🇬🇪 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.

🚗⛔️ Freedom Square in Tbilisi will be restricted to traffic due to preparations for the celebration of Independence Day.

Traffic for all transport there will be closed from 21.05 for five days. On May 26 Georgia celebrates Independence Day. Festive events will be held in all regions of the country, but the most grandiose and important event usually takes place in the center of the capital.