Thursday, May 31, 2007

POLITICS:


31 May 07 Caucasus Reporting Service 394

Abkhazia’s Anti-Corruption Drive Sacking of city mayor triggers wider government crackdown.
By Inal Khashig in Sukhum (CRS No. 394 31-May-07)
Georgian Disabled Stripped of Benefits Reforms leave ten thousand in poverty, say campaigners
By Fati Mamiashvili in Tbilisi (CRS No. 394 31-May-07)
Karachai-Cherkessia: Opposition In Retreat Removal of top judge hands initiative to local president.
By Murat Gukemukhov in Cherkessk (CRS No. 394 31-May-07)
PHOTOGRAPHY:



Ujarma
by Paata Vardanashvili

City-fortress Ujarma is situated on the right bank of the river Iori, in 45 km to the east of Tbilisi.

Three main periods of construction are defined. In the second half of the V century, famous Vakhtang Gorgasal “erected numerous buildings in Ujarma” and moved his residence there. After Vakhtang’s death, his heir Dachi was ruling Kakheti for some period from here. In the X century Ujarma was destroyed by Arabian forces of Abul Kassim. In the XIII century, the fortress was restored by King George III, where he arranged treasury.

City-fortress consists of two parts: citadel, located on the plateau of the rocky hill and city on the slope.

City was surrounded by the powerful protective wall with nine quadrangular towers. The towers are three-storeyed, covered by tiled roof with loop-holes. City gates were in the first tower.A royal palace – two-storeyed building with a vault - was located in the eastern part of citadel. Premises were illuminated by big and broad windows and they had hanging balconies.In the middle part of the citadel was ancient church “Jvar-Patiosani” (Church of the Fair Cross). There were dwelling outhouses opposite the church and big reservoirs to keep water.

The whole main system of protection was established in the epoch of Vakhtang Gorgasal. Ujarma is referred to the best samples of fortification constructions of the ancient Georgia.

In the second period (XII century) the destroyed walls were restored and new fortifications and dwelling places were constructed.The third period (XVII – XVIII) was represented restoration of destroyed parts of citadel’s walls.



NEWS:


news about the caucasus

Georgia: NATO by way of BMD 31 May 2007 05:54, International Security Network... be the dominant power in the South Caucasus region. Moreover, Tbilisi openly accuses Moscow of ... financially backing secessionist movements. As a consequence, Georgia wants to speed up its NATO integration ...
Georgia: Preparing troops for Iraq 31 May 2007 05:54, International Security Network... President Mikhail Saakashvili in announcing the increase. Georgia also has a small contingent in Kosovo, ... in security issues in Central Asia, the Caucasus and the Middle East. provides information and ...
Press Release: IMF's Middle East and Central Asia Department Sees the Growth Boom Continuing in the Caucasus and Central Asia, but Highlights the Need for Vigilance Against Inflationary Pressures and Excessive External Borrowing 31 May 2007 05:51, IMF News... Sees the Growth Boom Continuing in the Caucasus and Central Asia, but Highlights the Need ... main findings for the region in Tbilisi, Georgia today: "Macroeconomic performance in the Caucasus and ...
CIS: Is South Caucasus 'Region' An Artificial Construct? 31 May 2007 05:50, RFE/RL... CIS: Is South Caucasus 'Region' An Artificial Construct? May 30, ... 30, 2007 (RFE/RL) -- Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia are commonly grouped together under a common ...
IMF Praises Georgia's Success In Attracting Investment 31 May 2007 05:50, RFE/RL... years, FDI [foreign direct investment] flows to Georgia have been higher than any other country ... for low-income countries. (with material from Caucasus Press) Georgia's pro-Western administration has to ...
Handling a truculent Russia 31 May 2007 04:28, Japan Times... via a pipeline being built in the Caucasus. The Russian authorities have also shown their ... Russian threats against the pro-Western government in Georgia have dismayed observers and are a source ...
Azerbaijan launches new gas deliveries to Georgia 30 May 2007 17:30, RIA Novosti... - Azerbaijan started pumping natural gas to Georgia under new contract at $120 per 1,000 ... was the only supplier for the South Caucasus state last year until Moscow raised the ...
Fifth truck convoy leaves Russian military base in Georgia 30 May 2007 14:00, RIA Novosti... convoy left a Russian military base in Georgia Wednesday as part of a 2006 deal ... of Russian military bases from the South Caucasus country, a spokesman for Georgia's Defense Ministry ...
If Sarkozy says there is no place for Turkey in EU, South Caucasian states do not have places there too 29 May 2007 13:35, PanArmenian Network... there too /PanARMENIAN.Net/ People in the South Caucasus think that superpowers pay a great attention ... with Russia, he underlined. According to Naumkin Georgia drops out from the group of south ...
Ex-Georgian lawmaker found dead 29 May 2007 00:05, CNN Europe... other leaders were shot to death TBILISI, Georgia (AP) -- A former opposition lawmaker who ... leaders of small opposition groups in the Caucasus Mountain nation in recent weeks. Guram Sharadze, ...
Ex-Georgian lawmaker dead 28 May 2007 23:15, CNN Europe... other leaders were shot to death TBILISI, Georgia (AP) -- A former opposition lawmaker who ... leaders of small opposition groups in the Caucasus Mountain nation in recent weeks. Guram Sharadze, ...
Emigre of former Soviet Republic sells Georgian wine 28 May 2007 19:16, Dailypress.com... Seeing a blank look, he helpfully adds, "Caucasus mountains?" Tsereteli has been channeling much of ... of his homeland. He was born in Georgia when it was a Soviet republic, moved ...
IMF delegation launches talks in Georgia 28 May 2007 13:26, RIA Novosti... programs, an IMF representative in the South Caucasus country said Monday. The delegation will discuss ... program to support state economic programs in Georgia until 2007. The credit is provided at ...
KULTUR:


Armenische Filme
01. bis 15.06.2007 im Deutschen Filmmuseum, Frankfurt

Die Filmreihe gibt einen kleinen Einblick in über 80 Jahre armenische Filmkunst, wobei das Zentrum des Programms Filme bilden, die sich direkt oder indirekt mit Ereignissen der armenischen Geschichte auseinander setzen. So sind Filme zu sehen, die sich mit dem Genozid auseinandersetzen, ob in Armenien selbst entstanden oder in der armenischen Diaspora im Ausland.


Namus (Die Ehre)
Armenien,1925, 84 min, OmÜ
Regie:
Hamo Bek-Nazarov, neu restauriert 2005
Darsteller: H.Abelyan, Hasmik, O.Maysuryan
Klavierbegleitung: Ulrich Rügner
Sayat Nova (Die Farbe des Granatapfels)
Regie: Sergej Paradjanov
Armenien 1969, 79min, OmU
Darsteller: Sofiko Tchiaureli, M. Alekyan, V. Galstyan
Hakob Hovnatanyan
Regie: Sergej Paradshanov
Armenien 1967, 8 min
Naahapet
Armenien 1977, 92 min OmÜ
Regie: Henrik Malyan
Darsteller: Sos Sargsyan, Sofik Sargsyan, Mher
Germany and the Secret Genocide
Regie: J. Michael Hagopian
USA 2003, 60 min, dt. Fassung, Dokumentarfilm
In Anwesenheit von J. Michael Hagopian (angefragt)
April
Regie: Vigen Chaldranyan
Armenien / Russland 1985, 30 min OmÜ
Darsteller: Karen Janibekyan, A. Ghukasyan
Menk (Wir)
Regie: Artavazd Peleshyan
Armenien 1969, 27 min, OmÜ
Stone, Time, Touch
Kanada/Armenien 2007, 72 min. OmeU
Regie: Gariné Torossian
Darsteller: Arsinée Khanjian, Kamee Abrahamian
In Anwesenheit von Gariné Torossian und Arsinée Khanjian


Terminübersicht:

Freitag, 01.06. 18.00 Uhr
Stone, Time, Touch Gariné Torossian, 2007, 72 min OmeU

In Anwesenheit von Gariné Torossian und Arsinée Khanjian
Hinweis: Um 19.30 gibt es einen kleinen Empfang vom Armenischen Kulturverein in Hessen e.V.

Freitag, 01.06. 20.30 Uhr
Germany and the Secret Genocide J. M. Hagopian, USA 2003, 60 min dt. Fassung
In Anwesenheit von J. Michael Hagopian (angefragt)
April Vigen Chaldranyan, 1985, 30 min OmÜ
Freitag, 01.06. Im Anschluss an die Diskussion zwischen 22.30 und 23 Uhr
Menk (Wir) Artavazd Peleshyan, 1969, 27 min OmÜ

Samstag, 09.06. 18.00 Uhr
Naahapet Henrik Malyan, 1977, 92 min OmÜ
Sonntag, 10.06. 18.00 Uhr
Namus (Die Ehre) Hamo Bek-Nazarov, 1925, 84 min OmÜ
Klavierbegleitung: Ulrich Rügner
Freitag, 15.06. 18.00
Sayat Nova Nran Guyne (Die Farbe des Granatapfels)
Sergej Paradjanov, 1969, 79min, OmU
Hakob Hovnatanyan, Sergej Paradshanov, 1967, 8 min o.D.


OmU –Original mit deutschen Untertiteln
OmeU – Original mit englischen Untertiteln
OmÜ – Original mit deutscher Übersetzung
O.D. – Ohne Dialog

Deutsches Filmmuseum DIF e.V.
Schaumainkai 41, 60596 Frankfurt

www.deutsches-filmmuseum.de

Kartenreservierung: 069 / 961220 220
Eintritt € 6,- / ermäßigt € 5,50 mit Kinocard € 4,- / ermäßigt € 3,50



Kompletes Programm: Deutsches Filmmuseum DIF e.V.
BLOG:

Ulrich Speck: Caucasian Situation
http://blog.zeit.de/kosmoblog/

Georgien. EU ‘distancing itself’ from latest Georgia peace plan.
By Andrew Rettman, EU Observer

Tschetschenien. Whose side can we be on?
By John Lloyd, Financial Times

Wednesday, May 30, 2007

NEWS:


Caucasus contest to collect human rights images



Country :Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia
Topic :
Photojournalism, Fellowships and Awards, Human Rights

23/04/2007
A photo contest in the Caucasus region will soon open a call for submissions of photographs that relate to peace and human rights. The official theme of the contest is “I – Human.” Submissions will be accepted from May 1 to July 1.
Prizes will be awarded in four categories: best portrait, best composition, best photo story, and best idea. Amateur and professional photographers from Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia are eligible to submit entries.
Selected photographs will be exhibited at the Nato Vachnadze House Museum in Kakheti, Georgia, from July 26 to 28. An awards ceremony will be held on July 26.
The contest is being organized by regional newspaper Voice of Kakheti and the Georgian Institute of Public Affairs, and is being held in conjunction with the South Caucasus Documentary Film Festival of Peace and Human Rights.


For more information, contact anne.sidamonidze@gmail.com.

Source: http://www.ijnet.org/Director.aspx?P=Article&ID=306202&LID=1
WIRTSCHAFT:


Doppelbesteuerungsabkommen mit Georgien
Blickpunkt Recht & Steuern - 24/05/2007

Die Bundesregierung hat einen Gesetzentwurf zu dem am 1. Juni des vergangenen Jahres abgeschlossenen Doppelbesteuerungsabkommen mit Georgien vorgelegt. Vorgesehen ist, dass die Bundesrepublik in gewissem Umfang auf Steuern verzichtet, während sie andererseits die bisherige Anrechnungen georgischer Steuern nicht mehr oder nicht mehr in der bisherigen Höhe gewähren muss, weil Georgien ebenfalls auf Quellensteuern...

Mehr: http://www.meisen.info/doppelbesteuerungsabkommen-mit-georgien-1834/

DBA II: Doppelbesteuerung im Verhältnis zu Georgien vermeiden STEUERRECHT
Doppelbesteuerung im Verhältnis zu Georgien vermeiden Deutscher Bundestag
NEWS:


Jonathan Kulick wil be on the road until June 3.
The digest will be episodic and abridged for the next two weeks.
Georgia News Digest 05-28-07
Attached PDF file easily navigable with Bookmarks pane
Archives and associated files at groups-beta.google.com/group/genews/files


1.paper: The Role of the European Union in the Normalisation of the Georgia-Russia Relationship:
Promises and Impediments
By Archil Gegeshidze GFSIS, March 2007 paper at http://gfsis.org/pub/files/publications_security/expert_opinion_archil_gegeshidze_eng.pdf

2.paper: The "Immortal" Idea of a Free Economic Zone. By Vladimer Papava GFSIS, April 2007 paper at http://gfsis.org/pub/files/publications_economics/expert_opinion_vladimer_papava_eng.pdf

3.Russia: in transition or intransigent? [excerpts]
4.Georgia Drags Russia Into Yet Another Spy Scandal
5.Caucasian Migrants' Struggle In Russia
6.Direct railway ferry service to resume between Georgia, Russia – agency
7.Russian policy in Caucasus relies on mistaken thesis
8.Saakashvili's unintended promotion by Russia
9.Presidents' phone records on Russian web sites
10.Saakashvili Undecided over CIS Summit
11.Burjanadze to Address NATO PA in Portugal
12.Georgia expects 'green light' from NATO
13.Georgia Got 98 Mln Dollars Worth Of US Military Aid In 2002-2004
14.Krtsanisi: Preparing Troops For Deployment To Iraq
15.Delegation of Lithuanian Armed Forces visit Tbilisi
16.Delegation of Ministry Of Justice leaves for Estonia
17.Jordan’s King to Visit Georgia
18.Georgian president, Jordanian king sign framework agreement
19.Missing persons in Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia [excerpt]
20.event summary: The Caucasus: New Agendas for Scholarship and Public Policy
21.Chechen Refugees Demand To Resettle to Europe
22.Statement of Bantz J. Craddock Commander, United States European Command United States Army [excerpt]
23.Georgia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan setting up expert team to regulate transport prices
24.Suicide bomber planned to blow up BTC section in Turkey
25.Political analyst: It is not worthy to search for pro-Western or pro-Russian forces in Armenia
26.Ministers Gul And Yilmaz Due To Georgia
27.Armenia remains pro-Russian and pro-Georgian
28.Georgia and Turkey mark 15th anniversary of establishment of diplomatic relations
29.Saakashvili Wants International Community to Speak Out
30.Georgian breakaway region concerned about "threat" of fresh hostilities
31.Lekso Aleksishvili meets with alternative leader Dmitri Sanakoyev in Kurta
32.Finance Minister Meets S. Ossetia Administration Chief
33.Georgia urges partner negotiators to fulfil agreement on South Ossetia
34.Nocturnal Skirmish In South Ossetia: Tbilisi accuses Russia of support of Tskhinvali's separatism
35.Georgian president notes "tense" situation in South Ossetia – MP
36.Pro-Tbilisi South Ossetian leader denies meeting Georgian ex-minister
37.Russia begins rotation of South Ossetian peacekeepers
38.Georgia planning terrorist attacks ahead of Independence Day - South Ossetia
39.Russian peacekeepers safely arrive in South Ossetia
40.Separatist South Ossetia's Ministry Says Army On Alert After Shelling
41.Kokoity Demands Abolition Of Sanakoyev: Russia refuses to acknowledge the head of pro-Georgian administration
42.EU 'distancing itself' from latest Georgia peace plan
43.S Ossetia says Georgian units building fortifications
44.Mine discovered in public school yard in Tamarasheni
45.Dmitri Sanakoyev denies meeting with Irakli Okruashvili
46.Kokoity decides to calculate damages
47.Georgian, S Ossetian parties warned not to create gun emplacements
48.Sanakoev Meets Interior Minister, Businessman
49.Tbilisi Calls for JCC 'Working Meeting' over S. Ossetia
50.Sanakoev Denies Meeting with Ex-Defense Minister
51.MPs in Georgia's breakaway Abkhazia concerned about low birth rate
52.Russia to complete peacekeeper rotation in Abkhazia by June 2
53.US Envoy Regrets Lack Of Georgian-Abkhaz Dialogue
54.New administration head appointed in Gali
55.De facto Sokhumi is not going to hold negotiations
56.First patriot camp opens in Georgian-Abkhaz conflict zone
57.TSU hosts Abkhaz Week
58.Series of kidnappings in Abkhazia
59.U.S. Ambassador Visits Sokhumi
60.Public opinion: What is the biggest problem in Georgia nowadays?
61.The most decisive reform: Despite the enthusiasm of investors, the privatization of hospitals provokes questions
62.Mikheil Saakashvili: Georgia became successful and less corrupt
63.Energy subsidies "waste of public money"
64.Reduction of social and income taxes still unaccomplished
65.The Fighter Against Fecal Matter Goes Into Opposition: A Dangerous Opponent has appeared to Saakashvili
66.Several deputies listened the report made by Lekso Aleksishvili
67.Conservative Party to collect signatures
68.School principals summoned to Education Ministry
69.President and patriarch "resolve misunderstanding"
70.Anger as Orthodox church is demolished in Georgia
71.Opposition MPs Demand Answers over Demolished Church
72.Irakli Batiashvili - another political prisoner in Georgia: Even Communists did not arrest people this way!
73.General Prosecutor’s Office: Irakli Batiashvili was not Convicted of His Political Views and Public Statements
74.Court sentences Batiashvili to 7 years
75.Opposition and Several NGOs Consider that Irakli Batiashvili is Imprisoned for Expressing his Own Opinion
76.Opposition Politician Jailed for 7 Years
77.Georgian lawmakers call nationalist's murder politically motivated
78.Civil funerals held in Kashueti Church
79.Still no clear motive for former MPs murder
80.Suspect in Ex-MP Murder Case Denied Bail
81.Opposition Wants Probe into Top MIA Official’s ‘Wrongdoings’
82.Opposition demands re-organization of Interior Ministry
83.Ombudsman Wants Top MIA Official to be Suspended
84.Tamaz Bregvadze will be probably sentenced to imprisonment
85.Amnesty Says Police Enjoy Impunity in ‘Dozens of Cases’
86.Ombudsman Demands on Punishing Trialeti Property Destroyers
87.Presentation of Documentary on Law Enforcers’ Illegal Activities Held
88.Precedent on Georgian Internet Space - Georgian Providers Recourse to Internet Censorship
89.AIDS taboo slow to shift: Medical experts worry that HIV infection is spreading to new groups in society
90.Fighting with Natural Disaster with Bare Hands
91.The Environmental Ministry Does Not Pay Off Debts
92.Soldier Sacrificed to "Collected Money"
93.Every Fifth Woman Is Victim of Violence
94.Chechen Refugees from Pankisi Gorge Have Temporarily Stopped Demonstration
95.Kutaisi Authority Fights against Street Traders
96.Students Blame Credit Union for Violating Their Rights
97.With the Hope of Thirty-Five-Lari Allowance
98.Mtkvari Threatens the Village
99.Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) Will Be Evicted in Zugdidi
100.Tsignagi University Is Going To Be Closed Down
101.Pupils of Other Nationalities Will Learn Georgian
102.Peasants Rebel in Kakheti
103.Human Rights in Imereti
104.Gori Administration Board Stalls on Releasing Information to the Public
105.Victims Demand Rehabilitation of the Dead Person
106.Bloodshed on Religious Grounds
107.American Citizenship Is a Guarantee for Impunity
108.Ancient monastery complex discovered in Kakheti
109.Rally of pensioners held in Chiatura
110.526 pills of Subotex confiscated in Georgia
111.Child dies in maternity house in Rustavi
112.Nikoloz Vacheishvili to visit recently discovered monastery in Kakheti
113.Diplomatic corps visits Badri Patarkatsishvili's residence
114.Giorgi Kheviashvili and Naveed Hussein sign an agreement
115.Age of criminal responsibility reduced from 14 to 12
116.Public opinion: lowering imprisonment age to 12 for juvenile offenders unacceptable
117.Central Bank Chief Denies Plans to Resign


full digest: Georgia News Digest - Ansicht in Groups BetaNeu!

Jonathan Kulick, Ph.D., Director of Studies, Georgian Foundation for Strategic and International Studies, 3a Chitadze, Tbilisi 0108, Georgia (Republic), jonathan.kulick@gfsis.org, office: +995 32 47 35 55, mobile: +995 95 33 33 40, USA voicemail: 310.928.6814

Tuesday, May 29, 2007

PHOTOGRAPHY:


Чеченские школы
В какой-то мере это иллюстрации к статье.








more about Chechnya by Julia Vishnevetskaya

More Photos: Чеченские школы

CULTURE:


THE CHECHEN NATION: A PORTRAIT OF ETHNICAL FEATURES (1)
By
Lyoma Usmanov Jan, 9, 1999Washington, DC

I. FREEDOM AND THE NATIONAL ANTHEM
The National Anthem of Chechnya by its origin is the literary memorial of the Chechen folklore. It is impossible to determine the precise date of its inception; the text itself can tell us that it probably goes back to ancient times. We certainly can't exclude the fact that its first melodies were sung as early as in the second millennium BC in one of the Hurrian States in the Ancient East Asia.
Anyhow, some of the Chechen mythological topics, came from the ancient history, and in the texts of the Cuneiform characters, we can find the first signs of the writings of the Chechen language. Probably, most parts of the Chechen folklore may have been established in the first millennium BC in the Ancient East Kingdom of Urartu (900-600 BC) or later in the Dzurdzuketia, which was formed in 4th century BC. These facts are referenced in the ancient Chechen manuscripts. Perhaps, it would be more realistic to think that the Chechen National Anthem was born in the middle centuries, when the Chechen people took part in the formation of the Caucasian states, such as the Kingdom of Serir (7th-11th centuries), Alania (8th-10th century), and Simsim (12th-14th century). But it is well known, that with the melody of this Anthem, the Chechen people defended their independence in 13th-14th centuries against the Tartar-Mongol hordes and the army of lame Timur. In the 16th century, they defeated 80,000-man army of Crimea Khan, and in 17th-19th centuries, they restrained the colonial expansion of the Russian Empire in the Caucasus.
The Chechen National Anthem was revived twice from the past history during the 20th century. The first time, it happened in 1917-1919, in the period, when the Chechen people could revive their aspirations for National independence, which had been broken off after the end of the First Russia-Caucasus War. The second revival of the Chechen Anthem began 26 November, 1990, when at the whole-nation congress of the Chechen people once again declared a State sovereignty and took a firm stand in defiance of the State system and the territorial integrity. In the title of the Anthem itself and in its text, one can see the nature of the Chechen people and the sanctity of their national tradition (3), which are united by such words underlined in the text as God, People, Native land, Freedom, Dignity, Honor and Nobility.


Full Text:
THE CHECHEN NATION: A PORTRAIT OF ETHNICAL FEATURES (1)
By Lyoma Usmanov


Source: www.amina.com

Link-Collection: Articles related to Chechnya
CULTURE:


An interesting exhibition in Valence-France



The exhibition, "My Dear Brother: Armenians in Turkey100 Years Ago" opens on May 26th in Valence, inFrance. The exhibition can be visited at the Centre du Patrimoine Armenien until September 16th. More than 500 postcards, selected among the 4000 postcards from the collection of Orlando Carlo Calumeno and majorly issued between 1900 - 1914, willbe shown at the exhibition which is prepared by Birzamanlar Publishing. On the postcards, there are the pictures of Armenianquarters, churches, monastries, schools, orphanages invarious cities; hotels, trade companies and firmsowned by Armenians; missionary schools and hospitalsfounded for Armenians or used generally by Armenians.

Some of the postcards are also consisted of thoseproduced by Armenian editors, photographed by anArmenian or those posted to or by an Armenian; andthose written in Armenian and cachet of Armenians. "My Dear Brother" is based on social, industrial, cultural and private lifes of Armenians lived inTurkey, in the beginning of the 20th century; and itfounds a bridge between the two cultures pressuredbetween the past and the present. Opening in January 2005, in Istanbul for the firsttime, it was shown a great interest and visited bymore than 7000 people during 10 days. The international version of the exhibition, was displayed in Munich, Koln, Frankfurt in Germany, in 2005 - 2006.

In France, there will be French text in addition to Turkish and Armenian ones. Research and text is carriedout by Osman Koker; Armenian translation, reduction, composition and copy reading is carried out by Pakrat Estukyan, Rober Haddeciyan, Takuhi Tovmasyan Zaman and Melissa Bilal; French translation is done by Haldun Bayri.

Sireli Yeghpayrs (Mon cher frère)

Les Arméniens en Turquie il y a 100 ans à travers les cartes postales de la collection Orlando

Carlo Calumeno 26 May - 16 September 2007

Centre du Patrimoine Arménien

14 rue Louis Gallet

26000 Valence

www.patrimoinearmenien.org

Thanks to Birzamanlar Yayincilik: www.birzamanlaryayincilik.com

Source: http://www.collectifvan.org/article.php?r=0&id=10086

Monday, May 28, 2007

BLOG:


Maka Batiashvili's Studio
A place where you will find news about the latest projects...








Untitled, 70x90, oil, canvas, 2004

RADIO:

Weltsichten, 27.05.2007,11:22 Uhr beim rbb
Botschaftermatinee: Georgien


Georgien ist etwa so groß wie Bayern und hat kaum mehr Einwohner als Rheinland-Pfalz: Etwa 5 Millionen. Es ist ein Land mit schneebedeckten Bergkuppen und sonnigen Schwarzmeer-Stränden. Ein Naturparadies von großer Schönheit – für das sich allerdings die großen Mächte interessieren. Und das hat mit der geo-politischen Lage zu tun. Der Kaukasus-Staat zwischen dem Schwarzen und dem Kaspischen Meer grenzt an die Türkei, an Armenien, Aserbaidschan und Russland. Und liegt damit gewissermaßen an der Grenze zwischen Europa und Asien. Und wird von einigen deshalb auch als "Balkon Europas" bezeichnet.
"Georgien ist ein europäisches Land, und wir wollen, dass es so nah wie möglich an die EU herangeführt wird", sagte Kommissionspräsident Barroso vor wenigen Wochen. Nähe soll schon sein – in die EU darf das Land allerdings nicht. Noch nicht. Es gibt sogenannte Nachbarschafts-Abkommen – allerdings ohne konkrete Beitritts-Perspektiven. Dabei macht Georgien auch öffentlich deutlich, wohin es gehört, gehören möchte: an fast jedem Gebäude in Tiflis hängt neben der neuen georgischen Fahne die der Europäischen Union. Außerdem drängt das Land in die NATO, stellt Truppen im Irak und wird von Amerika militärisch beraten. Seit einem Besuch des amerikanischen Präsidenten heißt jetzt auch die Straße zum Flughafen "George W. Bush Avenue".

Neben der großen Politik wird es in dieser Sendung auch um Kunst und Kultur gehen – um die Potenziale und Chancen des Landes.

Zu Gast in der Matinee:
Levan Duchidze, der Botschafter Georgiens in Deutschland.
Steffi Chotiwari-Jünger, wissenschaftliche Mitarbeiterin am Institut für Slawistik der Humboldt-Universität.
Zeno Reichenbecher, Jurist und von 2002 bis 2006 Leiter des GTZ-Projekts "Rechts- und Justizreform" in Tiflis

Gastgeberin: Sabine Porn

Die Sendung wurde aufgezeichnet bei der DGAP, der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Auswärtige Politik.

Podcast:
rbb Inforadio podcast, 27.05.07, Botschaftermatinée, Georgien


Quelle: Radio zum Lesen (rbb info)
PHOTOGRAPHY:

Zhinvali Reservoir

In the bottom of the reservoir lies a village. Upon construction of the dam, the people were forced to Soviet housing. Nowadays in spring the reservoir is empty and people walk down to the church. Here's a bird's view.

Uploaded on June 19, 2006 by Ben van der Ploeg

Sunday, May 27, 2007

REPORTAGE:


Akhalgori, a Medieval Centre Fallen in Lethargy
Photos & Article by Nicolas Landru

High in the Ksani valley on the southern slopes of the Higher Caucasus in Georgia, Akhalgori lays almost at the end of a road that leads nowhere, between the Inner Kartli Highland and the Mount Kazbek complex. Locked between the South Ossetian conflict zone and the regions of the Georgian Military Highway, Mtiuleti and Aragvi, which are traditionally a transit zone between Russia and Tbilisi, it guards a poorly frequented valley which, unlike the Roka tunnel at the west and the Darial pass at the east, is a dead end.

However, it has been an important place throughout earlier Georgian history since early middle ages, the political centre of the powerful Ksani Eristavis (dukes), with which the royal central power had to count, and which centuries long roughly disputed their hegemony on the eastern Georgian Higher Caucasus with their neighbours, the Aragvi Eristavis. The town prospered and as a military-political centre, and it nowadays still contains a rich heritage of medieval civil and military architecture (several fortifications, fortified churches, and the Eristavis Castle).

But since the Russian conquest of the Caucasus, the Ksani valley remained somewhat backward, not being, as the neighbouring regions, an axe of communication between South and North Caucasus.

In Soviet times it became an administrative part of the South Ossetian Autonomous Region, the centre of a Rayon (district) – its population being ethnically mixed Georgian and Ossetian. However, having never had strong connections to Tskhinvali, the South Ossetian capital, and having a clear Georgian majority, it did not get embroiled in the separatist conflict of the early 90’s. Its district was attached to the Mtskheta-Mtianeti region which groups a big part of the mountainous regions of the eastern Georgian Higher Caucasus. It even became an example of good neighbourhood between Ossets and Georgians, since the two communities seem until nowadays to have kept living peacefully and without too much influence of the conflict. Although apparently a significant part of the Ossetian population has left, mainly to North Ossetia in Russia, this might be rather more rooted in the disastrous economic situation of the valley than in inter-ethnic conflicts.

Today, the town and the regions still bear the economic collapse that followed Georgian independence. Remote in a dead-end-valley, it has few chances to enjoy a commercial development; the road is in poor condition and doesn’t encourage the implementation of new economic activities. The soil is also not favourable for agriculture; the only significant activity of the city is the Lomisi beer factory, from which nearly half of the town’s inhabitants are living. The beer is one of Georgia’s most famous one and keeps the place out of complete lethargy.

Surrounded by rough slopes of the Caucasus Mountains, concentrated on the narrow bank of the Ksani River which is here no more than a violent mountain stream, Akhalgori is a surprising mix of a mountain village, an abandoned industrial countryside town and a medieval military borough which exhibits astonishingly well-maintained vestiges of the past.


Akhalgori, Eristavis Castle

Akhalgori, High Street

Akhalgori, Main Street

Akhalgori, Renovated Old House at the Bus Stop

Akhalgori, View on the City from the High Road
REISE:
Fotos und Hinweise -Tbilisi 1913 - in russisch

Планъ г. Тифлиса.

Отъ издательства

Библіографическій указатель

Страничка прошлаго

Основаніе Тифлиса
Старый Тифлисъ
Мокалаки
Амкары

Тифлисъ

Географическое положеніе
Население
Климатъ
Описаніе города

Исторические памятники и достопримечательности

Старая крепость
Церкви
Могила Грибоедова
Памятники
Музеи
Ботаническій и др. сады
Минеральные источники
Мосты

Муниципалитетъ

История общественнаго управленія
Бюджетъ города
Недвижимое имущество
Учебное дело въ Тифлисе
Торговля и промышленность
Общества и учрежденія
Періодическія изданія въ Тифлисе
Разныя сведенія
Административное деленіе гор. Тифлиса

Справочникъ

Окрестности Тифлиса

Планъ г. Тифлиса

Quelle: http://web.sanet.ge/meskhitb/

Saturday, May 26, 2007

NEWS:

news about the caucasus

Russian - British Involvement In Afghanistan 26 May 2007 00:36, Useless-Knowledge.com...
In 1801 Alexander I of Russia annexed Georgia. In 1810 Persia ,in agreement with Great ... of the Bengal Light Cavalry reconnoitred the Caucasus and the Khyber Pass for a year. ...
BEWARE OF NATO! 25 May 2007 16:07, A1 Plus...
Agreement Centre partially shared Liparityan's opinion. South Caucasus conflicts are determined by the fact that ... fact that the regional countries are polarized. Georgia strives to be engaged in the NATO ...
EU: Bloc Seeks 'Single Voice' In Dialogue With Russia 25 May 2007 06:14, RFE/RL...
Moldovan wines and its trade embargo on Georgia in his list of Russian warns that ... for Ukraine, Moldova, and the three South Caucasus countries. However, he says that support is ...
NGO Report Targets Judicial Corruption 25 May 2007 05:45, Eurasianet...
report. There is a chapter dedicated to Georgia and its "accelerated anticorruption reforms." Can you ... social, political and economic developments of the Caucasus and Central Asia. It is a program ...
CULTURE:

Street Art & Graffities in Tbilisi

Leselidze Street


...for those who don't know, Zezva and Mzia are the names that were given to the 1.8 million year old skulls found in Georgia couple years ago. A friend pointed out the relationship of those names to the bones... This is one of the four stencils I noticed on Leselidze street. I am not sure if there are more...



Uploaded on May 25, 2007 by Vladimer Shioshvili

KULTUR: Der Musiker Lado Burduli gibt am Tag der Unabhängigkeit in Tbilisi heute ein Konzert






in der Bar Gallery "Griboedov 14",
14 Griboedov str. (next to conservatory)

Live Acoustic Concert- Lado Burduli-
www.myspace.com/ladoburduli

Bar Gallery "Griboedov 14", 14 Griboedov str.
(next to conservatory)

More:
Saturday 26. May rocks Lado Burduli in Tbilisi

Born in Tbilisi, 07/26 1964 Education, Professional Experience:
Zakaria Paliashvili State Special Musical School, Contrabass Class 1982;
Zakaria Paliashvili State Opera & Ballet Theatre, Contrabass1982-1987;
Vano Sarajishvili State Conservatory, Contrabass Class 1982-1987;
Rock Band “Recept”’ Author of the Project, Composer 1987-1992;
Founder and the President of the Georgia Association of Rock Musicians 1990;
Georgian State TV Channel 1, Author and Presenter of the TV Show “Okros Bibilo” 1991-1992 Author of the project of alternative workshop “Silk Factory” 1992-1995;
Founder and Musical Curator of the Tbilisi Modern Art Center 1995;
Salon evenings/events at home (exhibitions, fashion-shows, rock Concerts) 1991-2007 Caucasus Rock Festival Author of the Project 1995-2007 Series of Memoirs in weekly newspaper 1997-2007;
Founder and the President of the Caucasus Center of Contemporary Art Author of the project 2001 Representative in Caucasus of French Fashion TV channel “FTV” 2001;
Actor/ Movies: Georgian Film “Beghurebis Gadafrena”, Role: young boy on a bicycle -1978;
Georgian Film “Me Movedi”, Role Lado -1980;
Georgian Film “Wedding present”, Studio, Role: Badri, Ukrainan Film -1982;
Georgian Film “Arsena”, Role: Arsena-1984;
Georgian Film “Adamianta Sevda”, Role: Death -1984;
Georgian Film “Tetri Alami”, Role - 1989; etc.

Uploaded on May 26, 2007 by Vladimer Shioshvili

more photos: Lado Burduli / Griboedov 14

PHOTOGRAPHY:
Independence Day Military Parade in Tbilisi





NEWS:
24 May 07 Caucasus Reporting Service 393

Special Report
Chechens Suffer Torture “Hell”
Chechnya full of traumatised people who’ve suffered torture but are reluctant to get help. By Laura Aldamova in Grozny (CRS No. 393 24-May-07)
Caucasian Migrants’ Struggle in Russia
Armenians and Azerbaijanis look for ways round new curbs on migrant workers, while Georgians take most of the heat. By Aishat Osmanova in Nalchik, Olesya Vartanian in Tbilisi and Naira Bulghadarian in Vanadzor (CRS No. 393 24-May-07)
Georgia: AIDS Taboo Slow to Shift
Medical experts worry that HIV infection is spreading to new groups in society. By Nino Janelidze in Tbilisi (CRS No. 393 24-May-07)
NEWS:
EurasiaNet Weekly Update

AZERBAIJAN TOPS THE CHARTS FOR NUMBER OF IMPRISONED JOURNALISTS
http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/insight/articles/eav052207a.shtml

BATUMI: MAKING A BRAKE FOR THE WEST
Joshua Kucera
http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/insight/articles/eav051807.shtml

ARMENIAN OPPOSITION PINS HOPES ON PARTNERSHIP
http://www.eurasianet.org/armenia/news/051807.html

RUSSIA TAKES A STEP TOWARD THE FORMATION OF A NATURAL GAS CARTEL
Stephen Blank
http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/insight/articles/eav051707.shtml
PHOTOGRAPHY:

Sheeps in the desert near Davit Gareja
NEWS:

Nachrichten aus dem Kaukasus

Stimmenkauf im Kaukasus derStandard.at - Wien, Austria
Auch knapp zwei Wochen nach den Wahlen schwirrt die Luft noch in Eriwan, der Hauptstadt der kleinen Kaukasusrepublik Armenien. Etwas ist geschehen, das die ...
"Radio Eriwan" hat Sendepause Wiener Zeitung - Wien, Austria
Bis heute macht Hajastan , wie Armenien in der Landssprache heißt, dem Volk Israel den Rang um das meistgeprüfte Volk Gottes streitig. ...
Russland droht mit Aufkündigung des KSE-Vertrags Schwäbische Zeitung - Baden-Württemberg, GermanyMoskau/Baku (dpa)
Russland hat mit der kompletten Aufkündigung des Vertrags über Konventionelle Streitkräfte in Europa (KSE) gedroht,
Georgien weit entfernt von Demokratie und Rechtsstaat Georgien Nachrichten - Germany
Mit der Verurteilung von Irakli Batiaschwili und der Ermordung von Guram Scharadse zeigt sich, dass Georgien von einer funktionierenden Demokratie und einem ......
Russland am Wochenende: Stadtgeburtstag und Trauertag russland-aktuell.ru - Moscow, Russia
In Georgien wird am Wochenende der Unabhängigkeitstag gefeiert. Zwar hat Georgien seinen Austritt aus der Sowjetunion am 9. April 1991 erklärt, doch die ...
USA sehen Beziehungen Russlands zu Georgien und Ukraine mit SorgeG eorgien Nachrichten - Germany
Die USA sehen die Beziehungen zwischen Russland und seinen Nachbarstaaten mit besonderer Sorge, vor allem die Beziehungen zu Georgien und der Ukraine. ...
USA erkennen Anzeichen für Spannungsabbau zwischen Russland und ...RIA Novosti - Moscow, Russia
Die USA riefen Russland und Georgien zu einer Normalisierung der Beziehungen auf, sagte der Vizeaußenamtschef. Nach seinen Worten sollen russische und ...
Saakaschwili kritisiert Schweigen gegenüber Konflikten in Georgien Georgien Nachrichten - Germany... des internationalen Forums zur Globalisierung und zum Dialog der Zivilisationen unzufrieden über die internationale Politik Georgien gegenüber geäußert. ...
Amnesty International beklagt mangelnde Menschenrechte in Georgien eorgien Nachrichten - Germany
Amnesty International hat den Sicherheitskräften in Georgien kein gutes Zeugnis für ihre Arbeit ausgestellt. In dem am Mittwoch veröffentlichten Bericht ...
Türkische Behörden vereiteln Anschlag auf Ölpipeline Baku-Tiflis ... RIA Novosti - Moscow, Russia
Eine Selbstmordattentäterin, die in der türkischen Stadt Adana gefasst wurde, hatte einen Anschlag auf die Öltransitpipeline Baku-Tiflis-Ceyhan geplant. ...
Rassismus in Europasueddeutsche.de - Bayern,GermanyDer Bericht der Europäischen Kommission gegen Rassismus und Intoleranz (ECRI) attestierte den Staaten Finnland, Aserbaidschan, Irland und Monaco zwar ...
Karabach-Gespräche zwischen Armenien und Aserbaidschan in St ... RIA Novosti - Moscow, Russia
JEREWAN, 24. Mai (RIA Novosti). Armeniens Präsident Robert Kotscharjan hat seine Zustimmung für ein Treffen mit Aserbaidschans Präsident Ilcham Alijew in ...

Friday, May 25, 2007

PHOTOGRAPHY:
Dances with wolves
Man with a stuffed wolf. Tourist attraction in Sheki, Azerbaijan

Uploaded on August 9, 2006 by revolucy

... fand den Wolf, als er noch ein Baby war. Als der Wolf irgendwann starb, stopfte er ihn aus und setze ihm kleinen Leuchtdioden in die Augen und den Mund, die durch eine Batterie - in der Bauchgegend - betrieben werden...

Thursday, May 24, 2007

CULTURE:

Georgia: The Land (www.rusnet.nl)

Relief, drainage, and soils
With the notable exception of the fertile plain of the Kolkhida Lowland - ancient Colchis, where the legendary Argonauts sought the Golden Fleece - the Georgian terrain is largely mountainous, and more than a third is covered by forest or brushwood. There is a remarkable variety of landscape, ranging from the subtropical Black Sea shores to the ice and snow of the crest line of the Caucasus. Such contrasts are made more noteworthy by the country's relatively small area.
The rugged Georgia terrain may be divided into three bands, all running from east to west.
To the north lies the wall of the
Greater Caucasus range, consisting of a series of parallel and transverse mountain belts rising eastward and often separated by deep, wild gorges. Spectacular crest-line peaks include those of Mount Shkhara, which at 16,627 feet (5,068 metres) is the highest point in Georgia, and Mounts Rustaveli, Tetnuld, and Ushba, all of which are above 15,000 feet. The cone of the extinct Mkinvari (Kazbek) volcano dominates the northernmost Bokovoy range from a height of 16,512 feet. A number of important spurs extend in a southward direction from the central range, including those of the Lomis and Kartli (Kartalinian) ranges at right angles to the general Caucasian trend. From the ice-clad flanks of these desolately beautiful high regions flow many streams and rivers.
The southern slopes of the Greater Caucasus merge into a second band, consisting of central lowlands formed on a great structural depression. The Kolkhida Lowland, near the shores of the
Black Sea, is covered by a thick layer of river-borne deposits accumulated over thousands of years. Rushing down from the Greater Caucasus, the major rivers of western Georgia, the Inguri, Rioni, and Kodori, flow over a broad area to the sea.
The Kolkhida Lowland was formerly an almost continually stagnant swamp. In a great development program, drainage canals and embankments along the rivers were constructed and a forestation plans introduced; the region has become of prime importance through the cultivation of subtropical and other commercial crops.
To the east the structural trough is crossed by the Meskhet and Likh ranges, linking the Greater and
Lesser Caucasus and marking the watershed between the basins of the Black and Caspian seas. In central Georgia, between the cities of Khashuri and Mtskheta (the ancient capital), lies the inner high plateau known as the Kartli (Kartalinian) Plain. Surrounded by mountains to the north, south, east, and west and covered for the most part by deposits of the loess type, this plateau extends along the Kura (Mtkvari) River and its tributaries.
The southern band of Georgian territory is marked by the ranges and plateaus of the Lesser Caucasus, which rise beyond a narrow, swampy coastal plain to reach 10,830 feet in the peak of Didi-Abuli.
A variety of soils are found in Georgia, ranging from gray-brown and saline semi desert types to richer red earths and podzols. Artificial improvements add to the diversity.


Climate
The Caucasian barrier protects Georgia from cold air intrusions from the north, while the country is open to the constant influence of warm, moist air from the Black Sea. Western Georgia has a humid subtropical, maritime climate, while eastern Georgia has a range of climate varying from moderately humid to a dry subtropical type.
There also are marked elevation zones. The Kolkhida Lowland, for example, has a subtropical character up to about 1,600 to 2,000 feet, with a zone of moist, moderately warm climate lying just above; still higher is a belt of cold, wet winters and cool summers. Above about 6,600 to 7,200 feet there is an alpine climatic zone, lacking any true summer; above 11,200 to 11,500 feet snow and ice are present year-round. In eastern Georgia, farther inland, temperatures are lower than in the western portions at the same altitude.
Western Georgia has heavy rainfall throughout the year, totalling 40 to 100 inches (1,000 to 2,500 millimetres) and reaching a maximum in autumn and winter. Southern Kolkhida receives the most rain, and humidity decreases to the north and east. Winter in this region is mild and warm; in regions below about 2,000 to 2,300 feet, the mean January temperature never falls below 32° F (0° C), and relatively warm, sunny winter weather persists in the coastal regions, where temperatures average about 41° F (5° C). Summer temperatures average about 71° F (22° C).
In eastern Georgia, precipitation decreases with distance from the sea, reaching 16 to 28 inches in the plains and foothills but increasing to double this amount in the mountains. The south-eastern regions are the driest areas, and winter is the driest season; the rainfall maximum occurs at the end of spring. The highest lowland temperatures occur in July (about 77° F [25° C]), while average January temperatures over most of the region range from 32° to 37° F (0° to 3° C).


Plant and animal life
Georgia's location and its diverse terrain have given rise to a remarkable variety of landscapes. The luxuriant vegetation of the moist, subtropical Black Sea shores is relatively close to the eternal snows of the mountain peaks. Deep gorges and swift rivers give way to dry steppes, and the green of alpine meadows alternates with the darker hues of forested valleys.
More than a third of the country is covered by forests and brush. In the west a relatively constant climate over a long time span has preserved many relict and rare items, including the Pitsunda pines (Pinus pithyusa). The forests include oak, chestnut, beech, and alder, as well as Caucasian fir, ash, linden, and apple and pear trees. The western underbrush is dominated by evergreens (including rhododendrons and holly) and such deciduous shrubs as Caucasian bilberry and nut trees. Liana strands entwine some of the western forests. Citrus groves are found throughout the republic, and long rows of eucalyptus trees line the country roads.
Eastern Georgia has fewer forests, and the steppes are dotted with thickets of prickly underbrush, as well as a blanket of feather and beard grass. Herbaceous subalpine and alpine vegetation occurs extensively in the highest regions. Animal life is very diverse. Goats and Caucasian antelope inhabit the high mountains; rodents live in the high meadows; and a rich birdlife includes the mountain turkey, the Caucasian black grouse, and the mountain and bearded eagles. The clear rivers and mountain lakes are full of trout.
Forest regions are characterized by wild boars, roe and Caucasian deer, brown bears, lynx, wolves, foxes, jackals, hares, and squirrels. Birds range from the thrush to the black vulture and hawk. Some of these animals and birds also frequent the lowland regions, which are the home of the introduced raccoon, mink, and nutria. The lowland rivers and the Black Sea itself are rich in fish.


Settlement patterns
Population densities are relatively high but are less than those for Armenia and Azerbaijan. The vast majority of the population lives below 2,600 feet; population density decreases with increasing altitude.
During the Soviet period the Georgian population increased, with a marked trend toward urbanisation. More than half the population now live in cities. Further, a considerable portion of the population that is defined as rural is, in fact, engaged in the urban economy of nearby cities. Enterprises for primary processing of agricultural products have been constructed in the villages, while ore-processing plants and light industry also are increasing in number. As a result, many of the slow-paced traditional villages have developed into distinctly modern communities. The number of rural inhabitants remains high because of the wide distribution of such labour-intensive branches of the economy as the tea and subtropical crop plantations.
Tbilisi, the capital, an ancient city with many architectural monuments mingling with modern buildings, lies in eastern Georgia, partly in a scenic gorge of the Kura River. Other major centres are Kutaisi, Rustavi, Sukhumi, and Batumi.

Introduction
The people
The economy
Administration and social conditions
Cultural life
History

many links:
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