host international events of the highest category and attract new types of business visitors and vacationers to Georgia.

  The Autograph Collection brand of the Marriott International Chain entered Georgia on the initiative of the Tourism Development Fund in 2018 by opening the famous Paragraph Shekvetili Hotel.

  Press Service of the Government Administration

  
  

• VIDEO / Prime Minister of Georgia Attends a Funeral Service of Military and Civilian Citizens of Georgia Deemed Missing after the Armed Conflict of 1990’s Relocated from the Occupied Territory of Abkhazia

  Irakli Garibashvili, Prime Minister of Georgia accompanied by Members of Government, attended a funeral service of the military and civilian citizens of Georgia deemed missing after the armed conflict of 1990's that have been relocated from the occupied territory of Abkhazia today.

  The Prime Minister of Georgia paid tribute to the memory of the deceased at the Trinity Cathedral and expressed condolences to their family members.

  Out of the 20 identified individuals that were deemed missing, 14 are military and 6 - civilians.

  Within the scope of a mechanism designed to locate the missing individuals after the armed conflict of 1990's and a war of 2008 August, first round of identification and relocation of the corpses occurred in 2013. To this day, corpses of 604 individuals have been located, out of which 265 are identified.

  Press Service of the Government Administration

   

• VIDEO / Irakli Garibashvili, Prime Minister of Georgia Meets Zhou Qian, Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to Georgia

  Irakli Garibashvili, Prime Minister of Georgia met H.E. Zhou Qian, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the People's Republic of China to Georgia today.

  Friendly and strategic partnership between the two countries was noted with satisfaction at the meeting. Current agenda of bilateral relations was also discussed.

  Intensification of cooperation between the countries in various areas was given a high assessment and hopes were expressed towards the format of strategic partnership, which will lead to a further development of sectoral, economic and trade relations between the people.

  Successful cooperation between the two countries was also highlighted at the meeting for the development of a special geopolitical location of Georgia, which increases its potential as a corridor connecting east and west.

  Historic importance of the visit paid by the Prime Minister of Georgia at the invitation of H.E. Xi Jinping, President of the People's Republic of China was highlighted at the meeting and its huge role in solidifying the relations between Georgia and China at a strategic level.

  Prime Minister of Georgia most positively reiterated the outstanding role, vision and achievements of effective governance of the President of the People's Republic of China in the transformation and advancement of China, thereby focusing on various wide-scale reforms planned by the Government of China under the leadership of the President, including the initiatives of global significance, as well as different and extraordinary vision of the President of China in solving and regulating the problems witnessed at a regional and international scale.

  The Prime Minister of Georgia also commented on the statement made by the Mme President of Georgia in relation to H.E. Xi Jinping, President of the People's Republic of China in an interview with a French Television Channel LCI, thereby stating that such wording is categorically unacceptable and alarming.

  Referred rhetoric contradicts the attitude of the Georgian authorities and people of Georgia towards China and does not comply with a friendly, strategic partnership spirit of the two countries, thereby harming the friendly relations and partnership between the two countries. According to the Prime Minister of Georgia, it is unfortunate and by far not the first instance when Mme President of Georgia has violated the Constitution by harming the state interests, pursuing individual activities and making personal assessments of international affairs that are not aligned with the government position, as a result of which the international image of the country suffers. Her public and grave breaches of the Constitution have served as a reason for the ruling team to initiate the Impeachment of Mme President.

  According to the Prime Minister, Georgia is a parliamentary republic, whereby the president is not entitled to run the foreign policy of the country. It is the exclusive discretion of the Government of Georgia to carry out the foreign policy of the country and such a mandate has only been granted to the Government by the Georgian people. Thus, the statement made by Mme President of Georgia does not even formally express the attitude of the Georgian authorities towards the state and leader of China.

  The Prime Minister of Georgia expressed deploration for the statement made by the President of Georgia, thereby expressing hopes that it will not affect or harm the historically most positive relationship dynamics between Georgia and China.

  By the close of the meeting, dignitaries expressed readiness to maintain the active agenda of relations and to work for greater solidification of interaction between the two countries.

  
  Press Service of the Government Administration