Economic Press Monitor September 18 - 24, 2022	Days:  10 17 24 01 08

economic & politics

REZONANSI: “GEORGIA’S ECONOMY WILL STILL BENEFIT FROM ANNOUNCEMENT OF MOBILIZATION IN RUSSIA”

September 22, 2022 - The subtitle of the article points that because of partial mobilization, announced in Russia, those Russians, who arrived in Georgia earlier, will remain in the country for a long time.

In the article, the emerged situation is estimated by doctor of economics Irakli Makalatia and financier Nika Shengelia.




TABULA: “NDI: 44% OF POPULATION CONSIDERS THAT GEORGIA IS DEVELOPING IN THE WRONG DIRECTION”

September 19, 2022 - The survey conducted by the National Democratic Institute (NDI) showed that 44% of Georgian population considers that the country is developing in the wrong direction.

Instead, 23% consider that Georgia is developing in the right direction, while 29% considers that the country does not change at all.




TABULA: “NDI: ACCORDING TO MAJORITY, THE GOVERNMENT DID NOT DO ENOUGH TO OBTAIN STATUS OF EU CANDIDATE”

September 19, 2022 - A survey conducted by the National Democratic Institute (NDI) showed that 56% of Georgian population considers that the government did not do enough to get Georgia the status of EU candidate. Instead, 32% believes that the government has done everything.

macroeconomics & budget

FORBES GEORGIA: “INFLATION IN GEORGIA AND IN THE WORLD – AUGUST-SEPTEMBER”

September 22, 2022 - Referring to the website tradingeconomics.com, the magazine reports that Georgia with August rate of annual inflation of 10.9% is on the 67^th place among 178 countries.

In terms of inflation, the closest peers of Georgia are Slovenia (11%), Colombia (10.8%) and Paraguay (10.5%).




BANKEBI DA FINANSEBI: “GIORGI KAKAURIDZE – LONG-TERM SUBSIDIZING OF RTVELI IS NOT RIGHT – IN NEXT YEARS, WE WILL QUIT THE PROGRAM”

September 20, 2022 - In the next years, we will quit the program of rtveli (vintage) subsidizing, said Giorgi Kakauridze, Georgia’s Deputy Finance Minister. “We already have left the program once, but had to re-enter because of the pandemic”, he noted.




BANKEBI DA FINANSEBI: “THE GOVERNMENT STARTS IMPLEMENTATION OF REFORMS AGREED WITH THE IMF – EXPLANATION BY GIORGI KAKAURIDZE”

September 19, 2022 - Georgia’s Deputy Finance Minister Giorgi Kakauridze said that the country’s government started a new program with the IMF, which main purpose is fiscal consolidation.

The program envisages also reforms that we must implement, Kakauridze pointed.

energy, oil & gas

REZONANSI: “IN GEORGIA, FUEL’S DECLINE IN PRICE WILL CONTINUE AND IT MAY APPROACH THE PRE-PANDEMIC LEVEL”

September 23, 2022 - The trend of fuel’s reduction in price, which started in Georgia in mid-July, continues until now, the newspaper says. As a result, petrol price decreased from 3 lari (per 1 l) of to 2.75 lari, diesel price – from 4 lari to 3.4 lari, the article reports.




REZONANSI: “OIL-PRODUCTS IMPORTERS UNION WILL CHECK QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF FUEL AT FILLING STATIONS”

September 20, 2022 - Georgian Oil-Products Importers Union is going to start checking of quality of fuel at filling stations of the country. “We had this authority even earlier, we had accredited experts”, the Union says, adding that at this stage the issue is being worked out at the project level.

conflict and court

TABULA: “SPECIAL OPERATION IN KUTAISI ACCOMPLISHED, 1 PERSON IS DETAINED, ALL HOSTAGES ARE RELEASED”

September 21, 2022 - On September 20, an armed person, who broke in a branch of Sakartvelos Banki (Bank of Georgia) in Kutaisi, demanded $2 million, a helicopter, a minibus, a fishing rod and a Russian flag, Tabula reports.

According to official information, the armed person took 12 hostages in the bank.




NETGAZETI.GE: “10 CASES OF BANK ATTACKS AFTER BADRI ESEBUA”

September 21, 2022 - After Badri Esebua took hostages in Zugdidi branch of Sakartvelos Banki (Bank of Georgia) on October 21, 2020 and then disappeared with the sum he demanded, multiple persons tried to repeat his act, Netgazeti.Ge says. The article lists 10 facts of attacks.

companies

FORBES GEORGIA: “COMPANY “BLACK SEA GROUP” REHABILITATED RUNWAY OF SKOPJE AIRPORT IN MACEDONIA”

September 20, 2022 - Georgian Black Sea Group has rehabilitated in North Macedonia the runway of Skopje airport, having length of 2,500 m and width of 60 m. Total cost of the project made up 5.5 million EUR, the magazine reports.

transport & communications

REZONANSI: “ONE OF THE MAIN PROBLEMS OF TRAFFIC JAMS IS INCREASE OF PRIVATE CARS IN NUMBER – KALADZE”

September 23, 2022 - “One of the main problems of traffic jams is increase of private cars in number”, stated Tbilisi Mayor Kakha Kaladze. “We must oppose this with development of public transport”, he said.




BANKEBI DA FINANSEBI: “ADMINISTRATIVE RESPONSIBILITY FOR CASES OF REPEATED AVOIDANCE OF TECHNICAL INSPECTIONS IS TIGHTENED AND ADDITIONAL FINES ARE INTRODUCED”

September 22, 2022 - Administrative responsibility for cases of repeated avoidance of passing technical inspection of cars is tightened, the newspaper reports. The respective amendments to the Administrative Offences Code have already been initiated in the Georgian Parliament.

international cooperation

BANKEBI DA FINANSEBI: “WITHIN THE GEORGIAN-JAPANESE PROJECT, A FULL-FLEDGED COLLECTION OF LOCAL WHEAT VARIETIES AND RELATED WILD SPECIES WILL BE CREATED”

September 20, 2022 - Georgian Agriculture Research Center announced about the beginning of formation of a molecular wheat breeding system in the country.

The Center will implement the project jointly with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

agriculture & food

REZONANSI: “IN EUROPE, BREAD PRICE HAS REACHED A RECORD-HIGH, IN GEORGIA THEY ARE TALKING ABOUT PRICE DECLINE”

September 21, 2022 - Bread is getting more expensive in many countries of the world, while Georgia maintains stability, moreover, bread has already decreased in price by 10 tetri in the country’s regions, the newspaper says.

Regarding the capital, Malkhaz Dolidze, head of Georgian Bread Producers Association, points that “there are high payments in Tbilisi, which do not allow us to reduce the price of bread”.

construction

BANKEBI DA FINANSEBI: “IT IS PLANNED TO BUILD ICE RINK IN DIGOMI, CALCULATED FOR 15 THOUSAND SPECTATORS”

September 23, 2022 - It is planned to build an ice rink in Digomi district of Tbilisi that will meet international standards. The facility will be calculated for 15,000 spectators.




BANKEBI DA FINANSEBI: “TORNIKE RIZHVADZE – IN ZEMO AJARA, IN KHULO, CONSTRUCTION OF EDUCATIONAL CENTER OF NATIONAL IMPORTANCE HAS BEGUN”

September 23, 2022 - On September 22, construction of a school and a campus started in the village of Vashlovani of Khulo municipality (Ajara). Tornike Rizhvadze, chairman of Ajara government, said that the school will serve almost the entire mountainous Ajara.




REZONANSI: “APARTMENTS FOR RENT WILL DECREASE IN PRICE SOON – IT IS KNOWN APPROXIMATELY WHEN REDUCTION IN PRICE WILL BEGIN”

September 21, 2022 - In July, cost of apartment rent in Tbilisi increased year-on-year by 69.8%. Currently, there are no apartments in any district of Tbilisi to be available for rent for less than 600 lari per month, while the price exceeds generally 1,000 lari, the newspaper says.

tourism

BANKEBI DA FINANSEBI: “AJARA TOURISM DEPARTMENT – 53% MORE WILL BE SPENT FOR DEVELOPMENT OF TOURISM IN AJARA”

September 19, 2022 - In 2023, Ajara Tourism Department plans to spend up to 14 million lari for the development of tourism, the newspaper reports. As the article notes, the Department’s budget in 2023 may grow by 53% in comparison with 2019.