As the minister explained, at the first stage, those families will be verified, in whose case there is a high probability that they will no longer meet the conditions for receiving benefits. One of the main indicators that will serve as the basis for verifying a family is the receipt of an income of more than 2,000 GEL per month over the past three months.Mikheil Sarjveladze emphasized that an income of 2,000 GEL does not mean the automatic cancellation of the status, but rather it is a signal to the ministry to reassess the family's economic situation.The state uses dozens of criteria to verify the social situation. According to the minister, the system is complex and only one item or income does not create the final picture.“Dozens of criteria are involved in this system, including the volume of utility bills and other factors. In some cases, maintaining the status is determined by a health problem or the status of a disabled person. Overall, the picture that is created is the basis for the decision. If the family has positive dynamics and its situation has improved, it should naturally no longer remain in the database,” Sarjveladze said.The head of the department explained that the ministry’s task is not to save the budget. According to him, the main goal of the reform is to distribute state resources as efficiently as possible and to spend every tetri on supporting those people for whom it is critically important.According to the minister, the correct grouping will allow the state to direct more opportunities and resources to those who are actually in a difficult financial and economic situation.We would like to remind you that the Ministry of Health announced the decision to actively verify the database of socially vulnerable families a few days ago.

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Kobakhidze highlighted that over 70% of foreigners in Georgia come from post-Soviet countries, the EU, the U.S., or Israel, with the remaining 30% originating from other nations.Regarding residence permits, 107,307 permits have been issued to citizens from 164 countries. Key countries include: Russia: 32,129 permits (29.9%), with roughly 30% being ethnic Georgians or former Georgian citizens. India: 23,930, mostly students. Azerbaijan: 6.3%, largely ethnic Azerbaijanis who left and later returned. Ukraine: 6,290 with residence permits; an additional 25,000 Ukrainians reside in Georgia under refugee status, totaling around 30,000. Armenia: over 5,000, mainly returnees with Armenian citizenship. Belarus: 3,738. Turkey: 3,645 (3.4%). Iran: 3,331 (3.1%). Sudan: 2%, mostly medical students. China: over 2,000 (1.9%), mainly labor for infrastructure projects. Jordan: over 2,000 (1.9%), mainly medical students. Pakistan: 1,618 (1.5%), mainly medical students. Egypt: 1,341 (1.2%), mostly medical students. USA: over 1,000 (1%). Kobakhidze noted that residence permit data provides a clear picture of the presence and origins of foreigners in Georgia, offering insight into migration patterns and the composition of the foreign population.

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Kobakhidze emphasized that recent legislative changes, including amendments to the Law on the Legal Status of Foreigners and the criminal and administrative codes, have significantly strengthened immigration control.In 2025, more illegal migrants were deported from Georgia than in the previous ten years combined, the Prime Minister said. For 2026, the government plans to deport approximately 4,000 individuals, representing around 20% of the country’s illegal migrant population.He also provided a country breakdown of deported migrants: India – 20.5%, Turkey – 12.9%, Iran – 12%, China – 7.5%, and Russia – 5.6%. Kobakhidze stressed that enhancing enforcement is feasible due to ongoing reforms in the Ministry of Internal Affairs’ Migration Department.

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“This is a big mistake to allow the aggressor to take something. It was a big mistake at the very beginning, starting with 2014. And even before that, during the attack and occupation of parts of Georgia. And even before that, when Chechnya was occupied, with total destruction and one million casualties – both killed and wounded,” wrote Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the X Platform.According to the Ukrainian President, other whould not commit the same mistake, since Putin will not stop with “kisses or flowers,” but become stronger and attack them.“Many mistakes were made. That’s why now I don’t want to be the President who will repeat the mistakes made by my predecessors or other people. I’m not just speaking about Ukraine. I’m speaking about the leaders of different countries that allowed an aggressive country like Russia to come onto their territory.Because you can’t stop Putin with your kisses or flowers. I never did it and that’s why I don’t feel that it’s the right way. My advice to everybody – don’t do that with Putin.Otherwise, there will be a first step, then in five years, he will rebuild his military, increase the number of soldiers, his army will be well trained. Because he has lost a lot of well-trained people. He is losing 30–35 thousand people per month now.Can you imagine this in the 21st century? Can you imagine – he’s losing 35,000 each month? I’m not sure that he knows about it,” he said.

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According to Irakli Kobakhidze, 70% of foreigners living in Georgia are citizens of post-Soviet countries, the European Union, the United States and Israel, while the total share of countries in the region, such as Turkey and Iran, is only 0.7% of the Georgian population. The Prime Minister paid special attention to the legislative changes planned from March 1, according to which the labor activity of foreigners in Georgia will be significantly restricted. According to him, this step serves to protect the interests of the country's economy and local citizens, for which the government takes full responsibility.In addition, the Prime Minister noted that the government is strengthening the Migration Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. He explained that over the past year, more illegal migrants have been expelled from the country than in the previous 10 years combined. According to Kobakhidze, there are currently more than 20 thousand illegal migrants in the country and the goal is to completely rid Georgia of them in a few years. The Prime Minister also reminded the public of the 2017 constitutional amendment that prohibited the alienation of agricultural land to foreigners, which he said is another proof of the protection of national interests.

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Against this backdrop, the Speaker of Parliament, Shalva Papuashvili, framed the situation as politically motivated and accused protesting ISU representatives of aligning with former president Mikheil Saakashvili. According to Papuashvili, the interests of Saakashvili’s political team stand behind the ongoing resistance to the reforms.Papuashvili also described the current higher education system as “problematic” and defended the government’s new “one city, one faculty” model. He argued that the reform is “so logical” that only those with “subjective interests” would oppose it.The new quota decision significantly reshapes Ilia State University, which currently enrolls more than 17,000 students and offers 36 academic programs. As of next year, only 16 programs will remain, most of them with symbolic quotas of 10–30 students, raising doubts about their operational viability.The government has entirely removed the university’s right to accept students into many of its most popular and strategically important fields, including: Social Sciences: Psychology, Sociology, Political Science, International Relations Business & Law: All business administration programs (management, tourism, finance) and the Faculty of Law Humanities & Arts: Philosophy, Archaeology, Architecture, Film Studies, Music Technology: English-language Computer Science program These cancellations affect some of ISU’s strongest and highest-demand programs, prompting concern from academics and policy observers.Education experts warn that the sweeping cuts appear to undermine the university’s academic autonomy and could be part of a political effort to weaken one of the country’s leading liberal arts institutions. With most major programs abolished and only narrow specialties remaining, critics say the reforms could destabilize the entire institution.Some analysts argue that the scale and speed of the quota reductions effectively amount to a restructuring that threatens Ilia State University’s long-term sustainability.

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According to TI, 50 is the average result on a 100-point scale, and Georgia has not had such a low score since 2013, despite the fact that it remains the leader in the Eastern Europe and Central Asia region.“The Corruption Perceptions Index mainly measures the vulnerability of a country’s public sector to corruption, for example, how widespread petty bribery is. Georgia’s average score indicates that petty bribery is not widespread in the country.However, the index does not measure such complex forms of corruption as state capture and kleptocracy. This is precisely the main challenge in terms of corruption in Georgia.The Corruption Perception Index is conducted in 182 countries. Countries are evaluated using a 100-point system, where 100 is a positive result and 0 is a negative result.According to the accompanying analysis of the 2025 results, Georgia's decline in score and, consequently, its increase in corruption risk is directly related to the decline of democracy and the rise of autocracy in the country:“Georgia illustrates how democratic backsliding directly fuels corruption risks. The ruling party has introduced a so-called “Foreign Agents” law and a Grants Law, which are anti-democratic measures that criminalise legitimate NGO activity and brand independent voices as foreign agents. It has also intensified its campaign against dissent through politically motivated prosecutions, media restrictions, freezing NGO bank accounts and violent crackdowns on protesters and journalists. Following disputed 2024 elections and the suspension of EU integration talks, international observers now describe Georgia as undergoing an authoritarian turn, with proposals to ban opposition parties and deepen political control over the civil service, police and judiciary. This is creating severely increased corruption risks and damaging Georgia’s society as a whole.In almost two thirds of countries whose CPI scores have significantly declined since 2012, there has been a worrying pattern of restriction on freedoms of expression, association and assembly. In the last decade, politicised interference with NGO operations in countries such as Georgia, Indonesia, Peru and Tunisia has seen governments introduce new laws to limit access to funding or even disband organisations that scrutinise and criticise them, often paired with smear campaigns and intimidation. In these contexts it is harder for independent journalists, civil society organisations and whistleblowers to freely speak out against corruption, and more likely that corrupt officials can continue misusing their power” , - the document reads. 

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Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Kobakhidze emphasized the importance of the discussions held with academic staff and university leadership.“The healthy discussion that took place yesterday was very important. We listened to the academic community and took their arguments and positions into account. Ultimately, the decision we reached together with the representatives of the Georgian Technical University was very important,” he said.The Prime Minister stressed that Georgia currently faces significant challenges in technical education, both in state and private sectors, and a shortage of qualified personnel in fields such as engineering, architecture, and construction.“Our main task is to ensure that technical disciplines develop qualitatively. We must enrich our country’s workforce in these areas, and special attention will be paid to strengthening the resources of the Technical University,” Kobakhidze added.He also announced that GTU will revert to its pre-independence model, retaining only the faculties that existed before the 1990s, a move aimed at consolidating resources and enhancing the quality of technical education in Georgia.

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According to the publication, Moscow justified the move by citing the position of so-called Abkhazian deputies, who reportedly expressed dissatisfaction with “Moscow’s interference in internal affairs.”The newspaper notes that of the approximately 243,000 people living in Abkhazia, 190,000 hold Russian citizenship. Following Moscow’s decision, Abkhazians will now have to travel to Russia to obtain a Russian internal passport. The article states that this decision “cannot be called Russia’s successful policy towards Abkhazia.”Locally, the Kremlin’s decision has been perceived as: “You don’t want Russian passports - keep only Abkhazian passports, which are not recognized by anyone in the world.” Nezavisimaya Gazeta adds that Russia’s presence in Abkhazia is increasingly raising questions among the local population.The so-called Ministry of Internal Affairs in occupied Abkhazia reported that 19,140 applications for Russian driver’s licenses have been submitted, and 18,050 licenses have been issued. From April 1, Abkhazians with Russian citizenship will no longer be allowed to drive vehicles in Russia using Abkhazian driver’s licenses.Following the August 2008 Russian-Georgian war, Russia occupied the Georgian regions of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali, where Kremlin forces continue to maintain control.

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According to the presidential administration, Mikheil Kavelashvili and Maka Bochorishvili attended a reception hosted by International Olympic Committee member Kirsty Coventry. It was within the framework of this event that they communicated with leaders of various countries, including high-ranking representatives of the US administration.Other high-level meetings are also planned as part of the visit. In particular, Mikheil Kavelashvili will attend a gala dinner, which will be held on behalf of the President of Italy, Sergio Mattarella, in honor of the heads of foreign states attending the opening ceremony of the XXV Olympic Winter Games.To remind, the host of the Winter Olympic Games this year is Italy, where world leaders are holding informal diplomatic meetings in parallel with the sporting event.

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