THEMIS AND REFORMIS
(Weekly Press Digest: April 23, 2006)
Along with Russia’s “wine war” with Georgia and Moldova, and the opposition-declared boycott to the Parliament majority, the country’s judiciary system has been the focus of the week. The issue came to the fore following the President Mikheil Saakashvili’s call for reforms to the sector at a meeting held with the Parliament majority in the State Office on April 18.
CUSTOMS DEPARTMENT TO TIGHTEN CONTROL ON CUSTOMS TERMINALS
(Daily News: April 19, 2006)
The Custom Department toughened control over customs terminals following an adequate request made by Finance Minister Alexi Alexishvili.
Zurab Antelidze, the chief of the Customs Department, says the licenses of all warehouses will be revoked unless they provide compliance with set standards in 10 days’ term.
GEORGIAN DELEGATION REVIEWS ECONOMIC COOPERATION PROSPECTS WITH KUWAIT
(Daily News: April 17, 2006)
The Georgian delegation led by Prime Minister Zurab Nogaideli has left for Kuwait for a two-day visit today.
According to the Prime Minister’s office, the delegation will consider prospects of economic cooperation and possibilities to attract Kuwaiti investment.
IN SEARCH OF TRUTH
(Weekly Press Digest: April 16, 2006)
This week's developments, rather statements, have raised a lot of questions. Is the country’s present state seen differently inside and outside of the country? Where is the truth – maybe in the wine (as it is said, in vino veritas)?
The wine this week has been one of the key focuses of the media actively speculating about the President Mikheil Saakashvili’s message from China that Defense Minister Irakli Okruashvili will lead the search of new markets for the Georgian wine.
KAZAKH KAZMUNAIGAS SERVICE TO ACQUIRE LIKANI RESORT COMPLEX
(Daily News: April 12, 2006)
The state-owned resort complex in Likani (the Borjomi district) will be acquired by Kazakh Kazmunaigazservice, Prime Minister Zurab Nogaideli told journalists after the government meeting today. He said that negotiations had been underway for five months and the Kazakh company was selected from four candidates.
BUDGET TO BE ADJUSTED BY 162M LARI
(Daily News: April 12, 2006)
The budget 2006 is planned to be amended by 162 million lari, Prime Minister Zurab Nogaideli and Finance Minister Alexi Alexishvili told journalists by the end of the governmental meeting today. The amendments will be made to tax and non-tax incomes.
WHOLE GOVERNMENT TO “FIGHT” FOR NEW MARKETS FOR WINES INCLUDING DEFENSE MINISTER
(Daily News: April 12, 2006)
President Mikheil Saakashvili has said the government should focus on maintaining the wine sector following Russia’s ban on its import. Prime Minister Zurab Nogaideli will coordinate the issue inside the country and within the CIS, while a special group led by Defense Minister Irakli Okruashvili will seek new markets, the President told journalists today.
80% OF FUNDS DERIVED FROM LAND PRIVATIZATION TO GO TO LOCAL BUDGETS
(Daily News: April 11, 2006)
Parliament has approved in the first hearing today amendments to the law “On Distribution of Tax, Non-Tax and Capital Revenues among Budgets”.
Under the amendments, 20% of funds derived from the selling of state-owned lands will go to the state budget, while 80% to local budgets.
UNLIKE PRIME MINISTER PARLIAMENT SPEAKER SEES NO REASON FOR GEORGIA TO STAY IN CIS
(Daily News: April 11, 2006)
Nino Burjanadze, the chair of Parliament, has said at a plenary meeting of Parliament today, Georgia’s further stay within the CIS under present circumstances was no longer necessary.
Russia applies “illegal methods” against Georgia – imposing a ban on the import of Georgian wines, citruses and other agriculture products; now there are speculations about limiting bank transfers, the speaker says.
US CONGRESSMEN VISITING GEORGIA TO SEE ONGOING REFORMS
(Daily News: April 10, 2006)
A US Congressional Delegation is visiting Georgia. The delegation met with Prime Minister Zurab Nogaideli in the State Office yesterday.
FEE FOR NATURAL RESOURCES CONSUMPTION RAISES CONFUSION
(Daily News: April 6, 2006)
Officials of the legislative and executive branch of the government have blamed each other for incompetence over the confusion surrounding the fee for the consumption of natural resources.
Zurab Tkemaladze, the opposition Industrialists leader, claimed at a news briefing today the government has collected illegally the fee for the consumption of natural resources from entrepreneurs for a year.
GEORGIAN WINE-MAKERS TO VISIT RUSSIA NEXT WEEK
(Daily News: April 6, 2006)
The delegation of Georgian winemakers plans to visit Russia on April 12-13 and meet with Russian businessmen in an effort to deal with problems Georgian wines have faced on the Russian market. Among planned measures are wine-testing and broad information campaign.
TBILAVIAMSHENI SEEKING LICENSE FOR BUSINESS CLASS JET ASSEMBLY
(Daily News: April 4, 2006)
Tbilaviamsheni (the Tbilisi air plant) will launch procedures leading to obtaining a license on a serial production of TAMJet and TAMAirs business class jets from May, says Pantiko Tordia, head of Tbilaviamsheni.
Tbilaviamsheni announced the intention to commence the serial production still last year, but it says, the process of obtaining the license is “extended and expensive”.
24 Saati: “POLICY ACCOMPANIED BY WINE”
(Economic Press Monitor: March 28, 2006)
According to the letter of Gennady Onishenko, the head of Russian service of protection of customers, the operation of sanitary and epidemiological decisions on wine imports from Georgia and Moldova is stooped from March 27.
Levan Koberidze, the marketing manager of GWS, expects the bad results if the situation will not be clarified timely.
GEORGIAN GOVERNMENT URGES RUSSIA TO GIVE EXPLANATIONS OVER ITS DECISION TO BAN SELLING GEORGIAN WINES
(Daily News: March 30, 2006)
The government has sent a special letter to adequate bodies in Russia, in which its asks for concrete reasons leading to the ban against selling Georgian wines in Russia from March 27, Prime-Minister Zurab Nogaideli told journalists after the government meeting. The decision is “unfair and illegal”, he says.
AUSTRIAN BUSINESSMEN TO LEARN ABOUT GEORGIA’S INVESTMENT POTENTIAL
(Daily News: March 27, 2006)
An Austrian-Georgian forum, at which Georgia will present its investment potential, will open in Vienna on March 28. The Georgian delegation led by Prime Minister Zurab Nogaideli will take part in the forum.
GEORGIAN GOVERNMENT TO PROVIDE FUNDING ALONG WITH DONORS FOR TSKHINVALI REGION DEVELOPMENT
(Daily News: March 27, 2006)
Georgian Prime Minister Zurab Nogaideli as part of his visit to Austria has addressed today the OSCE Permanent Council. According to the Georgian delegation, the Prime Minister expressed Georgia’s willingness to provide the same amount of funding as donors for the development of the Tskhinvali region.
Rezonansi: “CIGARETTE HAVING THE ABKHAZIAN EXCISE STAMP IS SOLD IN TBILISI FREELY”
(Economic Press Monitor: March 24, 2006)
The cigarettes, having the Abkhazian excise stamp, is available to be acquired in the trading network of Tbilisi without any obstacles for 1 lari.
According to Zurab Garakanidze, the representative of Control Chamber, around or 4.5 million boxes of smuggled cigarettes are entered via the administrative border at Enguri river per month.
Rezonansi: “THE BANK OF SUCH LEVEL HAS NOT ENTERED IN GEORGIA YET”
(Economic Press Monitor: March 24, 2006)
The French bank Societe General plans to acquire the controlling share of bank Respublika. According to Zurab Gvasalia, the president of Georgian Banks Association, the bank of such level has not entered Georgia yet.
24 Saati: “OVERLADEN TBILISI IN WAITING FOR FOREIGN URBANISTS”
(Economic Press Monitor: March 23, 2006)
According to transport service of Mayor’s Office of Tbilisi, during 1 year the transportation scheme will be elaborated under the loan of EBRD of 2 million lari and with participation of foreign unbanists. The temporal scheme is operating now and the residents of the city claim about the congestion during the rush hours.
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