🇬🇪❤️ In Georgia, Giorgoba is celebrated - one of two holidays dedicated to the patron saint of the country.

It is celebrated twice: on May 6 - in memory of the beheading of the saint and on November 23 - in memory of his wheeling. Today is a working day, but in November it is declared a day off.
ℹ️ Giorgi is the most popular name in Georgia (about 200 thousand people), and the most common female name is Nino (135 thousand).

🇬🇪🇷🇺 Kakha Kaladze, secretary of the ruling Georgian Dream party, answered journalists' questions about sanctions against Russia.

The former footballer and energy minister, and now the current mayor of Tbilisi, noted that sanctions against the Russian Federation would be harmful to the country.
“Is it possible that if Georgian wine and Georgian agricultural products do not reach the Russian market, then we will destroy the Russian economy? This is complete absurdity!”
ℹ️ After the start of a full-scale war in Ukraine, trade between the Russian Federation and Georgia increased by 40%. Among the goods that enter the country from Russia: fuel (58%), wheat (95%), flour (90%), liquefied gas (85%).

🧐⚰️ During the reconstruction of the capital's Tsereteli Avenue, the builders discovered ancient burials.

The place where 12 graves were found, tentatively dating back to the 19th century, is historically significant. Didube Pantheon, located nearby, was founded in 1939, many of the famous writers, artists, scientists and national heroes of the country are buried there.
❗️Archaeologists and historians have been called to the site. An assessment and study of the found burials is underway.

🇬🇪 May 9 - Victory Day - an official holiday in Georgia and a day off.

Today, state institutions and agencies, the House of Justice, departments and most banks do not work. In Tbilisi, due to the renovation of Vake Park (there are the Eternal Flame and the Monument to the Unknown Soldier), a traditional place where veterans usually gather and those who want to honor their memory, the laying of wreaths and flowers, as well as a small concert program, has been moved to the capital park Kikvidze (164 Tsotne Dadiani St).
ℹ️ Many people ask how this day is celebrated in Georgia? First of all, May 9 is a day of memory and sorrow in the country. For all the dead and those involved in that great war and trouble. They lay wreaths, carry flowers to cemeteries, set tables in families, celebrate calmly and quietly, remembering the departed.

🇦🇿🚧🇬🇪 Ten citizens of Nepal have been detained for attempting to illegally cross the Azerbaijani-Georgian border.

Together with the Nepalese, whose purpose to get to Georgia is still unknown, two Azerbaijani citizens were arrested, who offered their services to foreigners and coordinated this crime.
ℹ️ The land border between the countries is closed. The special quarantine regime introduced in connection with the coronavirus pandemic has been extended by the Azerbaijani side at least until 01.07.

⚡️ Putin lifted the ban on direct flights from Russia to Georgia and Russia cancels the visa regime for Georgian citizens from May 15, 2023.

Flights can be resumed at any time after the approval of the Civil Aviation Agency of Georgia.
ℹ️ Direct flights have been closed by the Russian side since July 2019 after anti-Kremlin protests in Tbilisi.

🇬🇪🛫🇷🇺 Russian airlines will fly from Moscow to Tbilisi seven times a week.

“Currently, carriers are preparing to resume flights. Russian airlines will operate 7 direct flights weekly from Moscow to Tbilisi and back. Flights will be operated on domestically produced aircraft," the Ministry of Transport of the Russian Federation reports.
❗️ The Civil Aviation Agency of Georgia has not yet commented on the news about the return of direct flights.

🎉🎸🇬🇪 The sale of tickets for the concert of the Imagine Dragons in Tbilisi begins.

The performance will take place on August 31 as part of the Starring Georgia project at the Mikhail Meskhi stadium in Tbilisi. It will become one of the most high-profile musical events in the country over the past few years. This vibrant Las Vegas band continues to write music history.
🇺🇦 By the way, yesterday the band posted a video for the song Crushed on their YouTube channel. It is based on the story of 14-year-old Ukrainian Sasha, whose village was occupied for 5 months.
🎫 Tickets for the concert are available on 11.05.2023 from 16.00 on the TKT.GE website at this link, the queue is already waiting for the start of sales.
💰 Tickets cost from 100 to 1000 lari ($40-$400)

🇬🇪 May 12 in Georgia is a public holiday (even two) and a day off.

In addition to the long-standing and traditional Memorial Day of the Apostle Andrew the First-Called, since 2019 the country has been celebrating the Day of Georgia (Day of Hope).
According to legend, Georgia went by lot to the inheritance of the Mother of God. But the Mother of God, by the will of Christ, remained in Jerusalem - instead of her, Andrew the First-Called went to Georgia. He brought with him the miraculous image of the Mother of God. Since that time, Georgia has been considered the country of the Mother of God.
ℹ️ On this day, festive services are held in churches. State institutions, departments, most banks and the House of Justice do not work.

❗️📜 Seven opposition parties in Georgia accused the ruling party of changing the country's foreign policy.
In a joint appeal, they write about the threat of international isolation.
“We will do everything to democratically change this regime to protect Georgia from international isolation and Russian encroachments on freedom and state sovereignty, so that our country, located at the crossroads of history, irreversibly embarks on the path of de-occupation, integration into the EU and NATO. The Georgian government lies that together with the Putin regime, it made this decision to strengthen the economy and ties with the Motherland of our compatriots living there. The fact is that the “Russian Dream” has entered the final stage of changing Georgia's foreign policy and establishing Russian authoritarianism. Society must once again together, clearly and loudly say: no cooperation with the enemy, no to the Russian government, together to Europe!"
ℹ️ The joint statement was signed by: "United National Movement"; "Lelo for Georgia"; "Strategy Agmashenebeli"; "Girchi - more freedom"; "European Georgia"; "Elene Khoshtaria - Droa"; "Law and Justice". (53 out of 150 MPs).

🇷🇺🛫🇬🇪 Georgia has issued permission to the Russian airline Azimuth to operate flights to the country from May 17.

This is the first Russian airline approved to fly to Georgia since 2019. On May 11, Vladimir Putin lifted the ban on direct flights to Georgia and canceled visas for its citizens.

🇹🇷📨🇬🇪 Turkish opposition presidential candidate Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu won at the polling stations in Georgia.

According to official data, 639 voters (63.58%) voted for him, and 315 (31.34%) voted for the incumbent President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
In total, 1,005 Turkish citizens came to the polling stations at the embassy (in Tbilisi) and the consulate general (in Batumi).
📊 The overall final result of the first round for one of the most important Georgian neighbors is as follows:
✔️ Erdogan 49.34%
✔️ Kılıçdaroğlu 45.05%
ℹ️ The second round of presidential elections will be held on 05/28/2023

🇷🇺🛫🇬🇪 Famous Georgian opera singer Anita Rachvelishvili criticized the government for the decision to agree to the resumption of direct flights with Russia.

"They have already crossed all the limits of shame. The resumption of flights with Russia - when the whole world stopped air traffic with them? We are warned that all European airlines will leave the Georgian market. We will fly only to Minsk, Moscow and Irkutsk. Welcome to USSR!The ruling party should call itself not "Georgia's Dream", but "Georgia's End" - Rakhvelishvili wrote.

🏛 May 18 - Museum Day: Georgia announced free admission to all institutions that are members of the Association of National Museums.
📍 National Art Gallery, Tbilisi
📍 Museum of Georgia named after Simona Janashia, Tbilisi
📍 Art Museum of Georgia, Tbilisi
📍 Tbilisi History Museum, Tbilisi
📍 Museum of Soviet Occupation, Tbilisi
📍 Open Air Ethnographic Museum, Tbilisi
📍 Dmanisi Museum-Reserve of History and Archeology, Dmanisi
📍 Archaeological Museum-Reserve in Vani, Vani
📍 Svaneti Museum of History and Ethnography, Mestia
📍 Signagi Museum, Signagi
📍You can visit all the memorial houses-museums of famous figures of Georgia for free.
📍 In Batumi, you can visit museums for free: Adjara Art Museum, Ilya Chavchavadze House-Museum, Adjara Museum of Local Lore. Khariton Akhvlediani, Batumi Archaeological Museum, Nobel Brothers Technological Museum
⏰ Today all museums will work with an extended schedule - until 20:00. At the same time, the Museum of Fine Arts will close at 21:00, and the National Gallery - at 22:00.