For Georgian officials, the exhibit also offers a way to redirect international attention away from the images of last year's five-day war with Russia. "What this means is that finally we have seen a serious exhibition in Georgia," commented Minister of Culture Nikoloz Rurua at the Picasso show's May 30 opening.
The latest Arab entity to establish a presence in Georgia is Fresh, an Egyptian home appliances manufacturer. In conjunction with a local partner, Georgian International Holdings, the Egyptian company is creating a subsidiary, Fresh Georgia, which plans to spend an estimated $100 million to develop a free industrial zone in the central Georgian city of Kutaisi.
Georgia is facing a new challenge in its quest to reclaim the separatist territories of Abkhazia and South Ossetia: the planned introduction of hundreds of Russian border guards.
Eight months ago Georgia suffered a humiliating defeat at the hands of the Russian army. The repercussions of the military disaster have been far reaching, yet Georgians do no seem inclined to vent their frustrations on ethnic Russians living in Georgia.
On a recent morning at Tbilisi's central construction market, the labyrinth of passages and storefronts were largely quiet. Just three months ago, Edik, a 56 year-old shop owner, was making 700 lari ($419) in sales per day. These days, amid the global economic slowdown, a typical day generates as little as 50 lari (roughly $30) in income.
Six weeks after he left the Russian army to seek asylum in Georgia, former Junior Sergeant Alexander Glukhov has traded life on the South Ossetian frontlines for a new apartment and new friends in Tbilisi.
As Georgia's opposition warms up for spring protests, a former prime minister's corruption accusations against President Mikheil Saakashvili signal that a period of post-war political calm in Tbilisi is drawing to a close. The accusations -- to date, unsubstantiated -- reflect the soap-opera-like nature of the infighting among Georgia's political elite.
