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Europe
Georgia
19 October 2024 12:38 (UTC +04:00) Georgian people strive for peace, development instead of war, revolution, the country's analyst Chikhelidze told. "The election campaign in Georgia is taking place in a calm atmosphere. The country demonstrates a European, free electoral environment where every party has the opportunity to express its views freely and present its programs to voters. It is important to note that the police are completely depoliticized, and there is no pressure on political opponents," he emphasized. Chikhelidze also pointed out a number of issues that destabilize the electoral process in the country. He highlighted the ongoing attacks by the opposition on the Central Election Commission (CEC) of Georgia, which, in his opinion, undermines trust in the electoral system. According to him, recently, the CEC employees received threats via text messages, raising concerns in society. The analyst expressed concern about the interference of external forces, particularly the West, in the electoral process in Georgia. "External interference in our parliamentary election has reached unprecedented level, directly violating our sovereignty. Over the past few years, Georgia's role as an independent and sovereign state has significantly grown. For the collective West, this poses a threat, as Georgia's growing independence and economic development do not align with their interests. The West cannot accept that Georgia can determine its own path according to the will of its people. There are attempts to play out a scenario similar to that of Ukraine, which led to revolution, war, and destruction, but I want to tell the West: the scenario of Ukraine won't repeat in Georgia!," Chikhelidze said. He also mentioned that in the future, the West will have to accept the election results and work with the government elected by the Georgian people. "The Caucasus region and Georgia are important to the West, but we expect an equal dialogue. We won't tolerate vassal relations from any country," the analyst added. To note, the parliamentary election in Georgia is scheduled for October 26. (Source: en.trend *)
* Trend News Agency, an Azerbaijani, pro-government news agency which focuses on current affairs in the Caucasus region and Central Asia.
by Alasgarl
Africa
Egypt
10/19/2024 Egyp’s geopolitical and financial situation has much improved since the onset of Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza. President el-Sissi secured himself a third term in December's presidential election. Egypt is perceived as an influential country again. US, Qatari and Egyptian diplomats have frequently met in Cairo to negotiate an elusive cease-fire in Gaza and a release of the remaining hostages. Egypt’s new prominence in the Middle East and North Africa had silenced external comment on human rights violations - other governments have been willing to forgive the country's dismal human rights, as well as criticism for its failure to implement democratic structures and political reforms. "Egypt has earned additional support from Washington by cooperating with the Israelis on permission surrounding goods moving into Gaza," said Kaldas, deputy director of the Washington-based Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy. He said US officials had prioritized Egypt's cooperation with Israel and the United States over the rights and freedoms of Egyptians. US Secretary of State Blinken has stopped criticizing Egypt for its dire rights record. Egypt was being generously rewarded for its efforts, Kaldas added. The White House has granted Egypt the full $1.3 billion (€1.2 billion) in military assistance this year. "Whereas in the past, they would at least withhold the portion that was conditioned on human rights,' said Kaldas. Egypt's Rafah crossing in Gaza's south is the only land border that doesn't lead into Israel and has thus become the main entrance gate for humanitarian goods into Gaza. While Egyptians are largely in favor of the Palestinians in Gaza, harsh criticism on Egypt's peace treaty with Israel, which was signed in 1979, or on the collaboration with Israel or the US remains throttled by Egypt's security apparatus. 'Secretary of State Blinken just recently, baselessly and completely unconvincingly certified that Egypt is making progress on the file of political prisoners and rights and freedoms in Egypt, when in fact Egypt is actually doing significantly worse on this front,' said Kaldas. International human rights organization have put the number of political prisoners in Egyptian prisons at more than 70,000. Observers agree that more people are being detained than released. "President el-Sissi has taken advantage of the crisis created by Israel's wars in Gaza and Lebanon to position itself as an essential mediator in the conflict and really just to distract from Egypt's own disastrous human rights crisis and very deep state corruption,' Whitson, executive director of the Washington-based human rights organization Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN), told. In January 2025, Egypt has to prove in what way it has undertaken efforts to promote and protect human rights at the upcoming UN Human Rights Council in Geneva. The population is largely impoverished, the roughly one-third of Egypt's 113 million people are living at or below the poverty line after years of economic crises. Inflation remains at a high of around 26%; prices of staple foods have skyrocketed by more than 70%. Two years ago, heavily indebted Egypt was still hoping for Saudi grants to avert a financial collapse. This year more than $57 billion was invested in and granted to Egypt by the World Bank, European Union and Gulf countries. In October, high-ranking officials from multiple countries have made visits to Egypt. On Tuesday, Saudi Crown Prince bin Salman met with el-Sissi in Cairo to discuss future investments and trade agreements. On Wednesday, Iranian Foreign Minister Araghchi landed in the Egyptian capital for "important talks" with his counterpart, Abdelatty. The last meeting between the Iranian and Egyptian foreign ministers was in 2013. (Source: dw *)
* Deutsche Welle, a German public, state-owned international broadcaster funded by the German federal tax budget.
by Holleis, editor and political analyst specializing in the Middle East and North Africa
+ Film: Fleeing war in Gaza - for a new life in Egypt?
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