Economic Press Monitor July 10 - 16, 2022	Days:  02 09 16 23 30

economic & politics

BANKEBI DA FINANSEBI: ““BECAUSE OF SHORTAGE OF LABOR FORCE, WE CONSIDER TO INVITE WORKERS FROM UZBEKISTAN””

July 15, 2022 - Shota Burjanadze, head of Georgian Restaurateurs Association, declared that “today, there is a significant shortage of staff in the restaurant sector” in Georgia. “We, the Association, decided to employ migrants, who came from Ukraine”, he said to Palitra-News.




NETGAZETI.GE: ““WE WERE TO HAVE SIGNED FIRST” – TBILISI’S (IN)VALID ARGUMENT ABOUT THE HAGUE”

July 15, 2022 - Georgia did not join the EU and more than 40 countries in their statement supporting Ukraine’s claim against Russia in the UN International Court of Justice (ICJ), Netgazeti.Ge reports.

Whereas in May, Georgia signed the states’ first joint statement regarding Ukraine’s claim to the ICJ, while in March, together with 39 states, appealed to the Prosecutor of The Hague International Criminal Court (ICC) regarding launch of investigation on Russia’s aggression in Ukraine.




REZONANSI: “HARDLY CHEAPENED MEDICINES WILL RISE IN PRICE IN A MONTH AGAIN”

July 15, 2022 - Import of cheap medicines from Turkey to Georgia began in January, while now prices of medicines in Turkey are increasing by about 30%, the newspaper says.

Ilona Kokiashvili, executive director of Georgian Pharmacists Association, expects that prices of Turkish medicines on the Georgian market will increase by 30% too.




NETGAZETI.GE: “SAD AND DISTURBING INFORMATION – GOTSIRIDZE ON POSTPONEMENT OF THE STATUS FOR GEORGIA UNTIL 2023”

July 14, 2022 - Michael Rupp, representative of the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Neighborhood and Enlargement Negotiations (DG-NEAR), said on July 13 that the European Commission would prepare a report on Georgia’s implementation of 12 recommendations of the European Commission “by 2023”.

Until now, the country’s progress in implementation of conditions, set by the European Commission for assignment of the status of the EU membership candidate, was supposed to be considered in this December.




BANKEBI DA FINANSEBI: “RASA JUKNEVICIENE – IF “GEORGIAN DREAM” DID NOT UNDERSTAND WHAT DE-OLIGARCHIZATION MEANS, I WILL HELP THEM TO REALIZE – IT MEANS “DE-BIDZINIZATION” OR “DE-IVANISHVILIZATION” OF GEORGIA”

July 14, 2022 - “The Georgian people deserve our support”, “but Georgia seems to be in captivity of one person”, declared MEP Rasa Jukneviciene.

“If the Georgian Dream did not understand what de-oligarchization [one of the conditions of the European Commission for assigning status of EU membership candidate to Georgia] means, I will help them to realize – it means “de-bidzinization” or “de-ivanishvilization” of Georgia” (Bidzina Ivanishvili – billionaire founder of the ruling Georgian Dream), the MEP said during consideration in the European Parliament of annual report on the EU-Georgia Association Agreement.




NETGAZETI.GE: “THE US POINTS AT THE DANGER OF SANCTIONS’ CIRCUMVENTION VIA GEORGIA”

July 12, 2022 - The US Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) and the US Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) released a warning notice regarding possibility of circumvention of export control by Russia and Belarus, Netgazeti.Ge reported. As the article notes, this notice mentions Georgia too.




NETGAZETI.GE: “CRIMINAL RULING, VIOLENCE AND UNEQUAL CONDITIONS – WHAT IS WRITTEN IN THE CPT REPORT”

July 12, 2022 - The European Committee for Prevention of Torture (CPT) has published a report on results of an ad-hoc visit to Georgia, Netgazeti.Ge reports. CPT noted that the need for the visit was caused by specific circumstances, including the report of Georgian Ombudsman for 2020.




TABULA: “HARTZELL: I AM AFRAID THAT THOSE, WHO CRITICIZE THE EU’S DECISION, ARE TRYING TO SOW THE SEEDS OF DOUBT”

July 11, 2022 - “What I am afraid is that those, who sometimes criticize or question the decision of the EU, its member states, are clearly trying to sow the seeds of doubt about sincerity of the EU towards Georgia’s progress”, declared Carl Hartzell, the EU ambassador to Georgia.

The ambassador said this in an interview with Voice of America and added: “I think, this category of criticism is cynical, and, most importantly, dangerous both for Georgia and for relations between Georgia and the EU”.

macroeconomics & budget

REZONANSI: “THERE IS A BAD TREND IN THE COUNTRY – THE UNEMPLOYED CATEGORY REFUSES EMPLOYMENT!”

July 14, 2022 - The number of vacancies is growing in Georgia, but the job seekers are not trying to find a job, the newspaper points.

According to the vacancies’ site hr.ge, trade sector accounts for 23% of all vacancies, HORECA – for 16%, finance and accounting – 11%, medical sector – 9%, IT-technologies – 7%.




NETGAZETI.GE: “3 POSSIBLE EFFECTS OF DEVALUED EURO ON GEORGIA”

July 14, 2022 - Euro has equaled with the US dollar, what was recorded last time about 20 years ago. Although, TBC Capital expects that euro will strengthen in the medium term.

energy, oil & gas

REZONANSI: “POWER ENGINEERS ARE NOT DELIGHTED BY DISCOVERY OF A RELATIVELY LARGE GAS FIELD IN GEORGIA”

July 13, 2022 - Georgian State Oil and Gas Agency declared about discovery of a gas deposit of 16 billion cubic m in the country. The article brings comments of power engineers Murman Margvelashvili and Revaz Arveladze in this regard.




REZONANSI: “A GAS DEPOSIT WAS DISCOVERED NEAR TBILISI – “THIS RESERVE IS EQUAL TO GEORGIA’S 8-YEAR CONSUMPTION!””

July 12, 2022 - Giorgi Tatishvili, head of Georgian Oil and Gas Agency, reported that existence in Georgia of a natural gas deposit with a volume of 16 billion cubic m has been confirmed. This is equal to about 8-year consumption of Georgia, he said on the air of TV Pirveli channel.




NETGAZETI.GE: “WHERE WE FIND THE CHEAPEST FUEL, WE WILL DELIVER IT FROM THERE, INCLUDING FROM RUSSIA – PKHAKADZE”

July 11, 2022 - “We want to find a fuel source that will be cheaper than the European fuel, which we still import for now”, declared Soso Pkhakadze, president of Wissol Group.

“We are working with about 7-8 countries and where we see the cheapest fuel, we will deliver it from there”, Pkhakadze told journalists.

companies

TABULA: “WITH SUPPORT OF “SAKARTVELOS BANKI”, APART-HOTEL “GUMBATI RESIDENCE” IS BEING BUILT IN KVARIATI”

July 13, 2022 - Gumbati Group is building a 103-room apart-hotel Gumbati Residence in Kvariati (Ajara seaside). Investments in the project amount to $5.3 million, of which Sakartvelos Banki (Bank of Georgia) allocated $3.7 million.




FORBES GEORGIA: ““TNET”, THE LARGEST TECHNOLOGY COMPANY IN GEORGIA, WILL UNITE EIGHT LEADING PLATFORMS”

July 11, 2022 - TNet, the technology company of TBC Group, will unite 8 digital platforms, the magazine reports. Among these platforms are: myauto.ge, vendoo.ge, tkt.ge, livo.ge, mymarket.ge, myhome.ge, myparts.ge and swoop.ge.

transport & communications

REZONANSI: “IN THE EVE OF TRANSPORTATION BOOM AND TOURIST SEASON, RIKOTI SECTION BECOMES IMPASSABLE”

July 12, 2022 - The road through the Rikoti pass is being built chaotically, and there is a big mess on road sections, while there is a tourist boom in the country and transportation through the Georgian corridor has increased, the newspaper says.

Rikoti is a crucial section of the East-West highway.

agriculture & food

REZONANSI: “PANIC IS BEING ARTIFICIALLY SOWN ON SUGAR AGAIN – WHY HAS LOOSE SUGAR DISAPPEARED FROM COUNTERS?”

July 13, 2022 - Getting loose sugar became difficult in Georgia now, the product has risen in price by 15-20 tetri and the price per 1 kg makes up to 2.8 lari, the newspaper reports. Packed sugar costs between 3.5-3.8 lari.