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See also: | Other events of 2014 List of years in Georgia (country) |
Events in the year 2014 in Georgia .
Irakli Alasania is a Georgian politician, soldier and former diplomat who served as the Minister of Defense of Georgia from 2012 to 2014. He was Georgia's Ambassador to the United Nations from September 11, 2006, until December 4, 2008. His previous assignments include Chairman of the Government of Abkhazia(-in-exile) and the President of Georgia's aide in the Georgian-Abkhaz talks. Soon after his resignation, Alasania withdrew into opposition to the Mikheil Saakashvili administration, setting up the Our Georgia – Free Democrats party in July 2009. In 2012 Alasania was appointed Minister of Defense, a position he held until 2014.
Russia and Georgia have had relations for centuries. The contacts between the two date back to the 15th and 16th centuries, and the most important stage started in 1580s, when Georgian kingdom of Kakheti and Russian Empire signed a treaty of alliance in 1587. Since then, Georgia-Russia relations have been developing vibrantly, and culminated in Treaty of Georgievsk, which established eastern Georgia as a protectorate of Russia. At that time, Georgia saw Russia as a powerful Christian and modernizing neighbor, capable of protecting Georgia from invading Muslim empires and North Caucasian raiders. Although Russia did help Georgia to ward off Lezgin invasions, it failed to protect Georgia when Persia invaded in 1795. Catherine the Great later imposed punitive measures against Persia, but they were cut short by her death. In 1800, Paul signed a proclamation on the incorporation of eastern Georgia into the Russian Empire, which was finalized the following year by Tsar Alexander I. This was followed by annexation by Russia of western Georgian kingdoms and principalities and their incorporation into Russian Empire, namely, Kingdom of Imereti in 1810, Principality of Guria in 1829, Principality of Svaneti in 1858 and Principality of Mingrelia in 1867. Incorporation into the empire ended Muslim invasions and brought peace to Georgia. Russian Empire ended slave trade by Ottomans in western Georgia, which saved Georgia's shrinking population from demographic catastrophe. It also provided Georia with means for a cultural revival, such as Tiflis Imperial Theater, which was opened in 1852 and revitalized Georgia's long-abandoned theatrical tradition. Georgian intellectuals pursued their education in universities of Moscow and Saint Petersburg and brought new ideas to Georgia. However, loss of sovereignty and abolition of the autocephalous status of the Georgian Orthodox Church, along with Russification policy, gave rise to public discontent and rebellions. As a result of Russo-Turkish wars of 1828-1829 and 1877-1878, Russia acquired the historical southern Georgian provinces, such as Adjara and Meskheti from the Ottomans. The unification of historical Georgian lands under Russian Empire and national consolidation of Georgia gave rise to Georgian nationalism, spearheaded by "Tergdaleulebi" movement, a group of Russian-educated Georgian intellectuals led by Ilia Chavchavadze who brought modern nationalist ideas into Georgia. They campaigned against Russification and promoted national identity among Georgians through "Society for the Spreading of Literacy among Georgians" and newspaper Iveria. Their vision did not envisage an outright revolt for independence, but demanded autonomy within the reformed Russian Empire, with greater cultural freedom, promotion of the Georgian language, and support for Georgian educational institutions and the national church. This movement instilled strong sense of national cohesiveness among Georgians, which were divided between various Georgian regional feudal kingdoms and Muslim empires throughout middle ages, and paved the path to the independence, which Georgia regained following the collapse of Russian Empire in 1917. The Menshevik government of Georgia transformed the image of now Bolshevik-led Russia from a source of enlightment into Asiatic state imbued with oriental backwardness and sough ties with the West through its links to Second International. The short-lived Georgian independence ended when Georgia was incorporated in the Soviet Union as the Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic in 1922. The bilateral Russo-Georgian ties were strained again in 1991 due to Moscow's support of separatist regions within Georgia and its intentions to join NATO. Russo-Georgian relations briefly began to improve during the Shevardnadze's presidency, but they became strained again after the Rose Revolution in Georgia. The tensions led to the Russo-Georgian War in August 2008, and diplomatic relations were broken. To this day, the two countries have maintained no formal diplomatic relations since.
Georgia and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) enjoy cordial relations. Georgia is not currently a member of NATO, but has been promised by NATO to be admitted in the future.
Since their independence from the Soviet Union, Georgia and Ukraine have forged close political and cultural relations. The diplomatic relations between the two nations are realized at the level of embassies and consulates. Due to the prosecution in Georgia of Georgian/Ukrainian politician Mikheil Saakashvili and the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, relations between the two countries have soured significantly.
In 2007, a series of anti-government protests took place across Georgia. The demonstrations peaked on 2 November 2007, when 40,000–50,000 rallied in downtown Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia. People protested against the allegedly corrupt government of president Mikheil Saakashvili. Protests triggered by detention of Georgian politician Irakli Okruashvili on charges of extortion, money laundering, and abuse of office during his tenure as defense minister of the country were organized by the National Council, an ad hoc coalition of ten opposition parties, and financed by the media tycoon Badri Patarkatsishvili. Demonstrations occurred both in September and November 2007 and were initially largely peaceful. The protests went downhill by 6 November 2007, but turned violent the next day when the police, using heavy-handed tactics, including tear gas and water cannon, unblocked Rustaveli Avenue, Tbilisi's main boulevard, dislodged the protesters from the territory adjoining to the House of Parliament, and prevented the demonstrators from resuming the protests. The government accused the Russian secret services of being involved in an attempted coup d'état and declared a nationwide state of emergency later that day which lasted until 16 November 2007.
This article describes the background of the Russo-Georgian War.
Bidzina Ivanishvili is a Georgian politician and billionaire businessman, who served as Prime Minister of Georgia from October 2012 to November 2013.
Parliamentary elections were held in Georgia on 1 October 2012. The opposition Georgian Dream coalition of billionaire businessman Bidzina Ivanishvili won a majority of the seats. President Mikheil Saakashvili conceded his party's defeat.
Events in the year 2012 in Georgia.
Georgian Dream – Democratic Georgia is a political party in Georgia. The party was established on 19 April 2012 by the billionaire businessman Bidzina Ivanishvili. Georgian Dream and its partners in a coalition also named Georgian Dream won majorities in the 2012, 2016, and 2020 general elections. The party is currently led by Irakli Kobakhidze as Party Chairman and Irakli Garibashvili as Prime Minister.
Maia Panjikidze is a Georgian diplomat and politician. Formerly a teacher of German, she joined the Georgian diplomatic service in 1994 and was appointed as Minister of Foreign Affairs in the cabinet of Bidzina Ivanishvili on October 25, 2012. She resigned November 5, 2014 in protest of Irakli Alasania being relieved of his position as Minister of Defense.
Irakli Garibashvili is a Georgian politician and a former business executive who has served as the prime minister of Georgia since 22 February 2021. He previously served as prime minister from 20 November 2013 until his resignation on 30 December 2015. Garibashvili is a member of the Georgian Dream party. He entered politics with his long-time associate Bidzina Ivanishvili, in October 2012.
In 2013, Georgia finalized its first-ever peaceful change of power and transition to a parliamentary republic. The Georgian Dream-dominated government, which came to power after defeating, in October 2012, the United National Movement led by the outgoing President Mikheil Saakashvili, promised more democratic reforms. The Georgian Dream candidate Giorgi Margvelashvili won the presidential election in October 2013 and the new constitution significantly reducing the authority of the president in favor of those of the prime minister and government came into effect. In November, the leader of the Georgian Dream, Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili announced his withdrawal from politics as promised earlier, and the Parliament of Georgia approved his nominee, Irakli Garibashvili, as the country's new head of government.
Russian-occupied territories in Georgia are areas of Georgia that have been occupied by Russia after the Russo-Georgian War in 2008. They consist of the regions of Autonomous Republic of Abkhazia and the former South Ossetian Autonomous Region of Soviet Georgia, whose status is a matter of international dispute.
The following lists events that happened during 2015 in Georgia.
The following lists events in 2017 in Georgia.
The events in 2010 in Georgia.
The following lists events in 2018 in Georgia.
The 2019 protests in Georgia, also known as Gavrilov's Night, refers to a series of anti-government and snap election-demanding protests in the country of Georgia.
Individuals and events related to Georgia in 2022.