🇬🇪❗️ Mother's Day is celebrated on March 3 in Georgia: it is a holiday and an official day off.

In this regard, state agencies, social services, ministries, Houses of Justice and most banks will not work.
❤️ March 8 is also a holiday and a day off in Georgia.

🇬🇪🇷🇺 Deputies of the opposition party "United National Movement" opened the city meeting in Ozurgeti with the anthem of Russia.

Thus, they protested against the laws adopted by the ruling party "Georgian Dream" (including "On foreign agents"), calling them pro-Russian.

🛩 Georgian airline Vanilla Sky publishes flight schedule for March.

Let me remind you that they operate flights by a small 17-seat aircraft from the Natakhtari airport, which is not far from Tbilisi. There is a free shuttle service from the Bicycle Monument.
📌 The ticket sales site is HERE, but I always recommend to call them or write on Facebook.
ℹ️ Flight directions: Natakhtari-Batumi, Natakhtari-Mestia, Natakhtari-Ambrolauri, Kutaisi-Mestia.
👍 I flew Vanilla Sky several times - it's fast, convenient and insanely beautiful.

📈 Georgia expects 15% tourism growth in 2023.

The total revenues of the country in this industry will amount to about 4 billion dollars. This follows from the forecast of Galt & Taggart analysts:
“According to our estimates, tourism receipts for January 2023 amounted to $300 million. This is 163.1% more than it was in January 2022. In general, in 2023, we predict a 15% increase in tourism revenue. This year, the sector is able to generate $4 billion in revenue.”
ℹ️ According to the forecasts of tourism industry experts, in 2023 the country can count on a significant increase in the flow of tourists from China, Israel, Russia, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman.
❗️ At the same time, migration flows from Russia, Ukraine and Belarus will continue.

📊 Sakstat has published the cost of food and services, as well as their change over the year (practically all indicators have risen in price).

In February 2023, the annual inflation rate was 8.1%.
📈 Compared to the same period last year, the price increased:
- vegetables and gourds +25.8%
- bread and bakery products +21%
- milk, cheese and eggs +17.2%
- coffee, tea and cocoa +14.5%
- mineral waters, soft drinks and natural juices +12.2%
- fish +12.1%
- meat and meat products +10.2%
- sugar, jam and other sweets 9.8%
📈 Services and other areas of life also rose in price:
- water, electricity, gas +12.4%
- actual payments for housing +38.7%
- current maintenance and repair of housing 7.4%
- outpatient medical services +13.8%
- inpatient medical services +8.0%

👩🏼‍🏫 From March 8 to March 14 - spring school holidays in public schools in Georgia.

The Ministry of Education also reminds that there will be another Easter weekend from April 14 to 17, and the school year officially ends on June 15. The exceptions are first-graders - this year the last day of school for them is May 25th.

🇬🇪🏉 The Georgian national rugby team defeated Romania in the semi-finals of the European Championship with a score of 31:7.

The match was held in Tbilisi. On the video, the emotions of the son of one of the players.
ℹ️ In the final match, the Georgian team will play with Portugal on March 19.
🥇 The Georgian national team has been the permanent holder of the European champion noscript since 2018. In total, it won champion noscript 14 times.

❗️🇬🇪 Topic #1 in Georgia: discussion of the draft law "On Foreign Influence" (On Foreign Agents).

According to the document, each legal entity or mass media will be obliged to disclose its sources of funding and have a special marking if it has more than 20% foreign participation.
ℹ️ What happened today:
📍 discussion in the legal committee ended in a fight between deputies (on video)
📍 Several public protests took place, according to eyewitnesses, there were from 100 to 3000 participants, at one of them they burned the flag of the Russian Federation and threw eggs at the Parliament
📍 found that the "American" version of the bill was not translated verbatim
📍 more than 200 professors and lecturers signed an appeal that they are against this law
📍 students from ten major universities joined the protests
📍 posters appeared on the streets of cities with images of deputies of the ruling party and the opposition, denouncing each other
📍 winemakers appealed to the government not to pass the law, as foreign organizations have been very supportive of them all the years
📍 representatives of the European Union, diplomats, the UN, a coalition of media, publicly spoke out against the adoption of the law and that it could destroy all prospects for European integration

⚔️ Students in Georgia will no longer be exempt from military service.

According to Georgian Deputy Defense Minister Grigol Giorgadze, the ministry is preparing a new "Defense Code" that will require compulsory military service for all connoscripts, including students. According to the official, the army will put students in a better position than other connoscripts and will offer different conditions for compulsory military service.
“If we need to recruit 7,000 recruits, and we recruited 6,500 non-students, we will get the remaining 500 people from students,” Giorgadze said.
ℹ️ He also explained that students will have the option of choosing a six-month, eight-month, eleven-month or four-year tuition program.

🇬🇪 Prime Minister of Georgia Irakli Garibashvili supported the draft law "On Foreign Influence" ("On Foreign Agents").

His rhetoric has already caused heated discussion in social networks.
🗣 Garibashvili said: "The future of our country does not belong to either agents of foreign states or servants of foreign states, the future of our country and our people belongs to patriots."
👮🏻‍♂️ The Prime Minister also emphasized that the state will not forgive "a single illegal act."
❗️So, the law has not yet been adopted, and threats of its non-execution have been voiced.

⚡️ The ruling party "Georgian Dream" has submitted the law "On Foreign Agents" to the discussions of the Parliament today, although earlier it was planned for Thursday.

A report on the bill is already being read.
❗️The opposition protests and calls on citizens to come to Rustaveli Avenue.

✊ Yesterday, a rally against the law on foreign agents near the Parliament ended with the violent dispersal of the protesters.

A new protest action in Tbilisi is announced at the Parliament today at 19:00.
The main slogan of the organizers: "No to the Russian law - come out to defend dignity!".
ℹ️ This rally is a continuation of yesterday's one against the law on foreign agents passed by the deputies of the ruling party. This law introduces reporting on foreign funding, a register of legal entities and the media, as well as criminal liability for its non-execution.