Daily News February 1, 2018	Days:  30 31 01 02 05

politics

GEORGIAN FINANCE MINISTER DISCUSSED IN THE US COOPERATION WITH WB AND OPIC

Georgian Finance Ministry reported that within his visit to the US, the Minister Mamuka Bakhtadze discussed issues of further cooperation with representatives of the World Bank (WB) and the US Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC).

In particular, meetings were held with Cyril Muller, WB vice-president for Europe and Central Asia, and Charles McLaughlin, OPIC regional director for Eastern Europe and chief adviser to president and executive director of OPIC.




GEORGIA AND BELARUS DISCUSSED DEEPENING OF ECONOMIC COOPERATION

The 4^th meeting of Georgian-Belarusian intergovernmental economic commission was held in Minsk, Georgian Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development reported.

The commission considered opportunities of bilateral relations’ development in such spheres as trade (and in this connection, removal of all barriers), transport and logistics, the Ministry said.




GEORGIA TO HOST FORUM ON INTERNET GOVERNANCE

On June 4-6, Tbilisi will host European dialogue on Internet governance (EuroDIG 2018), Georgian Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development announced. Preparatory meeting took place in Tbilisi Technopark today.




PROSECUTOR’S OFFICE: 6 MORE ILLEGALLY SEIZED LAND PLOTS WILL BE RETURNED TO CITIZENS

6 more land plots in Tbilisi, which were illegally seized in 2010-2011, will be returned to suffered citizens, Main Prosecutor’s Office declared.

In particular, the Office’s department for investigation of crimes, committed in course of legal proceeding, decided that 4 sites in Tbilisi’s outskirts Lilo and 2 sites in Tskneti settlement, which are registered as the state property, are subjected to return.

economics

WITHIN “TAKE FILM IN GEORGIA” PROGRAM, SHOOTINGS OF 9 MOVIES ARE COMPLETED

As of December 2017, 10 applications were submitted to “Take a Film in Georgia” program (one of components of “Produce in Georgia” state program), from which shootings are completed in 9 cases, Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development reported. Shootings of one more movie will begin soon, the Ministry noted.




NBG ISSUED COLLECTABLE COIN IN COMMEMORATION OF THE 100^TH ANNIVERSARY OF TSU

National Bank of Georgia (NBG) declared about issuing of collectable silver coin with nominal value of 5 lari in commemoration of 100^th anniversary of Tbilisi State University.

NBG reported that 1,500 coins were made in Royal Mint of Spain.

business

“FITCH RATINGS” MAY CHANGE OUTLOOK FOR “SILKNET”

Fitch Ratings declared that following SilkNet’s announced acquisition of Georgia’s second-large mobile operator Geocell (corresponding agreement is reached with Geocell’s current owners TeliaSonera and Turkcell), it has placed SilkNet’s “Long-Term Issuer Default Rating (IDR) of “B+” on Rating Watch Positive”.

The agency noted that SilkNet’s ratings “are likely to be affirmed at the current level of “B+”“, while outlook may be assigned either “Positive” or “Stable”, “depending on the terms of the transaction’s financing package” – all after receiving consent from the regulating commission by SilkNet that is not expected until March.




“TI GEORGIA”: COMMUNICATION COMMISSION’S TENDER WORTH 267,857 LARI WAS SHAPED TO CONCRETE COMPANY

TI Georgia, Georgian branch of Transparency International, declared that after study of one of tenders of the National Communication Commission, it came to a conclusion that actions of the regulator were focused on the concrete company.

The matter concerns the tender worth 267,857 lari, announced in December 2017, which envisaged provision of system for monitoring of quality of Internet access.