Economic Press Monitor September 8 - 14, 2019	Days:  17 07 14 21 28

economic & politics

TABULA: “KHAZARADZE: “TBC” EVICTED NOBODY FOR 10 YEARS, HOWEVER PROPAGANDA OF THIS INFORMATION IS NOT CARRIED OUT”

September 13, 2019 - “Over the last 10 years, TBC Bank did not evict any family”, founder of Georgia’s largest bank Mamuka Khazaradze assures, meaning eviction of bad borrowers from their property, pledged in the bank.

“However, propaganda of such information is not carried out, as the authorities always need an enemy image”, Khazaradze declared on air of TV Pirveli’s program Reaction.




FORBES GEORGIA: “WHAT IS GEORGIAN BUSINESS WORRIES ABOUT – PRIVATE SECTOR NAMES ACTIVITY-HAMPERING FACTORS”

September 13, 2019 - In the 3^rd quarter, Georgian business confidence index (BCI, calculated by ICC-Georgia, BIA and ISET) made up 8.3 points, decreasing by 18.7 points since the previous quarter, the magazine reports.

The article indicates that biggest decrease is observed in such sectors, as retail trade, finance and construction.




REZONANSI: “NEW HEAD OF EUROPEAN COMMISSION DEMANDS ACCELERATION OF PROCESS OF GEORGIA’S ASSOCIATION”

September 12, 2019 - Ursula von der Leyen, new head of European Commission (will start exercise of authority since November), demands for acceleration of process of association with the EU for Georgia, Ukraine and Moldova, the newspaper reports.

Vano Chkhikvadze, manager of direction of European integration at Open Society – Georgia Foundation, told the newspaper that “acceleration of the process is considered in two directions”.




NETGAZETI.GE: “WHAT PROPERTY THE PREMIER GIORGI GAKHARIA OWNS”

September 11, 2019 - According to property declaration for 2013, Giorgi Gakharia (appointed recently as Georgian Prime Minister) owned the Russia-founded company Koxta and apartment in Moscow district.

According to the declaration for 2016, Gakharia’s spouse sold her land plot on Mazniashvili Street in Tbilisi for 720,000 lari.




REZONANSI: “WHEN AIR TRAFFIC BETWEEN GEORGIA AND RUSSIA WILL BE RESTORED”

September 10, 2019 - Analyst Nika Chitadze says that as a result of suspension of air traffic with Georgia, introduced by decision of Moscow since July 8, Georgia did not suffer substantial damages. Georgia was damaged rather by statements that “tourists will not arrive”, which affected lari exchange rate to some extent, he specifies.




BANKEBI DA FINANSEBI: “THE HEALTHCARE MINISTRY BEGINS WORK ON PARTIAL PRICE CONTROL FOR MEDICINES”

September 10, 2019 - Ekaterina Tikaradze, the Minister of IDPs from Occupied Territories, Labor, Healthcare and Social Protection, declares that the Ministry begins work on partial price control for medicines.

In parallel, we plan to introduce requirements and methodology, provided by international practice of admission-registration of pharmaceutical product on the market, she pointed.




NETGAZETI.GE: “BY ANAKLIA PORT, EXPEDIENCY OF GEORGIA’S ACCESSION TO NATO WILL GROW”

September 10, 2019 - “The Anaklia port is of crucial importance”, declared in Tbilisi retired general Ben Hodges, who was commander of the US Army in Europe, while now works in the Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA).

According to Hodges, as a result of implementation of the project, “expediency of Georgia’s becoming the member of Alliance [NATO], will increase even more”.




TABULA: “TURNAVA: IT WOULD BE GOOD, IF WE RECEIVED THIS YEAR ANAKLIA INVESTMENTS, IT WOULD BE USEFUL FOR STATISTICS”

September 9, 2019 - “We had expectations and it would be good, if this year we received investments for deep-water port Anaklia, as it was envisaged”, Georgia’s Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development Natia Turnava declared.

“Starting from 2017, we expect these investments, however, unfortunately, upon request of [Anaklia Development] Consortium, we had to postpone date more than once”, the Minister said.




NETGAZETI.GE: “DO NOT POSTPONE CONSTRUCTION OF ANAKLIA PORT – LEADINGUS DIPLOMAT”

September 9, 2019 - Philip Reeker, acting assistant US Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs, stated that project of deep-water port Anaklia is “important, landmark, historical opportunity for Georgia”. Reeker stressed that he repeats words of the US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

macroeconomics & budget

TABULA: “INVESTMENTS, ARRIVED IN THE SECOND QUARTER, ARE ON THE LOWEST MARK SINCE 2009”

September 9, 2019 - Referring to Sakstat, Tabula reports that foreign direct investments (FDI), arrived to Georgia in the 2^nd quarter, made up $187 million, reducing year-on-year by 53.7%.

The article specifies that nominally, this is the lowest mark since 2009.

conflict and court

NETGAZETI.GE: “WHAT HAPPENED AT THE MEETING WITH CHKHARTISHVILI AND IVANISHVILI – KHAZARADZE’S VERSION OF DEMAND OF 30M”

September 13, 2019 - Mamuka Khazaradze, founder of Georgia’s largest TBC Bank, claims that business disputes in the country are resolved through private negotiations with Bidzina Ivanishvili (billionaire leader of ruling Georgian Dream).

As Khazaradze declared on air of TV Pirveli, before presidential elections of 2018, he met Ivanishvili and businessman Vano Chkhartishvili in the presence of Irakli Shotadze, Georgia’s Chief Prosecutor of that time.

construction

FORBES GEORGIA: “PROJECT OF “RADIOCITY” WILL BE IMPLEMENTED BY THE COMPANY OF TEMUR UGULAVA”

September 12, 2019 - The project of development of territory of so-called “Radiocity” in Mukhiani settlement of Tbilisi will be implemented by Industrial City company, reports the magazine. The company won the competition, announced by Tbilisi City Hall.




NETGAZETI.GE: “APARTMENTS OF CONSTRUCTION COMPANY “SVETI” WILL BE FINISHED BY “M² –” KALADZE”

September 11, 2019 - Tbilisi Mayor Kakha Kaladze declared that construction projects, started, but not accomplished, by company Sveti (Pillar), will be finished by m² company. He noted that m² will finish these projects during 3 years.

tourism

FORBES GEORGIA: “WEF: IN TERMS OF TOURISM COMPETITIVENESS, GEORGIA IS ON THE 68^TH PLACE IN THE WORLD”

September 12, 2019 - In the Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report 2019, the World Economic Forum (WEF) places Georgia on the 68^th place among 140 countries. In comparison with the previous year, the country’s ranking is improved by 2 positions, the magazine reports.




FORBES GEORGIA: ““TBC”: TOURISM REGAINS POSITIVE DYNAMICS, NUMBER OF TRAVELERS IN AUGUST INCREASED BY 7.4%”

September 11, 2019 - Referring to TBC Research, the magazine reports that number of international travelers, arrived to Georgia from July 8 to August 4, exceeds by 2% the showing for the same period of last year. Year-on-year growth for the period from August 5 to September 1 made up 7.4%.