AGP Executive Report

Facial Recognition Rollout: Georgia’s interior coordination minister Mamuka Mdinaradze says the government wants to install facial recognition cameras nationwide and buy new anti-drone tech, responding to AlgorithmWatch claims about Russian-made systems and protest surveillance. Energy Sanctions Pivot: Georgia’s Kulevi refinery plans to stop processing Russian crude in August–September 2026, switching to non-Russian supplies and expanding automation with Honeywell, while also planning bitumen and later jet fuel production. Regional Tech & Security: A new KPMG report says Central Asia and the Caucasus are rapidly scaling AI in industry and boosting cybersecurity budgets, with many firms expecting revenue growth. Transport & Trade Links: Kazakhstan–Georgia cooperation keeps moving forward, including plans for higher-level talks and investment across sectors like IT, energy, and logistics corridors. Education Reform: Georgia’s education ministry outlines new STEM and humanitarian textbooks by 2028 and a phased school-uniform rollout, including a physics cover tied to Georgia’s first satellite.

Energy & Transport: InterpressNews toured Batumi Oil Terminal and Batumi Seaport, highlighting 1,200+ jobs and the terminals’ role in the Middle Corridor linking the Caspian to Black Sea and European markets. Security Tech & Rights: Mamuka Mdinaradze says Georgia may expand facial recognition cameras nationwide for crime prevention, responding to AlgorithmWatch claims about Russian systems used against protesters. Digital Advertising: Coob Ads became an official Google Ads sales representative in Georgia (plus Moldova, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Uzbekistan), aiming to localize support for growing online markets. Urban Mobility: Tbilisi City Hall launched an ADB-rule tender for a technical-economic feasibility study of a city railway corridor using existing lines to connect Mtskheta, Rustavi, the airport, and eastern districts. Education & STEM: Georgia plans new unified textbooks in humanitarian and STEM subjects by Sep 15, 2028, with national-value visuals and a gradual rollout of mandatory school uniforms. Pharma Innovation: GM PHARMA unveiled a refreshed brand identity tied to “DNA” and says it continues exporting 100+ products across regional markets. Regional Diplomacy: Uzbekistan’s Mirziyoyev visits Tbilisi July 2–3 to push trade, investment, transport links, and cooperation in IT, pharma, chemicals, and energy.

Public Security Tech: Georgia’s interior ministry says it will try to install facial recognition cameras nationwide, responding to AlgorithmWatch claims about a Russian system used to identify protesters. Education & STEM: The education ministry plans a full overhaul of school textbooks and gradual mandatory uniforms, with new STEM books by 2028 and physics covers featuring Georgia’s first satellite launch. Urban Mobility: Tbilisi City Hall launched an international tender for a technical and economic feasibility study of a city railway corridor linking the capital to Mtskheta, Rustavi, the airport and eastern districts using existing rail. Energy Infrastructure: SOCAR takes over operatorship of the Baku–Tbilisi–Ceyhan pipeline from bp, while BTC reports cumulative throughput of 4.7B barrels. Digital Advertising Market: Coob Ads became an official Google Ads sales representative in Georgia (plus Armenia, Azerbaijan, Moldova, Uzbekistan). Pharma Branding: GM PHARMA unveiled a renewed identity tied to DNA and highlights its R&D and export footprint.

Google Ads Expansion: Coob Ads was named Google’s official Google Ads sales representative starting July 1, 2026, covering Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova, and Uzbekistan—part of a push for localized digital marketing support. Cybercrime & AI Scams: A major investigation describes how scammers use AI-powered tools from US tech firms to run mass romance and impersonation fraud, with victims including people in Georgia. Surveillance & Rights: AlgorithmWatch reports Georgia’s interior ministry has used a sanctioned Russian facial recognition system (Polyface) to identify and track protesters, raising human-rights alarms. Regional Tech & Trade: Georgian PM Irakli Kobakhidze met Kazakhstan leaders and signed a strategic partnership framework touching culture, information, technology, tourism, and transport connectivity. Space Tech: Israel says it’s developing a space-based laser weapon to target satellites, adding to the growing arms race in orbit. Science & Heritage: Archaeologists in Armenia uncovered a rare Queen Tamar-era coin and medieval “Tama” game fragments at Amberd Fortress. Local Industry: Georgia’s environment minister visited Nutrimaxi, a modern animal feed plant supported by state programs, producing for domestic and export markets.

Space Security: Israel says it’s developing a space-based laser weapon to target satellites, reviving Cold War-style debates about weaponizing orbit. Human Rights Oversight: An OSCE meeting in Vienna warns torture prevention is still failing, calling for stronger safeguards, independent monitoring, and real accountability in detention. Georgia Surveillance: AlgorithmWatch reports Georgia’s interior ministry has used a sanctioned Russian facial recognition system to identify and track protesters, raising major civil-rights concerns. Agri-Tech & Industry: Environment and Agriculture Minister David Songulashvili visited Nutrimaxi, a modern compound feed plant supported via state programs, highlighting Georgia’s push to scale tech-enabled livestock inputs. Regional Connectivity: Kazakhstan and Georgia signed a joint statement upgrading ties to a strategic partnership, with cooperation flagged across energy, transport, digitalization, agriculture, and tourism. Cybercrime Tech: A major investigation links AI-enabled tools from US tech firms to large-scale online scam operations, including targeting victims in Georgia. Archaeology: Armenia’s Amberd Fortress excavation uncovered a rare Queen Tamar-era coin and medieval game pieces, underscoring historic Georgia-Armenia connections. Finance & Innovation: Lion Finance Group’s Investor Day in Tbilisi drew international investors and emphasized digital transformation and tech innovation. Marine Sustainability: The EcoMarine Index was launched to rate ocean sustainability across the Black and Caspian Seas using science-based ESG scoring.

Georgia–Kazakhstan Strategic Partnership: Kazakhstan and Georgia elevated ties to a strategic partnership after Astana talks, with plans spanning energy, transport connectivity, agriculture, digitalization, tourism, and education, plus interest in expanding oil shipments via BTC. Trans-Caspian Connectivity: Coverage highlights the Middle Corridor’s push through Kazakhstan, the Caspian, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Turkey as a faster China-to-Europe route that avoids Russia. AI Surveillance in Tbilisi: AlgorithmWatch reports Georgia’s Interior Ministry uses the sanctioned Russian facial recognition system Polyface (Papillon AO) to identify protest participants, raising concerns about biometric data access. Eurasian Development Bank Expansion: The EDB is considering adding 11 potential new members, including Georgia and Gulf states, aiming to broaden its regional development reach. Cybercrime Tech Abuse: An AP investigation describes scammers using AI-powered software from US tech firms to scale romance and impersonation fraud across dozens of countries. Education & Peacebuilding: Batumi University opened a Peace Education Center, while Georgia’s higher-ed links expand via new articulation agreements. Archaeology: Armenia reported finds at Amberd Fortress, including fragments of the medieval game “Tama” and a Queen Tamar coin.

Trans-Caspian Tech & Trade: Kazakhstan and Georgia are pushing the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route harder, with plans to grow container trains to 3,000 by 2029, expand port activity beyond Batumi, and speed up digitalization and GovTech cooperation, including exchanges on online public services and support for Georgian startups. AI Surveillance Alarm: A Germany-based watchdog says Georgian authorities are using Russian facial recognition tech to identify anti-government protesters in Tbilisi, pointing to PTZ camera deployments and a “special electronic system” used to match footage to suspects. Drone Safety Watch: A new commentary links drone-enabled plots and prison smuggling to a broader public safety problem, arguing restrictions won’t stop the trend as components stay easy to source. Peace Education in Batumi: Batumi University opened a Peace Education Center focused on conflict study and peace-building, aiming to strengthen ties with people in occupied regions through education. Industrial Maintenance Scaling: eMaint launched a Global Partner Network to expand expert services and speed adoption of maintenance software across industrial asset management markets. Cyber-Adjacent Tech: A report on document AI highlights how OCR errors can cascade through AI pipelines, with Mistral OCR 4 moving toward unified extraction and structured outputs.

STEM Education in Batumi: Batumi Shota Rustaveli State University opened a Center for Peace Education, aiming to teach students about conflict history and modern peace-building processes, with support from Georgia’s education minister and Adjara officials. Regional Connectivity: China is backing a Caspian “Middle Corridor” shipping route to Europe that avoids Russia and Middle East conflict zones, cutting transit to about 15–18 days but still facing low capacity and port/rail upgrades. Defense & Training: The trilateral “Caucasus Eagle 2026” special forces exercise concluded near Tbilisi, with drills ranging from raids and breaching to helicopter insertions, boosting interoperability among Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Türkiye. Georgian Business & Tech: The EU and UNDP’s Inclusive Access to Markets project helped 306 Georgian SMEs improve export readiness, including 25 entering EU markets for the first time, while Georgia’s “Enterprise Georgia” program reported financing for 1,279 entrepreneurs and progress on a Kutaisi Technology Hub. AI/Docs Reliability: Mistral AI’s OCR 4 targets document-processing failures by unifying layout detection, text recognition, and classification in one pass to reduce error propagation.

Russian Influence & Security: Lawyer Miceál O’Hurley says the Russian Orthodox Church has become a Kremlin political tool, with the “Russkiy Mir” ideology projected across Europe through church structures, raising hard questions about sanctions and national security. Regional Defense Drills: “Caucasus Eagle 2026” special forces exercises concluded near Tbilisi with Azerbaijan, Georgia and Türkiye, featuring raids, building-clearing, engineering breaching and helicopter insertions—aimed at boosting readiness and interoperability. Occupied Regions Governance: Georgian civil society urged UN, EU, EUMM, OSCE and NATO over Russia’s “gradual annexation” of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali, citing new “deepening allied cooperation” steps and risks to sovereignty. AI for Document Processing: Mistral AI’s OCR 4 targets error propagation in document pipelines by unifying layout detection, text recognition and classification into a single pass with structured outputs. Transport & Urban Tech: ADB launched a tender for a feasibility study on a rail link connecting Tbilisi, Rustavi, Mtskheta and the future Airport City, including demand forecasts and environmental and social assessments. SME Export Push: EU-UNDP support helped Georgian SMEs expand toward EU markets, reporting new jobs and first-time EU entrants.

Caucasus Eagle-2026: A trilateral special forces drill near Tbilisi at the Mukhrovani base wrapped up, with Azerbaijan, Georgia and Türkiye completing raids, building-clearing, explosive breaching and helicopter insertions—aimed at boosting regional security cooperation and interoperability. AI & Industry: Mistral AI says its OCR 4 tackles a common enterprise document problem—errors that cascade through multi-stage AI document pipelines—by unifying layout detection, text recognition and classification into a single pass with structured outputs. Digital Governance Spotlight: Cambodia’s verify.gov.kh won the UN Public Service Award, citing upgrades that add AI, biometrics and stronger cybersecurity to cut document fraud and speed verification. Transport Planning for Georgia: The ADB launched a tender for a feasibility study on a rail link connecting Tbilisi, Rustavi, Mtskheta and a future Airport City, including demand forecasts and environmental and social assessments. SME Exports: EU and UNDP support helped Georgian SMEs expand—306 firms trained since 2023, with new jobs created and first-time EU market entries.

Public Service Week 2026: Georgia’s tech-adjacent governance push gets a spotlight as Public Service Week (June 21–26) calls for more efficient, accountable, people-centered public delivery and “innovation” across services. Regional Security Drills: Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey wrapped the “Caucasian Eagle 2026” special-operations exercise near Tbilisi, with coordinated raids, building-clearing and engineering demolitions. EU/UN Market Access for SMEs: EU and UNDP support helped 306 Georgian SMEs (73% women-led) boost export readiness since 2023—960 new jobs, 25 first-time EU market entries, and ~5% average export revenue growth. Transport & Urban Tech Planning: ADB launched a tender for a feasibility study on a rail link connecting Tbilisi, Rustavi, Mtskheta and an Airport City, including demand forecasts and environmental and social assessments. Spatial Planning Rules: Parliament advanced amendments to Georgia’s spatial planning and construction code, focusing on cultural heritage objects and protected zones in Tbilisi. Tech in Education: Georgia’s broader STEM ecosystem continues to grow as Global Tech Weekend Tbilisi 2026 returns for a second edition with TBC support.

Geopolitical Security: Georgian civil society sent a letter to the UN, EU, EUMM, OSCE and NATO condemning Russia’s “gradual annexation” of occupied Abkhazia and Tskhinvali, citing the May 9, 2026 “Deepening Allied Cooperation” deal as a new legal basis for control. SME Growth: Ahead of Micro-, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises Day (27 June), the EU and UNDP say their Inclusive Access to Markets support helped 306 Georgian SMEs (73% women-led) boost export readiness, creating 960 jobs and getting 25 firms into EU markets for the first time. Transport & Infrastructure: The ADB launched a tender for a feasibility study on a rail link connecting Tbilisi, Rustavi, Mtskheta and the future Airport City, using existing Georgian Railway infrastructure and forecasting demand for 10/20/30-year horizons. Urban Planning: Parliament approved amendments to Georgia’s Spatial Planning and construction code, focusing on rules for cultural heritage objects and protected zones in Tbilisi. Tech & Education: Global Tech Weekend Tbilisi 2026 returned for a second edition, with TBC as main supporter, while separate reports highlight STEM and AI-focused education initiatives abroad. Digital Governance Benchmark: Cambodia’s verify.gov.kh won a UN Public Service Award in Tbilisi for AI- and biometric-enabled document verification to cut fraud and speed up public services.

EU Visa Dispute: Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili calls an EU proposal to suspend Georgia’s visa-free regime for most citizens “fascism,” arguing it would privilege students, journalists, and civil society while excluding workers, farmers, engineers, and doctors. Public Transport Planning: The Asian Development Bank launched a tender for a feasibility study on a rail link connecting Tbilisi, Rustavi, Mtskheta, and the future Airport City, with demand forecasts and environmental and social assessments. Spatial Rules for Heritage: Georgia’s Parliament approved amendments to the spatial planning and construction code, tightening how construction permits and supervision work around cultural heritage objects and protected zones in Tbilisi. Tech & Education Momentum: Global Tech Weekend Tbilisi 2026 drew 10,000+ attendees across multiple city venues, while Dr. Melissa Busbin received a national CYBER.ORG educator award in the US for AI, cybersecurity, and digital citizenship teaching. Digital Government Showcase: Cambodia’s verify.gov.kh won a UN Public Service Award in Tbilisi for document verification using AI, biometrics, and stronger cybersecurity. Local Enterprise Support: PM Irakli Kobakhidze said Enterprise Georgia financed 1,279 entrepreneurs and highlighted the progressing Kutaisi Technology Hub project.

Digital Governance Award: Cambodia’s verify.gov.kh document verification platform won the 2026 UN Public Service Award for transparent, accountable public services, with upgrades including AI, biometrics, scalable infrastructure and stronger cybersecurity. Transport & Cities: The Asian Development Bank launched a tender for a feasibility study on a regional rail system linking Tbilisi with Rustavi, Mtskheta and the future Airport City, including demand forecasts, station planning and environmental and social assessments. Spatial Planning Law: Georgia’s Parliament backed amendments to the Spatial Planning and Construction code, focusing on rules for cultural heritage objects and protected zones within Tbilisi’s administrative boundaries. UN Public Service Forum (DPI): Bangladesh’s ICT minister used the Tbilisi forum to outline a citizen-first digital public infrastructure roadmap, highlighting services via EkPay, myGov and a national helpline. Tech Ecosystem Spotlight: Global Tech Weekend Tbilisi 2026 drew 10,000+ attendees across multiple city venues, with major brand participation and workshops. Local Research & Culture: An exhibition on Tbilisi courtyards opens June 26 at the History Museum, presenting an interdisciplinary research project with maps, archives and photo essays.

UN Digital Governance: Bangladesh’s Posts, Telecommunications and IT minister Faqir Mahbub Anam told the UN Public Service Forum in Tbilisi that “digital-first” public services should reach citizens in remote areas via DPI tools like myGov’ and the 333 helpline. Tech Ecosystem: Global Tech Weekend Tbilisi 2026 drew 10,000+ attendees (June 19–21) with multi-venue talks, workshops and networking, with TBC as main supporter. AI in Healthcare: PatientGenie partnered with Rosebank Sports Medicine & Therapy to automate workers’ comp and auto-accident referral scheduling using AI calls and SMS. Digital Public Infrastructure Exports: Cambodia highlighted its digital government progress at the same UN forum, including cooperation talks on verify.gov platforms. EU-Georgia Visa Clash: Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili criticized an EU proposal that would keep visa-free entry only for select groups (students, journalists, civil society), calling it “fascism.” Energy & Industry: Armenia began design and cost-estimate work for a UEFA-standard 10,000-seat stadium in Ijevan, aiming for construction decisions after documentation is ready. Security Tech Angle: Russia plans to boost mandatory initial military training in schools from Sept 1, adding UAV study and more field exercises.

Digital Governance & Public Services: Saudi Arabia’s SDAIA won the UN Public Service Award for its National Data Bank and Estishraf platform, highlighting data-sharing and analytics upgrades aimed at improving government services. Energy Storage & Grid Buildout: New BESS capacity is surging in the US, with researchers pointing to momentum in states including Georgia as utilities push faster, flexible power. Regional Tech & Ticketing: Eventhub expanded its ticketing features to make European event sales accessible to local buyers, linking Armenian and Georgian partners for cross-border ticket access. Education & Skills: Georgia Tech finalized a $70M renovation plan for Bobby Dodd Stadium, while Georgia’s surrogacy market faces new scrutiny over social-media recruitment of women from Central Asia. Infrastructure & Construction in Georgia: Batumi’s Ambassadori Island First Tower entered a new construction phase, with deep foundation piles and reinforced structures progressing ahead of schedule. Middle Corridor Logistics: Kazakhstan plans major dredging at Aktau Port to boost Trans-Caspian capacity, with Georgia positioned as a key link in the route. EU Security & Tech Policy: The European Commission proposed stronger mandates for Europol and Eurojust and updates to data rules to tackle cross-border digital crime and AI-enabled threats.