The European Union has warned Georgia it may suspend its financial aid after the government and opposition leaders failed to reach an agreement on ending a deadlock despite several rounds of the EU-mediated talks.

Pozner, who rose to fame in the United States as a unabashed apologist for the Kremlin due to his unusual status as a Soviet-American-French citizen, had arrived in the capital Tbilisi, ostensibly for a lavish feast for his 87th birthday. He was accompanied by an coterie of pro-Kremlin government reporters and swishy Russian pop culture figures.

The World Bank forecasts an economic recovery in the South Caucasus and in Central Asia this year, with further growth expected in 2022.

Georgia’s first decade of independence saw its share of chaos and at times even anarchy. But in the last 20 years, it’s prided itself on political and economic progress. It intends to formally apply for EU membership in 2024. It also wants to join NATO, irritating the country's former Soviet master, Russia.