One of the most actively discussed topics in the Georgian media was the speech by President of the Republic Giorgi Margvelashvili in the parliament, which took place last week.
“The President tried to speak more about the future and prospects, but he also paid attention to all the problems, starting from social issues and ending with security. He reminded the authorities and society about what problems have emerged in the banking and court systems; he spoke about the law on audio interception and the veto topic; he assessed many things positively. He focused on challenges in the foreign policy and unsettled problems in the electoral system, including timely elimination of the first-past-the-post voting system,” Quiris Palitra cited expert Gia Khukhashvili.
“He has absolutely the right position. The situation is unclear – if everyone agrees that the voting system of the country should be proportional, why do they need four years to implement the decision? Isn’t it because someone wants to stay a majority shareholder in the parliament for another four years? The reactions from representatives of Georgian Dream and representatives of the opposition was very interesting – both sides are dissatisfied. The opposition said that Margvelashvili wasn’t aware enough, while the authorities considered that the President hadn’t assessed their activity positively enough. This means one thing only – that the speech by the President and the priorities highlighted were absolutely correct. He told the opposition and the authorities by his speech: “We are not enemies, but we are not friends.” Margvelashvili’s position perfectly matches the constitutional duties of the President – he is a referee who shouldn’t take the position of any political force or conflict with it,” he added.
The other politician who is in the focus of the Georgian media is Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili. Even though two months have passed since his appointment, observers are still examining him and sharing their views on the new head of the government.
“More correct steps than mistakes – this is a characteristic of the Premier’s start by experts, who say that after his appointment, tension in the country has reduced. However, there’s still a long haul ahead of the problem’s settlement, but everybody expects more from Kvirikashvili due to his equable character. His main advantage in comparison with the previous prime minister is that Kvirikashvili is not a radical. Right after his appointment he conducted a dialogue with the opposition and the non-governmental sector. He also eliminated the conflict with Giorgi Margvelashvili and showed more respect for the institution of the Presidency. Political scientists state that Kvirikashvili is less dependent on Bidzina Ivanishvili, and leaves the impression of an independent person,” Rezonansi reports.
“The new Prime Minister has calmed down the political, social and economic situations. He didn’t solve the problems, but he broke the fever. Moreover, he began a dialogue with the opposition and groups of experts. This is a positive step, which encourages stability in the country. I like the idea about development in four directions. It is not time to assess the concept, but the situation has slightly improved. Especially considering the fact that elections will take place this year. Everybody expected a tense situation. However, the year has only just started and we don’t know how peacefully it will pass; but today everything is alright, and that is great,” the newspaper cites constitutionalist Vakhtang Dzabiradze.
However, Georgian journalists are interested not only in policy.
In particular, the Alia newspaper has decided to learn about the quality of bread for the population. "Let's tell the truth, because due to expensive energy prices bread also became expensive. Just water for our enterprise costs 4.4 GEL, which is why those who want to save and continue to produce should acquire intense and fast technologies. And it has happened. Therefore it led to the closure of plants which worked according to traditional technology. Bakeries that work according to the fast technology appeared in the country... Certainly, there is bread of different quality, different preparation, different flavor. No artificial yeasts. Microbes appear in the sour dough that is used for baking bread. But this is utopia. It is possible to produce 2-3 tons of bread, but not to set mass production. Therefore, I believe that yeasts are necessary for a big city. Those who write on bread "without yeasts" are cheating consumers. Yeasts are used to bake bread in Germany and Austria. Bread should be baked with yeasts," the edition cites the chairman of the Union of Tbilisi bread manufacturers, doctor of technical sciences Malkhaz Dolidze.
"Instead of gray flour, many bakers use different food additives, which are now permitted in the world to make flour darker. Fermented malt and other flavors are used as additives. These are not chemical additives. But I don't know what they can bring. For example, Litvuri puri is not imported from Lithuania, there are some additives, but they write "no additives". I do not want to name all the bakeries now, but they use some additives. They use Belgian, German, Austrian, Russian (Krasnoselskaya) additives... It is accepted all over the world. Scientists say that bread without additives is best because it is environmentally friendly. I agree with this, but the process of bread-baking has been modernized. There were technical and technological changes, additives and ferments. They give us a full opportunity to identify carbohydrates and sugar,'' he said.
Finally, the mass media don't forget about compatriots who were forced to leave the country to seek a better life due to circumstances. It is noted that due to the economic crisis and the devaluation of several currencies they have recently started to send less money earned in foreign countries to their relatives.
"Georgians have difficult lives abroad. Some of the immigrants who work in Turkey, Russia, Ukraine and Azerbaijan say that the devaluation of the currencies of these countries has had a negative impact on their savings. Life became harder after the depreciation of the lira, the ruble, the hryvnia and the manat, and they cannot send as much money to Georgia as they did earlier. In spite of this, immigrants are not going to return home. During the last 2 years life for Georgian emigrants has become hardee almost everywhere. Due to the depreciation of the ruble, those Georgians who live in Russia have reduced the volumes of money that they send to their families. They say that now they can hardly make ends meet and they cannot help their relatives,'' Rezonansi reports.
"Sometimes I cannot send money for a month. It is good when I can send $200, although before the ruble devaluation I sent about $300 and sometimes more. Life has become very difficult, but I won't return to Georgia. If I return I won't find a job and my family will lose this small income that we have now,'' the newspaper cites Giorgi Beridze who works in Moscow.
A similar situation is observed in Ukraine. "I have lived and worked in Kiev for about 8 years. However, the economic crisis has complicated my life, but I still somehow support myself. Earlier, I helped my family members, but now after the devaluation of the hryvnia I support myself with difficulty. I virtually cannot send anything to my family in Georgia. Every three months I send $100-200. I thought many times about returning to Georgia, but those who are there now cannot find a job, and who will employ me? That's why I prefer to stay here," Lela Gigauri told the publication.
