The government has been facing calls, including from its American and European allies, to ensure that the former president is being adequately treated. But it accuses Saakashvili of faking his condition.
Tajikistan has struggled for over a decade to raise funds for the world's tallest dam, leaving its population freezing each winter and skimping on basic social services.
As Georgia sees a surge in demand for cargo transit amid the Ukraine war, the government hopes to resume construction of a controversial deep sea port.
The EU demanded that Georgia “deoligarchize” as a condition of gaining formal candidate status. Parliament now is debating a law on how to get that done.
Until last year, ethnic Kyrgyz people were able to cross into neighboring Kyrgyzstan with their Tajik passports. Now they must first travel to a third country, an option few can afford.
Kyiv’s moves against the family of Georgia’s informal leader are just the latest exacerbation of what has become a bitter rivalry between strategic partners.