🛍🚫 From January 2, 2023, the use of plastic bags intended for weighing will be prohibited in Georgia.

Decree N571 of the Government has already been signed and came into force. Each legal entity will decide for itself how to deal with such goods. At the moment, none of the grocery chains has spoken out officially on this issue.

🏗❌ A hotel will not be built in the capital's Vake park: a long-term lawsuit between the mayor's office and the developer has come to an end.

A special agreement between the Tbilisi City Hall and the investor was signed in the summer of 2013. However, after the mayor was replaced (Kakha Kaladze replaced Gigi Ugulava), the project was frozen. The mayor's office and the company have been negotiating the cost of an alternative site for a long time. The company's initial valuation was $5.7 million. Finally, Kaladze said, the company will receive the land worth $2.8 million. We are talking about 5 hectares near Lake Lisi and 4000 sq.m. on the territory of Krtsanisi.
🤝 Tbilisi Mayor Kakha Kaladze thanked everyone who protested against the construction.

🚘 Advertising for the auto parts store "Amboli" in Georgia based on the computer game GTA.
It turned out incredibly realistic and colorful. Just look at the woman walking in the first seconds with the famous checkered trunk.

📈 The currencies of Armenia, Georgia and Tajikistan took the first places in the world growth rating, Bloomberg reports.

This year, the national currencies of Georgia, Armenia and Tajikistan have the best results in the world currency rating, which is associated with the migration of the population of Russia and record high remittances. From the beginning of the year, the Armenian dram has grown by 22% against the US dollar; the Georgian lari has shown a 16% gain; and the Tajik somoni has increased by 10% since the beginning of the war.
ℹ️ For 11 months of 2022, money transfers from Russia to Georgia, compared to the data of 2021, increased 5 times and amounted to almost $2 billion. The main reason for such a high growth is Russian citizens moving to Georgia, who withdraw money from the Russian Federation.

🏥 Tbilisi clinics report that they are working with increased workload and lack of available places due to the increase in the number of viral infections.
Tsitsishvili Children's Clinic stated that the number of patients in the last two months is 57% higher compared to last year. The hospital staff is in emergency mode.

🇷🇺🤬 The representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, came up with an angry speech towards the Hague International Court - the reason was its decision on the Russian-Georgian war.

“The investigation by the Hague Court of the situation in Georgia in 2008 once again showed the hypocrisy and double standards of approach to justice. After 14 years of work, investigators who did not know the specifics of the region, but obeyed the political order of Western puppeteers, turned the situation on its head and cynically laid the blame on the side affected by the conflict. As a result, three arrest warrants were issued for three citizens of South Ossetia, who also have Russian citizenship. They were accused of mythical oppression of ethnic Georgians,”- the message of the Russian representative says. The Russian Foreign Ministry also stressed that Moscow does not cooperate with the Hague Court and will not accept any of their decisions.
ℹ️ On December 16, Prosecutor Khan announced that the investigation had been completed. There will be no new arrest warrants. There are three left accused by The Hague. These are the Minister of Internal Affairs of South Ossetia Mikhail Mindzaev, the head of the pre-trial detention center Hamlet Guchmazov and one of the military commanders David Sanakoev. They are accused of war crimes of torture, inhuman treatment, illegal detention and displacement of civilians.

🇦🇿🛫🇬🇪 Sale at the Azerbaijani airline "Buta Airways".

Flights from Baku to Tbilisi starting from spring 2023 for 29 euros (80 lari) one way. In addition to the Georgian capital, there are such prices from Azerbaijan to Aktau, Ankara, Izmir, Istanbul, Astrakhan, Mineralnye Vody, Kazan and Ufa.
ℹ️ You can buy tickets today on the official website of the company: https://www.butaairways.az/en/, and fly from 26.03. to 29.10.2023

🧐 Georgian Dream Chairman Irakli Kobakhidze responded to the Ukrainian and Moldovan presidents.

Earlier, they called on the Georgian authorities to transfer the country's ex-president Mikheil Saakashvili for treatment abroad.
“The Zelensky government was directly involved in the special operation to send Saakashvili to Georgia. In this regard, the statement of the Ukrainian president cannot be of particular value to us. And let Sandu take care of his sixth president (note: actually the fifth), who is still in prison today”, Kobakhidze said.

🇬🇪💧A can of famous Georgian mineral water "Borjomi" has received a new design.

It was designed by Georgian designer David Koma, and the precious jewelry of Queen Tamar became a source of inspiration. At the same time, a deer, which, according to legend, discovered a source of mineral water, remained in the old place.
“Although I live abroad, I am proud to be Georgian. I see this collaboration as a special opportunity to return to my roots. It is also a kind of challenge to contribute to the design of a product that has already become history and which I love,” Koma told reporters.

🎄 On December 25, in Batumi, on Europe Square, there will be a concert and the turning on of the illumination of the main Christmas tree.

The official start is at 18:00, and at 20:00 the illumination will be turned on. Next, there will be performances by Ranina, Zviad Bolkvadze and band, DJ Nugo and fireworks.
Europe Square in Batumi will become the main attraction for the New Year holidays. A fair village, concerts, performances are planned here.
December 31 - New Year's Gala Concert with fireworks.
January 7 - Christmas concert.

👮🏻‍♂️📱☦️ The Patriarchate of Georgia warns citizens about scammers acting on behalf of the church.

The statement says:
“In recent days, cases have become more frequent when unknown persons contact citizens by mobile phones and ask for money for a charitable foundation allegedly newly created with the blessing of the Catholicos-Patriarch of Georgia.”
❗️ The Patriarchate stressed that this is not true and urged to inform them and the Ministry of Internal Affairs in case of such calls.
ℹ️ By the way, today is 45 years since Ilia II, the most respected person in Georgia (according to official polls), was elected Catholicos-Patriarch. This happened on December 23, 1977.

🚉 Additional night trains Tbilisi - Batumi in December.

Georgian Railway informs that additional trains between Tbilisi and Batumi on December 28, 29, 30 and 31 will be added for the New Year holidays.
🔸 The train will depart from Tbilisi at 00:35 and arrive in Batumi at 05:47.
🔸 The train will leave Batumi at 00:45 and arrive in the capital at 05:50.
Tickets are still available on the website https://ticket.railway.ge/, through fast payment machines or at the station ticket offices.
🎁 20% discount when paying with Mastercard via tkt.ge

🪓❌🌲Georgia is tightening control over the felling, transportation and sale of coniferous trees and plants.

Fines for illegal logging range from 200 lari to 2000 lari ($75 - 753). If the amount of environmental damage exceeds 1,000 lari ($376), a criminal case is initiated. Employees of the Department of Environmental Supervision will monitor the regions where spruce and coniferous trees are found.
ℹ️ Sale of Christmas decorations (branches) and prefabricated trees is allowed only in specially designated places. In Tbilisi, the area in front of the Sports Palace on the Technical University metro station is popular, and in Batumi it is a parking lot near the football stadium.

🌦 Weather in Georgia in the last week of December.

Rainy weather is expected in most of Western Georgia, according to the National Environment Agency. On average, the air temperature during the day in the west will be +10-15, and in the east +6-11 degrees.
📍 There will be no rains in Tbilisi until the New Year, the temperature will be +6-9 degrees. Strong winds are expected in the middle of the week. 31.12. overcast with a slight chance of rain, but 01.01. already sunny and up to +7.
📍 Batumi is a little less lucky. Heavy rain is expected in the capital of Adjara until Thursday, but by 31.12. the weather will improve, for the New Year itself +11 and sunny.
🏔 We will tell you about the weather at the ski resorts a little later (with video)

🏦 Update on the situation with the blocking of the Bank of Georgia accounts in Georgia.

✔️I'll start with good news, in the last three days, there were no mass account closures, surveys in groups showed that there were no such cases. Several times they refused to open new accounts, but this happened before, this is a regular situation.
✔️ Closing of accounts, through polls in chats and channels, occurred in 90% of cases among Russian citizens, and the rest fell on Belarus, Ukraine, Armenia, Kazakhstan and Georgia. Foreigners from Europe, Asia and America were not affected by this.
✔️ The bank informally confirms that some of their blockings were made unfairly and there are several first cases of this decision being reversed, however, in most cases, branch managers tell the applicants that they cannot do anything and the account will be closed.
✔️ The Bank of Georgia understands that the reputation of the institution has suffered and hundreds of users refuse their services, leaving for competitors. They promise to make a statement (probably formal), but so far they are silent. The last post on their Facebook is dated 13.12.
✔️Meanwhile, their competitors, TBC and Credo banks, open accounts to foreign citizens without problems.

🇶🇦🏢🇬🇪 Qatar is investing heavily in the construction of hotels in Tskhaltubo.

Levan Davitashvili, Minister of Economy of Georgia, stated that due to the investments of a large Qatari fund, a hotel, recreational and health infrastructure will be created in the region. According to the official, within the framework of the New Life of Tskhaltubo project, five objects were transferred to the Qataris - state non-agricultural land plots and buildings located on them.
“Objects were put up for auction, which, together with the state, were examined by one of the most reputable real estate companies. Accordingly, several objects were sold and investment agreements were signed with Georgian investors. At the same time, we already have a foreign investor, who is represented in the hotel business, and he has quite ambitious plans to create a high-level hotel, recreational and health infrastructure as part of the New Life of Tskhaltubo project. These will be 3, 4, 5-star hotels of various levels, where the health and sports component is very important,” the minister said.
ℹ️ "New Life of Tskhaltubo" is a state project that provides the sale of 14 sanatoriums to investors at privatization auctions as part of a conceptual plan for the restoration and development of the resort. According to the project, the state undertakes to turn Tskaltubo into a balneological resort of international level. At the moment, 8 of them have already been sold.

🇬🇪🛫 Irish low-cost airline Ryanair plans to return to the Georgian market in 2023.

Teimuraz Buzaladze, the founder of Discovery, a representative of various airlines in the country, stated:
“I can say that 2022 has been a boom year for us, for passengers and of course for airports. It has been a very productive year and hopefully 2023 will be even better. Of the groups we serve, the only airline that has not returned to the Georgian market is Ryanair, but as far as I know it has plans to return next year.”
ℹ️ Ryanair planned a large number of low-cost flights in 2020, but canceled almost all flights to Georgia due to the pandemic. Ryanair flew from Tbilisi and Kutaisi airports to Bologna and Marseille.

🇬🇪 At least 10 billion dollars will be invested in Abkhazia and Samachablo in case of reunification with Georgia.

This was stated by the Prime Minister of the country Irakli Garibashvili:
"In case of unification, in the first three years we can make an investment of $10 billion in Abkhazia and Samachablo. We understood this and discussed it at the economic council. Abkhazia has every chance of becoming the second Monaco, Sukhumi - the second Monte Carlo."

❗️Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili admitted for the first time that she could pardon ex-president Saakashvili.

During a special briefing on this topic, she spoke for a long time about the right to choose and about threats against her from the ruling party:
"These people threaten my career, read morals and teach me how I should fight Saakashvili. It is unacceptable to put pressure, threats and blackmail on the institute, to say nothing of the president and the woman. Apparently, they forgot how old I am, but everyone who is familiar with me, knows that I am only interested in this country and its European future, with which everyone is struggling." (Earlier, Secretary General of the "Georgian Dream" Kakha Kaladze said that if Zurabishvili pardons Saakashvili, this will put an end to her career).
To a direct question from journalists whether she would pardon Saakashvili, she answered vaguely:
"The main question will be answered when the time will come".
ℹ️ Previously, Zurabishvili in the public sphere spoke out categorically against the pardon.