GEORGIA The Ministry of Defense has made claims in the court against hundreds of former soldiers who have violated conditions of the contract, the Center for Human Rights said. The center said that the vast majority of respondents concluded the contracts with the ministry headed by Minister Irakli Okruashvili. At …

GEORGIA Georgia’s minister for refugees and accommodation has granted refugee status to a Russian soldier who deserted on July 1, a senior official said on Tuesday. Dmitry Artemyev left his post at a Russian base in the South-Ossetian controlled village of Perevi near the Georgian town of Sachkhere after claiming …

ROMANIA Romania’s tourism minister answered questions before a parliamentary committee Tuesday and denied some allegations that she misspent government funds. Elena Udrea’s participation in the hearing was a reversal from her previous refusal to cooperate. Last week she filed a legal complaint against the committee on the grounds that it …