Economic Press Monitor November 3 - 9, 2019	Days:  26 02 09 16 23

economic & politics

TABULA: ““FREEDOM HOUSE”: THE GOVERNMENT-AFFILIATED WEBSITES SPREAD MISINFORMATION”

November 7, 2019 - Freedom House indicates that in Georgia, “there is no systematic or pervasive government manipulation of online content”. However, “government-affiliated groups have disseminated misinformation on social media to influence public opinion”, the organization says.




REZONANSI: “FROM WHERE GEORGIANS ARE DEPORTED MOST OFTEN – “IF PROCESS IS NOT SETTLED, THERE WILL BE DANGER OF VISA-FREE REGIME SUSPENSION””

November 7, 2019 - Referring to Georgian migration report of 2019, the newspaper says that 4,566 citizens of Georgia were deported from foreign countries in 2018. The article specified that more than a half of them were deported from Israel and Turkey.




REZONANSI: “WHY IVANISHVILI BECAME MORE ACTIVE AND WHO WOULD “BUY” HIS BUSINESS”

November 6, 2019 - Bidzina Ivanishvili, billionaire leader of ruling Georgian Dream, told Entrepreneur Georgia magazine that he plans to direct to charity not less than 90% of own assets.

According to Ivanishvili, he is also ready to hand over at any stage the “Panorama Tbilisi” project to interested business and to offer a discount of 30%.




BANKEBI DA FINANSEBI: “IVANISHVILI – IDEA OF DETACHMENT OF TOURISM INTO SEPARATE DIRECTION IN CO-INVESTMENT FUND BELONGS TO MY SPOUSE”

November 6, 2019 - Bidzina Ivanishvili, billionaire leader of ruling Georgian Dream, declared to Entrepreneur Georgia magazine that Co-Investment Fund’s projects in the sphere of tourism are socially oriented and low-profitable, which caused certain discomfort in the Fund’s management and therefore this direction was separated.

According to Ivanishvili, the idea of detachment of tourism into separate direction in the Co-Investment Fund belongs to his spouse, Ekaterina Khvedelidze.




TABULA: “IVANISHVILI: IN ABASTUMANI, I PROMISED POPULATION TO DISTRIBUTE ELECTROCARS BY 2021”

November 5, 2019 - In Abastumani resort (Samtskhe-Javakheti region), “this boom of construction will last for approximately, one year”, billionaire leader of ruling Georgian Dream Bidzina Ivanishvili told Entrepreneur magazine. “Meanwhile, infrastructure will be brought in order”, he noted.




NETGAZETI.GE: “FRANCIS FUKUYAMA POINTS AT INFORMAL GOVERNANCE IN GEORGIA”

November 5, 2019 - Francis Fukuyama, Mosbacher Director of the Center on Democracy, Development, and the Rule of Law (CDDRL) at Stanford University, estimates that in Georgia, “the power really is in hands of the person, who was not elected”. “This situation does not promote true democracy”, he declared to journalists during debate, organized in Tbilisi.




TABULA: “IVANISHVILI: I PLAN TO USE NOT LESS THAN 90% OF MY PROPERTY FOR CHARITY”

November 5, 2019 - “I plan to use not less than 90% of my property for charity”, billionaire leader of ruling Georgian Dream Bidzina Ivanishvili told Entrepreneur magazine.

As Ivanishvili marked out in the interview, he never carried out business activity in Georgia for the sake of profit.




BANKEBI DA FINANSEBI: “ECONOMY MINISTRY’S PROPERTY MANAGEMENT AGENCY AND FINANCE MINISTRY’S SERVICE AGENCY TO MERGE”

November 4, 2019 - Georgia’s Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development Natia Turnava reported that the Ministry’s Agency on State Property Management will merge with the Finance Ministry’s Service Agency.

As Turnava noted, the State Property Management Agency carries out privatization of state-owned immovable property, while the Service Agency – sells movable property.




REZONANSI: ““AIR COMMUNICATION BETWEEN RUSSIA AND GEORGIA COULD BE RESTORED” – ABASHIDZE-KARASIN WILL DISCUSS IN NOVEMBER”

November 4, 2019 - There passed already several months since Grigory Karasin left the post of Russia’s deputy foreign minister and became senator in September, the newspaper says. Despite this, Karasin will continue participation in negotiations with Zurab Abashidze, Georgian Prime Minister’s envoy in relations with Russia, the article points.

macroeconomics & budget

BANKEBI DA FINANSEBI: “DESPITE INCREASE OF EXCISE, THE SUM, WHICH ENTERED THE BUDGET FROM TOBACCO BUSINESS, HAS DECREASED, WHILE CONSUMPTION – HAS NOT”

November 8, 2019 - In 9 months of this year, Georgian budget’s revenues from excise on cigarettes have decreased year-on-year by 14%, the newspaper reports. It should be noted that excise on tobacco is raised since January 1.




BANKEBI DA FINANSEBI: “JUGGLING WITH FIGURES – POPULATION DOES NOT FEEL ECONOMIC GROWTH OF 5%”

November 6, 2019 - In 9 months of this year, Georgian economy increased by 5% on average, but public still does not feel improvement, the newspaper says.

Paata Bayrakhtari, vice-president of Young Financiers and Businessmen Association, considers that the problem is in structure of economy.




NETGAZETI.GE: “INFLATION GREW BECAUSE OF LARI DEVALUATION – GVENETADZE”

November 5, 2019 - President of National Bank of Georgia (NBG) Koba Gvenetadze declares that “inflation growth is caused today by devaluation of lari”. In its turn, the devaluation is caused by “lower tourism income because of the ban on flights from Russia”, he explains.

energy, oil & gas

REZONANSI: “GAS REGULATION ARE POSTPONED, TBILISI IN WINTER IS IN THE FACE OF BIG DANGER!”

November 6, 2019 - Edisher Khorava, head of commercial department at Tbilisi Energy (Tbilisi gas-distributing company), says that at the first stage, regulation will be enacted, being aimed at solution of problem of delinquent consumers. “The matter concerns authorization of licensees to call patrol force into spot, where problems aroused”, he declares.

companies

BANKEBI DA FINANSEBI: ““TBC LEASING” ATTRACTED FINANCIAL RESOURCE OF 9M EUR”

November 8, 2019 - PROPARCO (affiliated structure of French Development Agency (AFD)) allocated 9 million EUR to Georgian TBC Leasing, the newspaper reports. This resource will be directed to financing of small and medium business.




FORBES GEORGIA: ““TBC” AND “MOUNTAIN RESORTS’ DEVELOPMENT COMPANY” SIGNED PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT”

November 8, 2019 - Georgia’s largest TBC Bank and state-owned Mountain Resorts’ Development Company signed 3-year partnership agreement, the magazine reports. The bank was selected after bids invitation by the company.




BANKEBI DA FINANSEBI: “HOW CHAIN SHOPS SINK SMALL MARKETS”

November 4, 2019 - It became widely noticeable in recent period that small shops are replaced by chains of branded shops, the newspaper says. The article indicates advantages of chain shops – working capital, broader variety of products and acceptance of payment by plastic cards.

transport & communications

BANKEBI DA FINANSEBI: “CHINA, AIMING RAPPROCHEMENT WITH THE EU, STAKES ON AZERBAIJAN-GEORGIA-TURKEY ROUTE”

November 7, 2019 - The railway Baku-Tbilisi-Kars is already enacted, but is not fully loaded yet and works are still continued, the newspaper points.

Economist Andria Gvidiani indicates that this railway is “the most convenient route both to Asia and to Europe”.

ecology & health

BANKEBI DA FINANSEBI: “THE STATE CREATES MEDICAL HOLDING, WHICH WILL UNITE 4 HOSPITALS”

November 7, 2019 - Ekaterina Tikaradze, Georgia’s Minister of IDPs from Occupied Territories, Labor, Health and Social Protection, said that medical holding will be created in the country, which will unite 4 hospitals. The future holding members are Tbilisi Republican Hospital, Oncological Center, Children’s Infectious Clinic and Batumi Republican Hospital.




BANKEBI DA FINANSEBI: “HUNGER PROBLEMS IN GEORGIA – 7.9% OF THE COUNTRY’S POPULATION IS INSUFFICIENTLY NOURISHED”

November 4, 2019 - According to the Global Hunger Index of Concern Worldwide, Georgia occupies the 39^th place among 117 countries, the newspaper reports. The article points that the report does not include the states with high income.

construction

FORBES GEORGIA: ““GEORGIA CAPITAL” PLANS DEVELOPMENT OF NEW DIRECTION ON THE REAL ESTATE MARKET”

November 8, 2019 - Georgia Real Estate Holding (GRE) will be a kind of platform of investment company Georgia Capital and will combine developer company m² Group and the direction of hotels and tourism, the magazine reports.

Post of director general at m² Group will be occupied by Shota Berekashvili, while GRE will be headed by Irakli Burdiladze.