Georgia's young hope in figure skating, Elene Gedevanishvili, participates in the world championships in Gothenburg 17-23 March 2008. The Georgian youngster has made an outstanding quick career and has been at the top of the result lists of the majority of the big competitions for several years. Among other things, her CV has a tenth place in the Olympic Games in Torino 2006, a first place in the prestigious skating competition Karl Schäfer Memorial 2006 and in the three latest European Championships she has been among the ten best.
For Sweden and Gothenburg it is an important event and approximately half a billion of viewers are expected to watch the World Championship this year. Last year's World Championship took place in Japan and the last time Sweden arranged the World Figure Skating Championships was in 1976, that time also in Gothenburg. The Swedish Television will broadcast directly every day from the sports event and sports commentators are as usually Roger Blomquist and Lotta Falkenbäck.
Good luck in the competitions.
Swedish Television broadcasting schedule:
Tue 18/3 20.00-22.45 SVT24
Tue 18/3 00.15-01.15 SVT1
Wed 19/3 14.00-17.50 SVT24
Wed 19/3 20.00-22.45 SVT24
Wed 19/3 00.10-01.10 SVT1
Thu 20/3 13.00-16.00 SVT1
Thu 20/3 16.00-16.30 SVT2
Thu 20/3 20.00-21.00 SVT24
Thu 20/3 21.00-22.45 SVT1
Fri 21/3 14.15-17.50 SVT24
Fri 21/3 20.00-21.00 SVT24
Fri 21/3 21.00-22.45 SVT1
Sat 22/3 12.55-14.00 SVT24
Sat 22/3 14.00-17.15 SVT2
Sun 23/3 15.00-17.55 SVT2
Läs mer:
World Championships 2008 - Gothenburg
International Skating Federation
The Georgian opposition, which begun a peaceful demonstration against the Georgian government on 2 November outside the Parliament building in Tbilisi were brutally put down by the Georgian police, special forces and military in the morning on 7 November. Heavily armed riot police used tear gas, water cannons, truncheons, rubber bullets and noise machines to attack de peaceful demonstrators.
Film from the attacks of the police in English More film from the attacks of the police in English Imedi's last broadcast in English Imedi's last broadcast in Georgian Film from the attack of the police in Georgian Human Rights web portal in Georgia Pictures from the demonstrations Pictures from the demontrations Online petition - Stop abuses by the government of Georgia
The consular office of Greece in Tbilisi has again stopped a Georgian national team from participation in the European Championship qualifying games in Sweden. This time it deals with Georgia's national team in the UEFA European Women's Under 19 Championship. The management of the Swedish national team expressed their dissatisfaction with the handling and will report it to the Swedish Football Federation. The Swedish-Georgian Society will launch a new report to the Commission of Europe, to Swedish, Georgian and Greek departments in concern and also to UEFA and the International Football Federation for renewed cases of athletic discrimination of Georgians.
Georgia should have played against Sweden in the European Championship qualifications at Falköping this Wednesday, against Hungary at Falköping on Friday and against Kazakhstan at Tidaholm on Monday 1st of October. This means, that it is not only a big scandal for the football games, it also means a loss of income due to unsold tickets for the organizer the Football Federation of Västergötland.
Last week the municipality of Värmdö had a visit from their cooperation parties, among them ministers from the Government of the Autonomous Republic of Adjara and civil servants from the Georgian port town Batumi, who also complained on the visa-handling of the consular office of Greece. This time, after much trouble the consular office of Greece had issued a group visa for the delegation, which no longer is accepted within Schengen. The delegation was on the verge of getting stopped in Germany, where they made an intermediate landing.
Thus, we can establish that are not only nasty at the consular office of Greece in Tbilisi, they are incompetent too! The handling of the forest fires in Greece the passed summer describes very well how the Greek authorities and the Greek state machinery works.
We also assume that we will hear a new trumped-up excuse from the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs that it is not their responsibility.
Articles below are mainly in the Swedish language.
President of Georgia to Greece
Greece forced to change ambassador
The Government of Greece and the consular office of Greece in Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia, was reported to the Commission of Europe today for discrimination and insulting treatment of Georgians. The consular office of Greece in Tbilisi is processing visas for travellers from Georgia to Sweden.
The Greek consulate has constantly aroused discontent among the visa applicants how they are being treated when they apply for visas and the long processing time for visas, at present more than three months, if it is possible at all to book a time or to get in touch with a handling officer.
Greece has during a long time neglected their obligations towards Sweden and towards Georgians travelling to Sweden. At present, big differencies in service level and treatment are prevailing between the different consulates of the European Union, which are issuing Schengenvisas in Georgia. We want accordingly, that Sweden cancels the agreement with Greece and that the Swedish Government takes its responsibility for their Georgian guests and visitors, either by opening of a consulate of their own, or, by switching to one of the other representatives' offices. Especially revolting is the information about the possibility to pay agents to get a Schengen visa from the Greek consulate.
The latest visa scandal in a row struck Ekaterine Gagoshidze, Georgian and recently Swedish citizen, who today on the National Day of Sweden, should have celebrated her Swedish citizenship with a ceremony at the Stockholm City Hall with her mother, who has been invited especially for this occasion. "My mother did not get a possibility to get an interview until 19 June, even though we started the processing in early April, so she cannot attend. It is so sad", says Ekaterine on the verge of tears.
It is not only tourists who have had visa troubles, also Georgian National Teams, journalists on assignment, musicians and others have had problems. This means, in addition, that Greece is raising trade barriers, which, if nothing else should make the Georgian Government to act in this issue.
We appeal to all people, who has been exposed to discrimination and irregularities, to report this to the Commission of the European Union. Information about how to proceed and a form that one can use can be found on the link below. Commission of the European Union Both Greece and Sweden should be ashamed during the remaining time of the European Year of Equal Opportunities for All.
The demonstration was dispersed and a large number of demonstrators were beaten and arrested. The demonstrators gathered again on the other side of the river Mtkvari at a place called Rike and the police attacked the demonstrators at this location too and dispersed the demonstration once more, at which one person was beaten to death by the police.
Later on, several demonstrations took place at other locations in Georgia, e.g. in the cities of Kutaisi and Batumi, where a huge outrage was used by the security forces. Totally, more than 500 persons needed hospital treatment for their injuries.
President Mikhail Saakashvili issued emergency rule in Tbilisi on 8 November, which was prolonged and increased to be in effect for the whole country during 15 days. Simultaneously all private radio and TV stations were closed and nobody is no longer permitted to collect, spread or broadcast information about demonstrations or strikes. At the same time all online streaming from foreign radio and TV stations are blocked in Georgia. The free word has been silenced and dictatorship is reintroduced. Strategic surprise attacks against Abkhazia and South Ossetia by Georgia in the near future cannot be ruled out. Such a scenario, will lead to a large scale war in the whole region with almost certainty.
The whole system of justice in Georgia have had a total breakdown and we appeal to the international community to intervene and take over the police duties, prosecutor's office, court system, correctional system and prisons etc. We are opposed to totalitarian regimes, corruption, political violence and all other bad things that the present regime stands for. Our own clown at the ministry of foreign affairs of Sweden, Carl Bildt, should tell his Georgian companion and friend that misuse of power is not tolerated by Sweden. Or does Sweden have double standards in this question too?
Resign Saakashvili!
Look at live pictures from the outrage:
Georgia's national team blocked from participating in European Championship Qualifications in Sweden
26 September 2007
Greece reported for discrimination of Georgians
6 June 2007
Today, the 26 of May, Georgia is celebrating the Independence Day which is celebrated as the National Day. The day is conmemorated as the declaration of independence 1918, when Georgia declared itself free from Russia. The first period of independence lasted only three years until Russia annexed Georgia into its sphere again.It would take until 9 April 1991 before Georgia was independent again.
The Georgian embassy will arrange an official celebration of the National Day on Tuesday the 29 May 2007 at 17.30-19.30 with special invited guests. The Georgian diaspora will celebrate the National Day once more on 9 June 2007 in the presence of the minister of foreign affairs of Georgia, Gela Bezhuashvili, who will be on an official visit in Sweden then.
It is also the first time for many years since the former Georgian president Zviad Gamsakhurdia is resting in Georgian soil during the National Day. Zviad Gamsakhurdia was the first president of Georgia in modern time and he was recently reburied after his remnants were found in Chechnya and exhumed from there.
Tonight Georgia went to the final in the Eurovision Song Contest in Helsinki, Finland, thanks to a marvelous performance by Sopho Khalvashi, the Caucasus equivalent to Bjork from Iceland. The happiness and proudness of all Georgians cannot be described.
The final will take place on Saturday 12 May 2007. Party warning, whatever the result of the competition will be.
Eurovison Song Contest in Georgia
A fire took place at the Centre of Swedish Language and Culture in Tbilisi Tuesday afternoon on 20 March 2007. The fire was extinguished by the janitor by his own and the heroic effort meant that the firebrigade just had to return from the scene. The fire caused pretty extensive damages, but the classroom can be restored and used again, thinks Tamuna Maisuradze, head of the Centre. Biggest damages were caused on the book collection and the computer equipment of the Centre and they are vital for the work here, says a grieved Tamuna. We will have to examine every copy to see if we can use them again. The cause of the fire is believed to be an electrical failure.
We appeal to all people travelling to Tbilisi to bring books in the Swedish language to the students who all are friends of Sweden.
Centre of Swedish Language and Culture
Georgia finally opens its embassy in Stockholm. The Georgian embassy is located at Humlegårdsgatan 19, one of the oldest streets of Östermalm. The embassy is situated near Stureplan and the Humlegården in Stockholm, diagonally across from the old Lydmar Hotel, where the government owned Vattenfall AB has its office nowadays. The ambassador is Amiran Kavadze, who also is the ambassador to Finland. A consul general will be stationed in Sweden sometime in March 2007.
Address:
Embassy of Georgia
Humlegårdsgatan 19
114 46 Stockholm
Telephone: 08 - 678 02 60
Telefax: 08 - 678 02 64
E-mail: geoemb.sweden@telia.com
The municipality of Värmdö will be visited again by a Georgian delegation with the aim of deepening the co-operation between Värmdö and the seaport Batumi in the autonomous republic of Adjara in Georgia. The co-operation includes primarily the areas of health care, social service and tourism, but also possibilities of trade and industry development is on the agenda. The visit, which is a follow-up of last years visit, will last for ten days and will take place between 10 and 21 January 2007.
Besides, other municipalities in Sweden can get money from the state budget to initiate co-operation with municipalities in Georgia.
Read more:
The ambassador of Georgia, Amiran Kavadze, will present his letters of credence to King Carl XVI Gustaf during an audience at the Royal Castle in Stockholm on Friday 3 November 2006. Amiran Kavadze, who is also appointed ambassador of Georgia to Finland, will be stationed in Stockholm.
Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Georgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Johan Håkansson from the Expedition Vittfarne went back to Georgia last summer accompanied by five other Swedes. In the capital Tbilisi the Swedish speaking Tamuna Maisuradze, superintendent at the Centre for studies in the Swedish language and cultural life at the Tbilisi State University, received them together with two of her students, Sophia and Lika. Johan's burning interest in beer and brewery technique drew him and his friends to the small brewery Kavkasioni, in the outskirts of Tbilisi where Sophia's father is brewmaster. In the costumary Georgian way they were received in the royal manner and the group was naturally invited for a big Georgian feast, a supra, after the visit.
Read more about the visit in the Swedish Homebrewers Association's magazine "Hembryggaren", which is on sale now. The article is published with permission by the Swedish Homebrewers Association.
Hembryggaren
The star violinist Lisa Batiashvili from Georgia will make another concert in Sweden. This time the people of Örebro will have the possibility to listen to her and see her with a specially composed violin concert by the Swedish-Finnish composer Magnus Lindberg, who belongs to our time's most celebrated composers, commissioned by the Swedish Chamber Orchestra. Conductor is Thomas Dausgaard and the concert form a part of the master series Yellow.
The concert takes place on Thursday 5 October 2006 at Örebro Concert Hall.
Örebro Concert Hall
The Govenment of Sweden has appointed minister Hans Gunnar Adén as envoy to Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan.
He has previously served in the embassies in Paris and Kiev and at the consulate-general in St. Petersburg and also worked at the OECD-secretariat in Paris.
Hans Gunnar Adén will belong to the Division for Stockholm-based ambassadors and frequent travelling to the countries he is responsable for is included in the job.
He will take up his duties in September 2006.
Georgia appointed Amiran Kavadze as ambassador to Sweden and Finland last spring and will open an embassy in Stockholm in the near future.
Finally the T-Blues Mob from Tbilisi in Georgia is back in Sweden again. This time the popular Georgian blues band will perform at Hotel Stinsen at Hallsberg Saturday 23 September 2006 at 21.00 hours. After the scandalous visa processing by the Greek embassy in Tbilisi before the Frövi Music Festival last summer, we find it almost strange that they want to perform in Sweden again. After getting notified about the Greek embassy's neglecting treatment of Georgians, we will hereafter keep an eye on the future visa processing for travellers to Sweden. This will probably not be the last story about this embassy's visa processing concerning Georgians. Dispite resistance, T-Blues Mob has been performing a few times in Denmark the past summer and autumn, last time at Godset at Kolding on the 18 September.
Welcome back to Sweden!
Hotel Stinsen
This autumn the Georgian tenor Badri Maisurdze is on stage again at the Royal Swedish Opera in Giuseppe Verdi's "The Troubadour". Don't miss the occasion. The first performance will take place on 1 September 2006.
Ticket release on 21 August at 12.00 hours.
Performances:
2006-09-01
2006-09-08
2006-09-13
2006-09-19
2006-09-27
2006-10-04
All performances starts at 19:30 hours
The world famous Georgian men's choir Ensemble Tbilisi will make a Baltic Sea tour in Finland, Sweden and Estonia. The tour begins with two performances at Espoo International Choir Festival on 19 and 21 October 2006 and then they will make a tour in Finland, Sweden and Estonia.
Baltic Sea Tour 2006
Sweden:
Mon 30 Oct - Gävle Stora Gasklockan - 19.00 hours
Tue 31 Oct - Falun Kristinehallen - 19.00 hours
Wed 1 Nov - Stockholm Nybrokajen 11 - 19.00 hours
Thu 2 Nov - Uppsala Korskyrkan - 19.00 hours
Fri 3 Nov - Stockholm Sofia kyrka - 19.00 hours
Sat 4 Nov - Stockholm Nybrokajen 11 - 13.00 hours (autumn soup served from 12.00 hours)
Finland:
Sun 22 Oct - Lappeenranta Sammonlahden kirkko - 18.00 hours
Mon 23 Oct - Kuopio Puijon kirkko - 19.00 hours
Tue 24 Oct - Savonlinna (Nyslott) Tuomiokirkko - 19.00 hours
Wed 25 Oct - Resting day
Thu 26 Oct - Kuusankoski Kuusankoskitalo - 19.00 hours
Fri 27 Oct - Säinäjoki Lakeuden Risti - 19.00 hours
Sat 28 Oct - Tampere (Tammerfors) Finlaysonin kirkko - 19.00 hours
Sun 29 Oct - Turku (Åbo) Tuomiokirkko - 18.00 hours
Estonia:
Wed 8 Nov - Tartu Jaani kirik - 19.00 hours
Thu 9 Nov - Viljandi Jaani kirik - 19.00 hours
Fri 10 Nov - Pärnu Eliisabeti kirik - 19.00 hours
Sat 11 Nov - Tallinn Jaani kirik - 19.00 hours
Sun 12 Nov - Rakvere Kolmainu kirik - 16.00 hours
Mon 13 Nov - Narva Linnuse saal - 19.00 hours
Contact person for the performances in Finland and Sweden is the true friend of Georgia and Swedish agent for Ensemble Tbilisi, Thomas Sahlström, and the well-known folk music festival organizer Ando Kiviberg vouch for the tour in Estonia. Contact person for the performances at the Choir Festival at Espoo is Hannele Granö.
The traditional Georgian polyphony was recognized by UNESCO on 18 May 2001 to be an oral and intangable heritage of humanity and among the Swedish experts on Georgian polyphony can be mentioned Jens Möller and Johan Westman.
Read more:
The Georgian artist Lasha Matiashvili is participating with a huge piece of art in the exhibition "Time" at Väsby Konsthall - Konstlabyrinten, Upplands Väsby on 23 September - 5 November 2006.
Everything is interconnected by time and is also separated by it. But nobody is able to direct its power. Even we, the human beings, have become the tools in time's hand to create its own dimension. Yet, the things that we consider being only ours, often turn into the time's possession.
Lasha Matiashvili
Opening hours:
Tuesday-Thursday 12.00-17.00
Friday-Sunday 12.00-16.00
Adress:
Väsby Konsthall
Konstlabyrinten
Optimusvägen 12B, plan 2
Upplands Väsby
The artist and friend of Georgia, Staffan Wieslander, is also taking part in the exhibition with two works of art.
Organizer is the organization "Friends of Väsby Konsthall", to which the well-known art expert Ricardo Donoso and Ulf Abel, former first curator at the National Museum in Stockholm, belong.
A few days ago, the Swedish Georgian Society met with the highest representative of the Georgian Church, the Patriarch of Georgia, Ilia II (katalikos patriark Ilia meore). The Patriarch wanted to know more about the Georgian diaspora's wish to establish a Georgian-Orthodox Church in Sweden. The reason for meeting with us was that several TV-programmes about this issue have been broadcasted on Georgian Television channels.
Initiator to an official request to the Georgian Patriarchate is subdeacon Mzeguli Eshkeridze, soon ordained priest by the Georgian Church and who could shoulder the task with the support of the Georgian diaspora in Sweden. Ilia II was in favour of the proposal, which augurs well for the future.
During our visit, the Patriach told us that he had visited Uppsala himself in 1968 in connection with the World Council of Churches (WCC) meeting there and met King Gustaf VI Adolf. The friendly Ilia II, who survived many presidents, is considered to be a living saint by many other church representatives and he is highly appreciated around the world.
We also recieved his blessing, both for future plans and as individuals.
The president of Georgia, Mikhail Saakashvili, will participate in Tällberg Forum again, which will take place at Tällberg in the municipality of Leksand in Dalarna on 28 June - 1 July 2006. This time he will also be accompanied by his wife Sandra Saakashvili-Roelofs. Approximately 400 of the world's most prominent leaders will gather at Tällberg for workshops dealing with issues how to improve the world. This year's theme is a in depth study of last year's theme "How on earth can we live together?" and is called "Getting serious", which aims at improving living conditions and to reach concrete results.
Tällberg Forum has beeen arranged several times before and for the initiator, Bo Ekman, and his co-workers this year's conference will bring a new feather in their hats.
Read more:
The Public Defender of Georgia, Sozar Subari, met the Ambassador of Finland, Terhi Hakala, today to defend Georgian citizens in the very delicate deportation case, which took place in March last year and cought international attention. The Finnish border guard service asserts that the busload with 48 Georgian ladies were denied entry stating that it dealt with trafficing and prostitution and deported them, dispite the fact that they all had valid visas. Nevertheless, Finnish authorities have not been able to present a single evidence against the group and they have to swallov the bitter pill without moving a muscle. Instead, the Georgians on their side, bring forward copmplaints that Finnish officials threatened them and even threatened to rape them.
We are still waiting for the decision of the Parliamentary Ombudsman of Finland.
Read more:
The State Opera of Georgia will give two performances at the nowadays world-known stage at Dalhalla, outside Rättvik, in Dalarna. The opera Simpson and Delilah will be given on 11 of August 2006 and on 12 of August, one of the world's most popular operas, the Troubadour by Verdi, will be given.
The State Opera of Georgia in the capital Tbilisi is named after Zakaria Paliashvili, who is regarded as the founder of the classical music in Georgia.
Read more:
Dalhalla and Dalarna have frequently been visited by visitors from Georgia from far and near. Even the President of Georgia, Mikhail Saakashvili, belongs to the group of Georgians who have been visiting Dalarna and the Lake Siljan area.
One of the world's most famous piano profiles, the Georgian pianist Alexander Toradze, will play at the Västerås Concert Hall on 7 Spetember 2006 together with the Västerås Simfonietta and Ravel's G Major concert will be performed.
In Gothenburg he will perform at the Gothenburg Concert Hall on 29 September 2006. This time works of Shostakovich, Haydn and Prokofjev will be given.
This autumn Sweden will be visited by the Georgian star violinist Elisabeth Batiashvili. She will give two concerts at the Stockholm Concert Hall on 20 and 21 of September 2006 and one concert at the Concert Hall of Gotheburg on 22 September 2006 togeter with the Swedish Royal Philharmonics. Lisa has already performed several times in Sweden, last time at the Stockholm Concert hall in 2004. She is also highly topical this autumn with a completely new violin concert written for her by Magnus Lindberg, one of Finland's most well-known composers.
The president of Georgia Mikhail Saakashvili will come to Sweden to participate
in the Tällberg Workshop 2005 in Dalarna on 3 August. The president will also
hold a short speech at the gala evening at Dalhalla. The gala evening
is held in honour of the Swedish opera singer Jussi Björling and the Georgian
opera singer Badri Maisuradze will make a performance.
Read more:
Tällberg Forum
Welcome to Dalarna!!
This year's Swedish midsummer celebration will take place at the Etnographic Museum
on the way to Turtle Lake on 18 June at 16.00-19.00 Hours.
Very welcome!
Eric L. Jönsson
Swedish Consul
We hope you also celebrate the National Day!
In conjunction with the celebration of the Independence Day of Georgia in Tallinn
on 26 May, the Georgian novelist Dato Turashvili visited the association Lira,
which is an immigrant association for Georgians, Azerians, Ukrainians and Uzbekians.
The association Lira has got the premises from the Estonian Government and on 27 May
a big press conference was held and a speech was given by Dato Turashvili
at the crowded premises. Among other things the assembled people got the book
"Gurji khatuni - Dedicated to the the world's most sad emigrant women", Tsira Anderson is
reporting from Estonia.
About 600 Georgians are living in Estonia and there are several Georgian restaurants,
for example the well-known Pirosmani-chain.
We wish them all a happy celebration!
Norway, Denmark and several other countries have already offered help to the
flood- and wheather-battered Republic of Georgia. Urgent help is needed.
Sweden has not delivered any disaster relief and is to be ashamed again (nowadays almost as usual).
Read more about the contributions and the UN agency OCHA:
Reliefweb
Read the latest situation reports and Georgia's appeal for assistance:
Reliefweb
The Finnish decision to refuse entry of Georgian tourists triggers dismay in Georgia. The accusations of prostitution have already caused distressing consequencies to several of the travellers in the strongly tradition-bound Georgia. Now the question of the intentions of the accusations and of the state of evidence at the intervention and at the time of deportation of the Georgians is arousing. This is no longer a private Finnish matter. This hotbed of lies will grow.
Worst floods in Georgia for many years
Heavy rainfall in combination with melting snow have caused serious floodings
in western Georgia. Almost one-third of the country is hit by floodings and
a large part of the infrastructure, mainly power lines, communications and roads,
is damaged. More rain is expected, which forced Georgia to appeal for inernational
assistance to cope with the situation. Only the cost for the repair of roads and
bridges is estimated to 10 million US-dollars.
Read more:
Civil Georgia
BBC
Relief Web
Georgia drops visa regime for Swedes and EU-citizens
15 April 2005
The Georgian Government propose that Georgia will drop the visa demand unilaterally
for citizens of EU, Japan, USA, Canada and Israel. The Parliament is expected to
adopt the proposal in the near future.
Good suggestion!
Finnish authorities insulting treatment of Georgians is getting more troublesome
3 April 2005
Read more about the deportation:
Radio Sweden
YLE
YLE
Georgian Movie Night in Södertälje
12 March 2005
The movie "Since Otar Left" by Julie Bertucelli from 2003 is still shown in
different parts of Sweden. This movie, which has recieved overwhelming good
critics, deals with the life of three women in today's Georgia, when suddenly
a telephone call changes everything.
The film will be shown on 5 April 2005 at 19.00 Hours at the Estrad at Telge Forum,
Järnagatan 26, in Södertälje. Only five minutes walk from the commuter train
station Södertälje Centrum.
Read more about the movie:
Attrition Org
Svenska Dagbladet
