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What Happens In Lisbon Stays In Lisbon

Updated

NATO delegates attending the alliance's annual summit last weekend in Lisbon have left a bit of a scandal in their wake.

The Portuguese newspaper "Correio da Manha" reported allegations on November 23 that members of the Georgian delegation, as well as a few of their Armenian counterparts, threw a late night party on November 19, complete with 80 prostitutes.

"Correio da Manha" writes that the prostitutes were snuck into what the newspaper calls "one of the most prestigious" hotels in Lisbon under the guise that they were members of either the Georgian or the Armenian delegation.

The Russian newspaper "Pravda" notes that the party was broken up when some members of the French delegation complained about the noise. "Pravda" doesn't mention that any Armenians may have been involved, only highlighting the alleged Georgian party boys.

UPDATE: A key member of the NATO delegation today told RFE/RL the report was "absolutely groundless." Speaking in Prague, Giorgi Baramidze, Georgia's deputy prime minister and state minister for European and Euro-Atlantic integration, said the security at the hotel was so tight that "even a bird couldn't fly in."

"Judge for yourself," he said. "It's such a stupid thing to even talk about this."

-- Ashley Cleek

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Written by RFE/RL editors and correspondents, Transmission serves up news, comment, and the odd silly dictator story. While our primary concern is with foreign policy, Transmission is also a place for the ideas -- some serious, some irreverent -- that bubble up from our bureaus. The name recognizes RFE/RL's role as a surrogate broadcaster to places without free media. You can write us at transmission+rferl.org

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