georgian

Ex Georgian Leader Appointed Reform Aide In Ukraine

May 7, 2020 6:59 pm

Former Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili on Thursday was appointed to a Ukrainian advisory body on reforms, in a move that marks his comeback to the ex-Soviet country’s politics.

President Volodymyr Zelensky, who has vowed to secure Western investment and rid the country of corruption, last month proposed appointing Saakashvili as deputy prime minister in charge of reform efforts.

But the candidacy of the 52-year-old has apparently failed to garner much support in Kiev and was not even put to a vote in parliament, which is controlled by Zelensky’s ruling party.

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Saakashvili …

Homesickness: Tough Path To The Top For Georgian Sumo Star

December 12, 2019 5:26 pm

The sumo champion hauls his giant frame from the ground, sand and clay caking his sweaty back and fury flashing from his eyes as he chastises himself for his defeat.

His 178-kilogramme (392-pound) body and white mawashi, or belt, are commonplace, but his bright blue eyes and Western features instantly mark out Georgia-born Levan Gorgadze as different in the traditional Japanese sport.

As a teen in 2006, Gorgadze left his mountain village in the Caucasus near the ancient Georgian city of Mtskheta for the bright lights of Tokyo, a city with 10 times as many people as his entire …