The Kartuli Brief — 2026-07-07 | Sakartvelo Intelligence

საქართველო · ერთობა · ძალა · თავისუფლება

Sovereignty Threat Level

Elevated EU accession suspended · Protest cycle ongoing · Russian pressure steady

Lead

Company Operating Kulevi Refinery Says It Will Process ‘Entirely Non-Russian Origin’ Crude Oil

Black Sea Petroleum, a company owned by Georgian businesswoman Maka Asatiani that operates the newly launched Kulevi oil refinery in western Georgia, announced that it will begin refining “crude oil of entirely non-Russian origin” starting in August-September, saying the shift will “open doors to high-margin markets” for its products. July 1’s statement said the compa…

Sources: Civil.ge

Russia Watch

Georgia’s Annual Inflation at 5.8% in June 2026

Georgia’s annual inflation rate reached 5.8% in June, while consumer prices increased by 0.1% compared to May, according to data released by the National Statistics Office (Geostat) on July 3. The annual inflation rate was driven primarily by higher prices in transport (16.5%), restaurants and hotels (8.4%), miscellaneous goods and services (7.3%), housing, water, electricity, …

Civil.ge

Caucasus

Uzbekistan President Visits Tbilisi, Signs Strategic Partnership Agreement with Georgia

Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev paid an official visit to Georgia — “first-ever at the highest level” — on July 2–3, during which the two countries signed a strategic partnership agreement. The agreement makes Uzbekistan the second Central Asian country to establish a strategic partnership with Georgia, following a similar agreement with Kazakhstan on June 30 …

Civil.ge

"A nation with a populace that is overwhelmingly pro-Western ruled by a government that has frozen that integration—the Sakartvelo Paradox defines the crisis."

— Sakartvelo Unveiled Analysis

GEL/USD

2.64

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GEL/EUR

3.01

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Mid. Corridor TEU

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YoY

Tourism YTD

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FDI

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Protest Index

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Active

Domestic Politics

Armenian Parliamentary speaker Simonyan leaves office after losing ruling party’s backing

Alen Simonyan has been the speaker of the parliament since 2021.

OC Media

Western Response

Azerbaijani woman murdered in Tbilisi in an apparent ‘honour killing’

The sister of the late 20-year-old Fatima Karimova believes that their family carried out a so-called ‘honour killing’.

OC Media

Economy

Georgia launches investigation into TV Formula after pro-government film director’s complaint

The case involves the use of vague criminal code offence which many warn amounted to pressure on Formula.

OC Media

Regional Intelligence

Monday, 6 June 2026

Regional * Georgia once again condemned the agreement between Russia and South Ossetia on deepening cooperation. At the annual session of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s (OSCE PA) General Committee on Political Affairs and Security, the Chair of the Georgian Parliamentary Committee of Foreign, Nikoloz Samkharadze, said that the document was Russia’s attempt to facilitate the annexation of territ…

OC Media

Armenia passes law restricting eligibility of diaspora voters

Diaspora voters will only be able to take part in elections if they have been in Armenia for at least one year within a two-year pre-election period.

OC Media

Assessment & Data

Sovereignty Indicators

EU Accession Status Frozen

NATO MAP Progress Stalled

Press Freedom (RSF) Declining

Foreign Agent Law Enacted

Civil Society Space Narrowing

Public EU Support ~80%

Week Ahead

European Parliament plenary to debate Georgia resolution on Wednesday. Georgian National Bank inflation data due Thursday. Opposition rally planned Saturday in Tbilisi's Freedom Square. Bidzina Ivanishvili expected to address GD party congress. OSCE monitoring mission report on media freedom scheduled for release.

Compiled from multiple sources