1. Russian border guards seize Georgian fishing boat in Far East
2. Georgia blocks Russian military transit flights - Air Force official
3. Georgia Bans Russian Military Transport Flyovers
4. Georgia PM discusses relations with US, NATO, Russia
5. Georgia’s Prime Minister Begins Washington Visit
6. Georgian economy withstanding Russian sanctions
7. Let Russia’s actions speak for themselves
8. Russian, British Diplomats Discuss Georgia
9. Moscow Self-Disqualifying As Peacekeeper And Mediator In Abkhaz, South Ossetian Conflicts
10. New Plan for Abkhazia and South Ossetia
11. Abkhazia’s prosecutor-general resigns
12. Georgian TV Reports Police Brutality, Abduction In Abkhazia’s Gali District
13. Abkhaz journalist pessimistic about prospects for independent press
14. Abkhaz officials threaten to cut power to western Georgia
15. TV Report on Georgian Schools in Gali Sparks Parliament Debate
16. Karabakh People Finished Process Of State Formation By Constitution Adoption: South-Ossetian Observer
17. Separatist leader says South Ossetia to unilaterally cut armed forces
18. Georgian MP says South Ossetia reshuffle shows strengthening Russian position
19. South Ossetia’s pro-Georgian leader critical of separatist government reshuffle
20. South Ossetian leader replaces defence minister
21. Kokoity Calls for Talks, Unveils Plans to Cut Armed Forces
22. Georgia increases troops on South Ossetian border
23. Gallup Corruption Index: 101 countries ranked on perceptions of corruption in business, government
24. Ambassador of Azerbaijan to Georgia visited Marneuli
25. Libraries of Georgia and Russia resume cooperation
26. French business forum full of prospects
27. Turkey ready to redistribute its share of Shah-Deniz natural gas
28. Georgian And Armenian Justice Ministers To Sign Memorandum Of Understanding
29. Arrested cofounder of “202” places hopes on Strasbourg court
30. Journalists are not allowed to attend the gamgebeli election process in Gurjaani municipal council
31. “Armavia” Plans To Open Regular Flight Yerevan-Tbilisi-Yerevan Till End, 2006
32. Georgian, Israeli, British Inventors Develop Electrode Sandwich Separation Method
33. Saakashvili to award economic medals
34. President’s successful internship programme to be continued
35. Translation of new textbooks for non-Georgian schools underway
36. Cartu Group to assists in library restoration
37. Commission reported over IDP’s death
38. National Forum slams IMF’s policy
39. Alexander Lomaia To Speak About Reforms In Strasbourg
40. The West dooms Georgia
41. Journalists to get code of ethics
42. Why I must serve as a reservist
1. Russian border guards seize Georgian fishing boat in Far East
RIA Novosti
Russian coast guards have seized a Georgian fishing vessel off the country’s Pacific coast on suspicion of poaching, a coast guard spokesman said Monday.
Coast guards found about 20 tons (44,000 lbs) of sea urchin, a delicacy, aboard the Dzhin (Efreet), registered in Georgia’s Black Sea port of Batumi and owned by a Georgian company, according to the schooner’s Russian captain.The ship, which was seized inside the Russian economic exclusion zone 10 miles southwest of Russia’s Iturup Island in the Kuril chain, also violated Russian border and fishing regulations, as it had no official permission from border and customs authorities to be there, the spokesman said.The schooner, with an eight-member Russian crew, was convoyed to a seaport at Shikotan Island for investigation, he added.An ongoing tit-for-tat row between Moscow and Tbilisi, set off in late September by Georgia’s brief detention of four Russian officers on espionage charges, now seems to have taken to the seas.In late November, Georgian border guards detained a Russian dry cargo ship near Poti, saying it was polluting the environment. It was fined $35,000.In early December, Georgian authorities detained another Russian dry cargo ship, citing navigation violations in a restricted Black Sea zone, and let it go after it paid a $30,000 fine.Relations between Georgia and Russia have been strained ever since the Western-leaning government of President Mikheil Saakashvili came to power in 2003. In March of this year, Russia banned Georgian wines and mineral water, dealing a heavy blow to the ex-Soviet republic’s fragile economy.
September’s arrest of the Russian officers was followed by the expulsion of hundreds of Georgian nationals residing in Russia illegally, the severing of rail and postal links between the two countries, and the closure of several Moscow casinos and restaurants allegedly owned by the Georgian mafia.Relations between the two ex-Soviet neighbors deteriorated further when Tblisi subsequently threatened to withdraw its support for Russia’s WTO bid.
2. Georgia blocks Russian military transit flights - Air Force official
Ria Novosti
Georgia is impeding the transit of Russian military aircraft delivering cargo and personnel to Russia’s military base in Armenia, in breach of a bilateral agreement, a Russian Air Force official said Monday.“Despite the agreement that Russia and Georgia signed on the transit of military cargo through the country’s airspace, there have been repeated instances where Georgia has prohibited the movement of Russian Air Force aircraft through its airspace. The Georgian side ignores most of our applications without any comment,” said Alexander Drobyshevsky, head of the information and public relations department of the Air Force.Russian-Georgian relations, which have been tense in recent years over the status of Russian-leaning breakaway republics in Georgia and Tbilisi’s drive to join NATO, have hit a new low since four Russian troops were briefly arrested in Tbilisi on spying charges in September. Russia has suspended all transportation and mail links with the South Caucasus country.The Air Force official said that out of the 40 applications that Russia has submitted over the last six months, only 12 were accepted.The Russian 102nd military base in Gyumri, about 120 kilometers (75 miles) from the Armenian capital Yerevan, is part of a joint air defense system of the Commonwealth of Independent States, which was deployed in Armenia in 1995.
3. Georgia Bans Russian Military Transport Flyovers
Kommersant
At the end of last week, the Russian Foreign Ministry demanded that Georgia “immediately stop its sabotage of the Agreement on the Organization of Transit of Military Cargo and Personal across Georgian Territory” and again accused Tbilisi of inflaming tensions in bilateral relations. Kommersant has learned that Tbilisi responded today. Georgia is demanding that the Russian Ministry of Defense pay its debt for the servicing of military planes when the fly over Georgian territory.At the end of last week, the Russian Foreign Ministry demanded that Georgia “immediately stop its sabotage of the Agreement on the Organization of Transit of Military Cargo and Personal across Georgian Territory” and again accused Tbilisi of inflaming tensions in bilateral relations. Kommersant has learned that Tbilisi responded today. Georgia is demanding that the Russian Ministry of Defense pay its debt for the servicing of military planes when the fly over Georgian territory.
Mikhail Kamynin, a spokesman of the Russian Foreign Ministry, said that the ministry was referring to “Georgia’s ignoring the request for the fulfillment of planes flights by Russian planes between December 8 and 22” to the Russian military base in the Armenian city of Gyumri. Although the appropriate request was sent in a timely manner to Tbilisi, according to Kamynin, it was “simply left without reply.” Moscow took that as an “intentional attempt to impede not only normal functioning of the base at Gyumri,” but the withdrawal of Russian of Russian forces from Georgia as well. On Saturday, Georgian Ambassador to Russia Irakly Chubinishvili was summoned to the Russian Foreign Ministry, where he was informed of the Russian position.At the Georgian Foreign Ministry, the Kommersant correspondent was told that a response to the Russian statement would be made on Monday. The Georgian Ministry of Defense told Kommersant that that ministry “is not sabotaging Russian military planes” since servicing of planes flying over Georgian territory is carried out by the civilian Gruzaeronavigatsia.”An employee of Gruzaeronavigatsia who wished to remain anonymous said that Russia owes Gruzaeronavigatsia a significant sum of money for servicing its military aircraft. The source refused to name the exact sum, but noted that “if the Russian side prohibited air flyovers from Georgia to Russia on the pretext of mythic debts for the servicing of nonexistent Georgian air companies, the Georgian side would also have the right to rise the question of covering the debt of the Russian Defense Ministry in relation to Gruzaeronavigatsia. For service of flyovers across the territory of Georgia.”
4. Georgia PM discusses relations with US, NATO, Russia
Itar-Tass
Prime Minister Zurab Nogaideli of the post-Soviet Republic of Georgia and Condoleezza Rice, US Secretary of State, touched upon a wide range of subjects for discussion, including Georgia’s relations with Russia, during their meeting here on Monday.An official in the press service of the Department of State has told Itar-Tass that the matters discussed reflected partnership relations between the United States and Georgia, as well as their common interest in security, regional energy security and democratic reforms.Secretary Rice emphasized US support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Georgia, including Georgia’s efforts toward a peaceful settlement of the SouthOssetia and Abkhazia conflicts, the press service official pointed out.Mr. Nogaideli and Ms. Rice also discussed Georgia’s deepening relations with NATO and with Russia, and Georgia’s cooperation with neighbours and with Europe in the sphere of energy security, the press service official said. He declined to go into details of the Russia-related part of the Nogaideli-Rice conversation.
5. Georgia’s Prime Minister Begins Washington Visit
David Gollust, VOA
The U.S. visit by Mr. Noghaideli comes at a time of simmering tensions between Georgia and Russia over the status of the breakaway Georgian regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.But the Georgian Prime Minister struck a conciliatory tone toward Moscow after his meeting with Secretary Rice.In a talk with reporters following his 40-minute meeting with the secretary, he said it is time to end finger-pointing and try to find a solution to the issues that have soured Georgian-Russian relations for more than a decade:“We think than instead of blaming each other, you know, who’s responsible for what, we need to move ahead with a peace plan implementation in the region,” said Zurab Nogaideli. “We have discussed this with Secretary Rice. She has promised that the United States will be fully backing up the approach of ours and we need to work on how to implement the peace plan.”The Georgian prime minister minimized the impact of economic sanctions Russia has imposed against Georgia in recent months, including curbs on cross border travel and bans on the import of Georgian goods, including wine.He said the Russian moves have trimmed only about one and a half per cent from Georgia’s gross economic output, which he said would jump by 10 percent this year because of reforms introduced in 2004 by the government of President Mikhail Saakashvili.South Ossetia and Abkhazia have been effectively independent since the early 1990’s. Georgia accuses Russia, which maintains peacekeeping forces in the two separatist regions, of seeking to annex the areas.The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe has had the lead in efforts to mediate the disputes, and was able to defuse a crisis that erupted in late September when Georgia arrested four Russian military officers on spy charges.The four were eventually handed over to the OSCE chairman, Belgian Foreign Minister Karel De Gucht, who in turn facilitated their repatriation.A State Department spokesman said Secretary Rice reaffirmed U.S. support for Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and for efforts led by the OSCE to peacefully resolve the disputes with Russia.He said they also discussed Georgia’s deepening relations with NATO, and cooperation with other Caucuses countries and Europe on improving regional energy security.The Georgian Prime Minister’s Washington itinerary also included meetings with Vice President Dick Cheney, White House National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley and U.S. Trade Representative Susan Schwab.
6. Georgian economy withstanding Russian sanctions
M. Alkhazashvili, The Messenger
The IMF mission to Georgia held a seminar for representatives of the Georgian government and the National Bank of Georgia (NGB) on December 7 at NBG offices. The topic of discussion was how Russian sanctions influenced the Georgian economy.The IMF mission to Georgia which was headed by John Wakeman-Linn, advisor in IMF’s Middle East and Central Asia Department, positively evaluated the measures that the Georgian government has taken to neutralize Russian sanctions imposed against Georgia. According to him, the Georgian economy has withstood the Russian pressures.Wakeman-Linn commented that it’s amazing how much Georgia’s economy is growing despite all of these external pressures and added that, “against the background of the Russian sanctions, the parameters for economic growth that are planned for next year are very impressive,” said Wakeman-Linn.According to his calculations, the Russian sanctions damaged the Georgian economy by USD 250-300 million. But this loss was compensated by the political processes that are being developed in the country.“The amount of direct foreign investments has been significantly increasing in Georgia. Foreign investors’ trust towards the Georgian economy is very high and this helps the GDP grow,” reports the newspaper Rezonansi Wakeman-Linn as saying.“There are very few countries in the world that keep developing despite external economic risks,” Wakeman-Linn stressed.Minister of Finance Lekso Aleksishvili said that the Georgian economy was “ready to withstand the external shocks” and growth of the GDP for 2007 is expected to reach 7.5 percent reports the Russian news agency Regnum.President of the NBG Roman Gotsiridze underlined that the Russian sanctions were neutralized as a result of the economic reforms and the activity of the financial structures that have been passed in Georgia.“We are a state that can govern the country even during critical situations,” Gotsiridze said, reports the newspaper Rezonansi.
7. Let Russia’s actions speak for themselves, The Messenger
Georgian leaders carefully chose their strategy responding to the Russian Duma’s resolution to recognize the independence of Georgia’s breakaway regions adopted unanimously on December 6. Georgia chose the calm and collected approach, letting Russia’s actions speak for themselves. The strongest words against the resolution were “extremely unfriendly.”Speaker of Parliament Nino Burjanadze said on December 8 there was no cause for alarm because, “the Duma’s resolution has no legal power and no political consequences.”On cue other leaders followed suit. Foreign Minister Gela Bezhuashvili said, “I would not support dramatizing this [resolution]. The statement is toothless…” and chair of the parliamentary committee for European integration stated, “We do not intend to give in to the Russian Duma’s hysteria.”Rather than passing a critical resolution in response trying to persuade the international community once again how peacekeepers of a country that show clear bias should not continue regulating these areas, the Georgian parliament approved a resolution asking the international community to do that for them. Another wise move, considering the punches the international community throw carry much more weight than Georgia’s.The international community served Georgia quite well on the global stage following the presidential elections and independence referendums in South Ossetia on November 12. While Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said, “The [South Ossetian independence] referendum is an objective reality, and it reflects the South Ossetian population’s will, which should not be ignored,” the international community starting with the OSCE, the Council of Europe, NATO, the US State Department and ending with the EU lined up to comment about the illegitimacy of the results with the Finnish EU presidency releasing a statement saying the vote “contradicts Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity” and, “the situation in South Ossetia did not allow the free expression of the popular will.”What Tbilisi did well was let Moscow look the fool (at least in the eyes of the West) as they try to legitimize a government that most don’t recognize. And now with a second self-declared government on the scene, the new “alternative” government headed by self-declared (Tbilisi-backed) president Dmitri Sanakoyev, South Ossetian politics take on an even less legitimate character. Two newly elected presidents are setting up two separate administrations in two different capitals and will eventually create two sets of policies making the political arena resemble a circus.Where Tbilisi lost sight of the strategy was their attendance at the “alternate” government’s presidential inauguration of Dmitri Sanakoyev on December 1. Even though top level Georgian officials did not attend the ceremony sending instead a few MPs and low-ranking State Minister for Conflict Resolution Issues Merab Antadze, Tbilisi should not have been present. It ruins the tactic they’ve been using so well. Their strength has been to let Russian officials be seen as trying to legitimize illegitimate politicians raising questions about their own legitimacy as regional peacekeepers.It’s unclear what Tbilisi thought they stood to gain by attending the event and they sure had plenty of ground to lose in the eyes of the international community. They seemed to have been working so hard to give the appearance they wanted to work out some resolution of tensions with Russia-sacking anti-Russian Defence Minister Okruashvili, sending Foreign Minister Bezhuashvili to Russia’s turf, attending the CIS summit and practically begging for a meeting with Putin there. And then they turn around and attend the inauguration.Unlike Russia who used the opportunity to call into question Georgia’s sincerity in resolving the frozen conflict peacefully, the West politely turned their heads and remained silent about the incident. But even if the incident created no political repercussions, it was still a bad move.
8. Russian, British Diplomats Discuss Georgia
Civil Georgia, Tbilisi / 2006-12-11 16:37:29
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin met with Sir Brian Fall, the UK Special Representative for the South Caucasus, in Moscow on December 11 to discuss issues related with Georgia.“The main focus [of the meeting] was on the discussion of Russian-Georgian relations, as well as on the settlement of the Abkhaz and South Ossetian conflicts,” the Russian Foreign Ministry reported.
9. Moscow Self-Disqualifying As Peacekeeper And Mediator In Abkhaz, South Ossetian Conflicts
Vladimir Socor, Eurasia Daily Monitor
The Russian Duma’s December 6 resolutions, calling for recognition of Abkhazia’s and South Ossetia’s secession from Georgia and their potential incorporation into Russia, are primarily geared to short-term tactical goals of Russian policy. These goals include:a) provoking Georgia into another spiral of bilateral confrontation that could partly cloud the fact of Russia’s unilateral aggression;b) emboldening the Sukhumi and Tskhinvali authorities to reject Georgian and international overtures, thereby maximizing those authorities’ dependence on Moscow while deepening the gulf between them and Tbilisi; andc) supplying the Kremlin with a political argument to demand the application of a Kosovo “model” to Abkhazia and South Ossetia, if Western states call for recognition of Kosovo’s secession from Serbia early in 2007 as anticipated.On the strategic level, however, the Kremlin has inflicted a defeat on itself by initiating the Duma resolutions. From this point on, no Western government or international organization can in good faith accept -- let alone ask Georgia to accept -- “negotiating processes” controlled by Russia as “mediator,” “facilitator,” and “peacekeeper.” Moscow has now abandoned the last, thinnest pretense of playing honest broker in the Abkhaz and South Ossetian conflicts.Moscow has now also demolished its own argument that these two conflicts are internal civil conflicts within Georgia. The Duma’s resolutions reflect the evolution of Russia’s policy from support of armed secession to open encouragement of territorial annexations; from orchestrating local ethnic “separatism” to embarking on Greater-Russia irredentism and unilateral changes of borders by force. With Moscow endorsing such goals, Russian “peacekeeping” troops can only be characterized as occupation troops involved in the seizure of territories from another country.Furthermore, the resolutions undermine Russia’s claim that recognition of Kosovo’s independence would provide the “precedent” or “model” for settling the post-Soviet conflicts. The international proposals regarding Kosovo’s status explicitly rule out the latter’s incorporation in any form into any existing state. However, the Duma’s resolutions explicitly open the door for attaching Abkhazia and South Ossetia in one form or another to the Russian Federation -- a goal implicit in Moscow’s operational policies and recent official statements.The Duma’s resolutions call on the Russian government to recognize the aspirations for independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia and to take into consideration their desire to form, in the case of Abkhazia, an “associated relationship” with the Russian Federation, and to join the latter in the case of South Ossetia. It also calls on the international community to take those wishes into account. The two documents are pegged to last month’s appeal from a “people’s assembly” in Sukhumi and referendum in parts of South Ossetia, which declared those goals. The Duma passed the two resolutions by 423 and 418 votes in favor, respectively, with zero opposed. An all-party group of deputies, half of them from the party of power, United Russia, drafted the documents. Thus, the Kremlin signaled that it had put its weight behind this move.On the same day, a mass rally in Sukhumi called for Russian and international recognition of the “sovereignty” of Abkhazia, South Ossetia, and Transnistria (the latter held a “presidential” election on December 10 to reelect Igor Smirnov to another term of office). In his speech to the rally, Abkhaz leader Sergei Bagapsh ruled out the idea of Abkhazia and Georgia existing within the borders of a single country. And, on the following day, Bagapsh and other leaders confirmed to a French-led visiting group of Western diplomats that Sukhumi would not return to negotiations with Tbilisi, unless Georgian “troops” [police] and civil authorities are removed from the upper Kodori valley -- a precondition known to be unacceptable to Georgia. Moreover, Sukhumi would not hold talks with foreign diplomats who visit upper Kodori. “Abkhazia reserves to itself the right to undertake measures at any time to restore its jurisdiction in its territory in upper Kodori,” Bagapsh warned (Apsnypress, Regnum, October 8).In South Ossetia, however, the Tbilisi-backed authorities emanated by the November 12 election and referendum have formed an administration in Georgian-controlled and grey-area villages (see EDM, November 13, 15). The parallel de facto president, Dmitry Sanakoyev, has appointed an executive authority of eight officials (four Ossetians and four of Georgian or mixed Georgian-Ossetian ethnicity). In a December 8 statement, the parallel authorities asked to be included in the negotiations toward a political settlement; appealed to Russia to take into consideration the will of many Ossetians who voted in that referendum for autonomous republic-status within Georgia; and asked the Georgian government to begin negotiations toward such a status.(Interfax, Messenger, Civil Georgia, Apsnypress, December 7-10)
10. New Plan for Abkhazia and South Ossetia
Kommersant
The general outlines of the settlement plan for Kosovo developed by Marti Ahtisaari, special representative of the General Secretary of the United Nations, were made known yesterday by the British newspaper The Independent. It will be officially announced after the January 21 parliamentary elections in Serbia and after its confirmation by the UN Security Council. The plan calls for Kosovo to be placed under the management of the European Union without declaration of its independence. Russia is now preparing a proposal for settlements in Abkhazia and South Ossetia based on the Kosovo plan.Under the plan, the key figure in Kosovo will become a international civilian representative appointed by the EU. The province will retain its president, parliament and government, but the civilian representative will have the power to annul any of their decisions and even to dismiss government officials if it is thought that they are acting in conflict with the interests of the EU. NATO forces will remain in the province, as will OSCE representatives. The plan does not call for formal independence for Kosovo, as Albanian Kosovan leaders are insisting on. One for the offices of the international representative will be in Belgrade. That gives the appearance of a compromise to the plan, and increases the likelihood of Russian support for it in the UN Security Council and eventual Serbian acceptance of it.Russia’s chief demand of the settlement is that it be universally applicable, that is, in other conflicts, such as those in the former Soviet Union. Kommersant has learned that a variation on the plan is being developed in Moscow for use in Abkhazia and South Ossetia. The essence of the plan is a “unified state” in the form of a confederation of Georgia, Abkhazia and South Ossetia. As part of the unified state, Abkhazia and South Ossetia would remain parts of Georgia, but with practically independent governments. The main difference between that and their present status, therefore, is it would become internationally recognized.Russia will begin its campaign for its concept with the visit of South Ossetian President Eduard Kokoity to Moscow at the end of the week. Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili is unlikely to accept the plan voluntarily, but Western pressure might sway him.
11. Abkhazia’s prosecutor-general resigns
Rustavi-2 TV, Tbilisi, in Georgian 1400 gmt 11 Dec 06
The Abkhaz parliament has accepted the resignation of prosecutor-general Zaur Bartsits, Georgian Rustavi-2 has reported. Russian news agency Interfax quoted the Abkhaz presidential administration as saying that Bartsits submitted his resignation voluntarily on 10 December.
12. Georgian TV Reports Police Brutality, Abduction In Abkhazia’s Gali District
Text of report by Georgian Public Television Channel 1 on 11 December
[Presenter] There has been an incident in the Georgian-Abkhaz conflict zone. The de facto [Abkhaz] government demanded that the local population in [Georgian-populated] Gali District support Abkhazia’s independence. Today members of [Gali police deputy chief] Otar Turanba’s bandit formation forced locals to stage a rally. The locals resisted them. As a result, residents of the village of Otobaia were beaten up. One of them was abducted.[Correspondent] At about 1600 hours today, Gali police deputy chief Otar Turanba’s trusted representative Alik Khishba entered the village of Otobaia together with an armed group and an Abkhaz TV crew. Khishba demanded that the local population gather in the centre of the village and stage a rally in support of Abkhazia’s independence. Most of the local residents did not obey. Therefore, Khishba and his group abducted one local resident and brutally beat up two others. The abducted person’s identity is not yet established, but this is how eyewitnesses described the incident:
[Diana Damenia, captioned as Otobaia resident] We are in very difficult conditions and we don’t know what to do. He beat up three people and took one of them away. The other two, beaten up, are here. We are in a very bad situation.[Correspondent] The situation remains tense at the Inguri bridge as well. For the last four days, only one-way traffic has been allowed there. Abkhaz customs officers and Russian peacekeepers are not allowing Gali residents to enter Zugdidi District. International observers and Russian peacekeepers are exempt from the restriction.
[Nino Beraia, captioned as Zugdidi resident] There are restrictions. I can no longer cross the bridge freely because of the tense situation, as they say.
[Neli Kobalia, captioned as Zugdidi resident] They said that only one-way movement was allowed. I am now going there. I don’t know whether they will let me pass.[Correspondent] Because of the ban, Georgian residents of Abkhazia have to use bypass roads. Schoolchildren in Gali District have also encountered problems. Ever since teaching in the Georgian language was banned in Gali, they have had to attend Georgian schools in Zugdidi, Tsalenjikha and Chkhorotsqu Districts. However, the self-recognized Abkhaz government is going to introduce stricter controls on the bypass roads from tomorrow. The Georgian administration of Gali District [in exile] says that the tension is not likely to ease soon.
[Tornike Kianava, captioned as deputy head of Gali District administration] Communication with Gali District and the villages of the lower zone was already restricted, but yesterday the Abkhaz administration closed all official river-crossing points and bridges. Only one-way movement is allowed.[Correspondent] The Inguri bridge was closed four days ago after the detention of the head of Abkhaz-appointed administration of the village of Kvemo Barghebi, Pridon Chakaberia [by Georgian police]. Chakaberia, who has been accused of robbing graves, is still being held in the Zugdidi prison. The Abkhaz side says that it will open the roads only after Chakaberia’s release.
13. Abkhaz journalist pessimistic about prospects for independent press
Nuzhnaya Gazeta, Sukhumi, in Russian 28 Nov 06
Izida Chania, the editor of Abkhazia’s leading independent newspaper Nuzhnaya, believes that the independent press in the Georgian breakaway region faces an uncertain future. Writing in a Nuzhnaya editorial, she says that ever increasing printing costs and distribution problems have brought independent publications to the brink of closure. She accuses the government of lacking commitment to free media and criticizes Abkhazia’s “stringent tax laws”. The following is an excerpt from Chania’s article, entitled “The days of the independent press are numbered (subscribers need not fuss about)”, published in Nuzhnaya on 28 November:This is no flashy headline, but, I contend, an objective reality. It is not worth dramatizing the situation as everything can be explained quite easily. The emergence of the independent press (I only mean the Abkhaz press) was largely due to the instinct of self-preservation, rather than democratic processes in the country. To put it more simply, there was no legal framework needed for the emergence of the independent press. Neither society nor the state was prepared for that, although both were in need of that institution. [Passage omitted]The current conditions are markedly different from those after the war. It is perfectly obvious that the process of rejection of “the independent media” as a democratic institution has been started. The alarm bells started ringing when, as of part of this logical chain of events, Ekho Abkhazii came under the wing of the Business Club [organization led by top Abkhaz businessman and MP Beslan Butba]. It was probably only journalists and politicians who noticed that. It is unlikely to have been thought through by the businessmen who became the owners of the publication. Most probably they had set themselves purely pragmatic objectives.Meanwhile, the decision taken by the newspaper’s editor was most probably dictated by economic conditions, namely by yet another “unscheduled” rise in the price of printing and distribution services, as well as the total absence of a legal framework protecting independent publications and the press distribution system. Anyway, that is what is apparent to the naked eye.Let us begin with printing, because everything here is sickeningly primitive. There are four offset printing works in the country (if I may use that word). Let us not speak about quality: everyone sees the results on a daily or weekly basis. Only one printing works out of three [as published] currently prints independent newspapers. All the rest are in the grip of residual political ambitions which for some reason are at odds with economic laws (which is a different subject). Independent publications have to use that printing works and accept its technical characteristics and capacity because it is essentially the monopolist for them. Bargaining with the printers when they increase their prices is simply pointless, as is demanding that they show how the new figure was reached or that a contract be signed.The so-called state printing association still seems to exist, but prices there are even higher than in the private printing works and the patience of an angel is needed to ensure that customer orders are fulfilled and to get hold of staff at publication time. We have already been through that once and might have continued to put up with such peculiar inconveniences had it not transpired that our newspaper did not suit that organization on ideological grounds.There is another semi-state printing works. It belongs to the Republic of Abkhazia [newspaper]. The patience of Chegemskaya Pravda [independent newspaper] was tested there. Nuzhnaya was not even allowed to approach it. But finally both Chegemskaya and Nuzhnaya were forced to use the services of the printing works that is located in the building of the Abkhaz state university.During the 11 years of our existence, we have had to use another printing alternative, a printing works in Sochi [in Russia]. Its quality is better and prices are more affordable. But using it is a false economy. The transport costs are compounded by the problem of timeliness. A newspaper that is two days old could be of interest only to historians, archivists and statisticians. In addition, during the [1994 presidential] election campaign all issues of Nuzhnaya were seized at the Russian-Abkhaz border by the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation. Naturally, no-one paid us compensation for the losses incurred. The Sochi printing works also received a verbal instruction forbidding it to print independent Abkhaz press. Generally speaking, Russia has not become a trouble-free solution for the independent press.From everything that has been said it is obvious that the only way out is for the independent press is buy its own printing works. But the price of such a luxury is incomparably higher than the profits both the non-independent and independent press can make even over 10 years. Being as costly to produce, newspapers are therefore in the same position as the electronic mass media.The distribution system presents another swathe of problems. I must stress that the profitability of a publication is directly dependent on its circulation. For their circulation to increase, newspapers should be sold all over the territory. Meanwhile, the distribution system that currently exists in this country simply does not work. Not only are weeklies, let alone dailies, unavailable in villages, they are not even delivered to all districts. It is clear that not a single existing newspaper will be able to cope with the problem of delivery on its own.There is yet another issue, which is the absence of legal mechanisms protecting independent publications. Tax breaks in our country are granted selectively. Those who enjoy them include tourist facilities, wine and spirits organizations, and private communication systems [as published]. Meanwhile, the independent press has to abide by the stringent tax laws that are intended for commercial organizations.It is obvious that our government needs the independent media only for outward effect, just in order to demonstrate to the international community from time to time the level of democracy in society. In fact, even the existing law on the mass media has not become a guarantee of access to information and has not placed the independent press on an equal footing with the state-run media.An enormous sheet of paper is displayed in the editorial office of Nuzhnaya, which journalists use to write the names of officials who have refused to answer their questions. By the end of the year there is usually no blank space left on it, so we replace it with a new one. That was the situation five years ago, and it remains the same today. The change of government has not brought about significant changes with respect to the independent mass media. “If you are independent, you should be able to survive on your own” - this phrase by a high-ranking official fully reflects their attitude towards independence.If the new economic guidelines are also taken into account, it becomes obvious that the days of the independent press are numbered. There will be yellow, parliamentary, presidential and opposition press, but independence will have to wait.
14. Abkhaz officials threaten to cut power to western Georgia
Ekaterina Basilaia, The Messenger
The de facto authorities of breakaway Abkhazia stated on December 8 they have suspended border crossings with Georgia preventing Georgian citizens from crossing the administrative border with the self-proclaimed republic and have threatened to cut power supplies from the Enguri hydro power plant to the Georgian western provinces, unless the Georgian side releases the head of the village administration of Bargeb (in Abkhazia’s Gali district) Pridon Chakaberia.“We demand that Mr. Chakaberia be released and call on all parties of the negotiations to avoid similar actions, which may cause retaliation and escalation of tensions,” the statement released by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the breakaway republic reads.Chakaberia was arrested by Georgian police in the Georgian city of Zugdidi in Samegrelo, near the administrative border with breakaway Abkhazia, for alleged drug trafficking (he was reportedly found in possession of heroine) and for grave-robbing of Georgian graves reports TV station Rustavi 2. He was sentenced to two months pre-trial detention. However, the Abkhaz side claims that Chakaberia was in Zugdidi to purchase medical equipment. According to reports, immediately after the Chakaberia’s arrest, the Abkhaz president’s representative in Gali District, Ruslan Kishmaria called on Georgian authorities to release the Abkhaz citizen, but there was no reaction.According to the statement the detention of the Abkhaz citizen is “politically motivated.”“The Abkhaz Foreign Ministry considers it noteworthy that the policy of intimidating local residents has become a pervasive practice and is aimed at destabilizing the situation in the district,” the statement quotes.De facto Abkhaz president Sergei Bagapsh believes that the “charges of drug possession brought against an administration and economic executive, a married man and a respectable citizen are an obvious fabrication.”“We have already closed the checkpoints on the border with Georgia. We will probably suspend power supplies to the western regions of Georgia,” Bagapsh said in an interview posted on his official website.Currently, the checkpoints at the Abkhaz-Georgian border are operating in a one-way mode only, allowing the crossing to only its citizens who go back home after a stay in Georgia.He also noted that Chakaberia’s arrest was aimed “at intimidating the local population” of the predominantly Georgian-populated Gali district.Bagapsh alleged that the Georgian authorities want to “punish” all Georgians who live in the Gali district and who cooperate with the Abkhaz authorities.“All Georgians who live and work in Abkhazia are considered to be traitors in Georgia. Thus, it is clear that Tbilisi’s intention is to punish the Gali residents who desire to live in peace,” Bagapsh said.The pupils of villages of Saberio and Lekukhona of Gali district were prevented from attending lessons at schools in Tsalenjikha as Russian peacekeepers and representatives of Abkhaz de facto officials did not allow them to cross the border, Georgian Ministry of Education and Science reported.Nevertheless, soon after the incident about 70 pupils and teachers from the Gali district managed to get to school by alternate routes, the report reads.
15. TV Report on Georgian Schools in Gali Sparks Parliament Debate
Civil Georgia, Tbilisi / 2006-12-11 18:13:41
MP Nodar Grigalashvili, a chairman of the parliamentary committee for education, unleashed a criticism against a journalist from the Tbilisi-based Imedi television for as he put it providing “unprofessional and biased” coverage of a situation surrounding Georgian schools in the breakaway Abkhazia’s Gali district.Imedi TV’s weekly program Droeba (Times) broadcasted a story about teachers and schools in this predominantly Georgian-populated district of breakaway region on December 10. The TV story showed angry teachers complaining about low salaries – GEL 30 per month (about USD 17,5) - and about the authorities’ failure to pay even this small salaries for more than year already.“When a journalist misrepresents the facts, he either lacks professionalism, or is simply hired by the enemies of Georgia,” Grigalashvili said at the session of the Parliamentary Bureau on December 11 and added that the lawmakers should not hesitate to “request” the television to sack a journalist who is misleading viewers.But Parliamentary Chairperson Nino Burjanadze responded with criticism to MP Grigalashvili.“I cannot dictate to any newspaper editor or broadcaster which journalist should be sacked or replaced. This is not admissible in a democratic country,” Burjanadze said.Burjanadze instructed relevant parliamentary committees, including the committee for education, to study the issues related with the salary arrears of teachers in Gali district.
16. Karabakh People Finished Process Of State Formation By Constitution Adoption: South-Ossetian Observer
Arminfo
“Our delegation has visited the areas in Stepanakert, Martuni and Martakert regions, where it was enabled to observe the voting process, deputy Foreign Minister of South Ossetia, Alan Pliyev, said at December 11 press-conference in Stepanakert, ArmInfo special correspondent in Stepanakert reports.“As a result of monitoring, we have made sure that the Karabakh people votes freely and that the will of the whole people was expressed in the Referendum. We have no reasons not to recognize the voting results”, A. Pliyev said. “I think, the NKR people has finished the process of its state formation since this moment. On behalf of the South Ossetian people, we congratulate the people of Nagorno Karabakh with such an important event”, A. Pliyev said.
17. Separatist leader says South Ossetia to unilaterally cut armed forces
Excerpt from report by South Ossetian Press and Information Committee website on 11 December
South Ossetian president Eduard Kokoyty held a meeting today with ministers and departmental and administration heads. [Passage omitted]At the meeting great attention was paid to the negotiating process. Eduard Kokoyty said that the resumption of the negotiating process in a quadrilateral format [involving representatives of Georgia, Russia, South Ossetia and North Ossetia] was essential. Kokoyty expressed a desire to hold a meeting with the cochairmen of the Joint Control Commission and representatives of the OSCE and other international organizations to discuss the crisis that has emerged in the negotiating process. Corresponding instructions were given to the South Ossetian cochairman of the Joint Control Commission, Boris Chochiyev, and to acting foreign minister Murat Dzhioyev.“We believe that our problems should only be resolved at the negotiating table. Recently the Georgian side has reduced the negotiating process to almost nothing. That should not be tolerated,” Kokoyty said.He also informed the meeting that the Ossetian side was proposing a reduction in armed forces and would unilaterally begin a reduction of its military structures by 30 per cent. Kokoyty expressed hope that Georgia would conduct a corresponding reduction in forces.In 2005 the Ossetian side reduced the number of military subunits. Georgia responded by actively increasing its military potential.Social and economic policies were also discussed at the meeting.
18. Georgian MP says South Ossetia reshuffle shows strengthening Russian position
Rustavi-2 TV, Tbilisi, in Georgian 1400 gmt 11 Dec 06
The reshuffle of South Ossetia’s de facto government on 11 December shows that Russia is strengthening its position in the region, according to the chairman of the Georgian parliamentary defence and security committee, Givi Targamadze.“Now almost every key post is held by a Russian citizen, by active representatives of the Russian authorities. On the one hand that shows that it is strengthening its positions in the region. On the other hand it shows that Russia trusts the locals less and less,” Targamadze said in remarks broadcast by Georgian Rustavi-2 TV on 11 December.
19. South Ossetia’s pro-Georgian leader critical of separatist government reshuffle
Excerpt from report by Georgian Public Television Channel 1 on 11 December
[Presenter] There has been a reshuffle in [South Ossetian separatist president Eduard] Kokoyty’s government. Eduard Kokoyty appointed Andrey Laptev as defence minister. Until now Laptev was chief of staff at the de-facto defence ministry. He replaces Anatoliy Barankevich, who has been appointed secretary of Kokoyty’s security council. [Passage omitted]Dmitriy Sanakoyev [pro-Georgian leader of South Ossetia] today commented on the reshuffle.[Sanakoyev, interviewed in Russian] I can feel that today South Ossetia no longer has its own conflict settlement policy. There is one position that comes from Russia and from forces that want to whip up tension in the Georgian - South Ossetian conflict zone today. Therefore, they now have candidates who do not want a peaceful settlement but want tension and a military resolution of the conflict. Moreover, there is currently no flexibility in South Ossetia’s policy in that respect. They have an unequivocal, categorical answer - South Ossetia’s secession from Georgia. I know that this will lead to no good.
20. South Ossetian leader replaces defence minister
Text of report by South Ossetian Press and Information Committee website on 11 December
[No dateline, as received] On the orders of Eduard Kokoyty, the president of the republic of South Ossetia, Andrey Laptev has been appointed minister for defence and emergency situations. He was previously chief of staff at the South Ossetian defence ministry.Former defence minister Anatoliy Barankevich has been appointed secretary of the South Ossetian security council.Today the president reappointed interior minister Mikhail Mindzayev. Boris Atoyev was appointed chairman of the KGB by the president. Boris Atoyev has previously worked for KGB bodies in Kabarda-Balkaria, Moscow and Afghanistan.
21. Kokoity Calls for Talks, Unveils Plans to Cut Armed Forces
Civil Georgia, Tbilisi / 2006-12-11 17:13:10
South Ossetian leader Eduard Kokoity said he is ready to start cutting the breakaway region’s troops by 30% with the hope for a reciprocal move by the Georgian side, the South Ossetian Press and Information Committee reported on December 11.Tskhinvali has been accusing Tbilisi of “militarization,” including in and around the conflict zone.According to the Georgian government’s account, dated February 2006, the South Ossetian side can mobilize a total of about 5,500 troops. The unrecognized republic’s Defense Ministry forces include up to 2,260 servicemen; the Interior Ministry – 1,100; Security Committee – 100; and paramilitary groups – 2,100, according to the Georgian government.Speaking at a session of the unrecognized republic’s government in Tskhinvali on December 11, Eduard Kokoity also said that he wants talks to resume in the frames of the quadripartite negotiation format Joint Control Commission (JCC), involving the Georgian, South Ossetian, Russian and Russia’s North Ossetian sides.According to the South Ossetian Press and Information Committee Kokoity said that he is ready to meet with the co-chairmen of the JCC and instructed his Foreign Minister Murat Jioyev to organize this meeting.“The Georgian side has actually brought the negotiating process to nothing. We should not let this happen,” Kokoity said.
22. Georgia increases troops on South Ossetian border, Regnum
Georgia increases troops near the South-Ossetian border. As South Ossetian KGB public relations department told a REGNUM correspondent, the so-called alternative government at present time is being guarded by a unit that includes military equipment.The unit is considered in South Ossetia as a militia unit, as it is known that the alternative government resides in Georgian villages, which are armored to the highest degree, the South Ossetian KGB informs. Overall, more than 3.500 troops of the Georgian military are deployed in the Georgian-Ossetian conflict.
23. Gallup Corruption Index: 101 countries ranked on perceptions of corruption in business, government
Steve Crabtree and Nicole Naurath Gallup News Service
Endemic corruption is one of the greatest impediments to stability and growth for many poor countries that might otherwise be looking to current international trends -- the spread of information technology, debt forgiveness for developing nations, economic globalization -- with great hope. The uncertainty posed by institutional corruption makes tapping into those trends difficult, curtailing much-needed foreign investment and aid opportunities.But far more costly is the effect corruption has on the residents in these countries: It diminishes their faith in the country’s leadership. It reduces their incentive to work hard, making entrepreneurial efforts and civic engagement less likely. Perhaps most fundamentally, it robs them of the sense that they can control their own destinies.With the launch of the Gallup World Poll, respondents in more than 100 nations around the globe are being asked for their opinions in a variety of areas -- but perhaps none is more important than their likelihood to feel corruption is common in their countries. The 2006 Gallup Corruption Index is calculated from the responses in 101 countries to two simple questions:
* Is corruption widespread throughout the government in your country?
* Is corruption widespread within businesses located in your country?The resulting scores range from 12 in Finland, which is something of a model society in terms of the trust its residents place in their basic institutions, to 94 in the former Soviet republic of Lithuania.The countries included in the 2006 Index are ranked from the lowest score, indicating the population least likely to perceive corruption as widespread, to the highest. [Georgia tied for 31st, with a score of 68]Index Scores Related to Leadership Approval, Satisfaction With FreedomComparing confidence and optimism levels in countries that rank high on the list with those that rank close to the bottom reveals striking differences. Among the top 10 countries on the list, a majority of residents, 55%, say they have confidence in the country’s leadership; among the bottom 10 countries the figure is about one-third (32%). Across the top 10 countries, 84% of residents say people in their countries are able to get ahead by working hard; in the bottom 10 countries, that number drops to 58%.There is also a strong connection between Index scores and respondents’ sense of their personal freedom. Ninety-two percent of residents in the top 10 countries say they are satisfied with their freedom to choose what to do with their lives, compared with just 65% of those in the bottom 10 countries on the list.Gallup Index Correlates Strongly With Other Corruption MeasuresTo test the validity of the Gallup Corruption Index, the scores were correlated with two widely referenced sources on corruption in business and government:
* Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index, which compiles surveys with country experts and business leaders
* results from three survey questions addressing corruption in the World Economic Forum’s Global Competitiveness Index, which includes responses from approximately 11,000 executives in 125 countriesIn each case, strong correlations (r = .70 or higher) were found. Eight of the top 10 countries in the Gallup Corruption Index also appear in the top 10 of Transparency International’s 2006 Index.Gallup’s Index, however, is set apart by its consistency. Gallup supervises all the data collection using identical methodological standards. In every country, samples are designed to be representative of the entire population, rather than just urban residents or other subpopulations. Thus, the Gallup Corruption Index represents the true likelihood of residents countrywide to perceive widespread corruption.
Survey MethodsResults are based on interviews with randomly selected national samples of approximately 1,000 adults who are permanent residents in the 101 nations surveyed in 2005 and 2006. For results based on these samples, one can say with 95% confidence that the maximum error attributable to sampling and other random effects is ±3 percentage points. In addition to sampling error, question wording and practical difficulties in conducting surveys can introduce error or bias into the findings of public opinion polls.The Gallup Corruption Index is calculated using the responses to two questions:
* Is corruption widespread throughout the government in your country?
* Is corruption widespread within businesses located in your country?Scores are derived from the ratio of affirmative to negative responses (with “don’t know” responses or refusals removed from the analysis).
24. Ambassador of Azerbaijan to Georgia visited Marneuli, Embassy of Azerbaijan
On December 7, Ambassador of Azerbaijan to Georgia Namig Alijev visited Marneuli in the province of Kvemo Kartli. Alijev visited the the place identified to construct the Olympic complex.The ambassador had a meeting with local government representatives and was introduced to the plans to reconstruct the city and prospects of the district in 2007. It was said that the district budget for 2007 is GEL 6.5 million. (more than USD 3.5 million) and half of the sum will be spent on social needs.
25. Libraries of Georgia and Russia resume cooperation, Black Sea Press
The national libraries of Georgia and Russia resume cooperation stated director of the National Parliamentary Library named after Illia Chavchavadze Zaza Abashidze on Friday at a press conference in Tbilisi at the international press center RIA Novosti.RIA Novosti reports that Abashidze said, “Our library and the Russian State Library have signed an agreement on cooperation envisioning an exchange of films, information and new technologies.”“By our request, Russian specialists in library technology completed preparing recommendations for technical reconstruction of the main storage of the Georgian National Library,” he stressed.
The National Library of Georgia named after Illia Chavchavadze was founded in 1846 as the first in the Caucasus. The library was the central storage for books and information on the Caucasus and it had scientific and educational functions.
26. French business forum full of prospects
Christina Tashkevich, The Messenger
Representatives of large French businesses came to Georgia last week to study once again the state of Georgia’s economy and discuss possible investments in the country.Citroen, Gaz de France, BNP Paribas, Societe Generale and Carlson Wagonlit are only a few of about twenty companies who were represented at the forum.“If you think about the size of these companies, this could be one of the largest business forums Georgia’s ever had,” Ambassador of France to Georgia HE Philippe Lefort told journalists.He says companies working in the banking and financial sectors, industrial sectors as well as in the energy and the environment have visited Georgia and calls the interest of the French businesses in Georgia “a good sign of trust.”There have already been several large investments from French businesses in Georgia.The pioneer French company in Georgia was Groupe Castel and Castel Georgia is one of the local leaders producing beer and soft drinks at the moment. HE Lefort says that so far the French side has already invested EUR 35 million in the Georgian Castel.“We plan to invest more, for example, in canning and bottling beer. We have been refurbishing the equipment, so we would be able to increase our capacity of bottling,” CEO of BIH Eastern Ltd, the holding company of Groupe Castel’s beer, wine and mineral water operations in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Russia, Jean Paul Lanfranchi told The Messenger.Another example is French-owned Pernod Ricard Group who has invested in GWS, one of the leading winemaking companies in Georgia.Finally one of the largest financial organizations in the world, French Societe Generale Group has stepped into the Georgian market after buying a 60 percent stake of Bank Republic-one of Georgia’s top banks-earlier this fall.“This business forum is evidence that French capital is looking friendly and positively towards Georgia,” HE Lefort said.Meeting with the French businessmen on December 8, President Mikheil Saakashvili noted that despite Georgia not having a good reputation just two years ago, the country was able to become an attractive country for investors. Saakashvili added that the fact that leading French businesses are interested in Georgia, speaks to Georgia gaining the trust in the international economic arena.The Georgian president says investments in Georgia will double next year.“Georgia truly managed to overcome the negative advertising, which was created after our neighbours organized an economic embargo against us,” he said.Managing Director of Medef International, which is a French business confederation, Thierry Courtaigne, says French businesses who participated in the forum are interested in becoming familiar with the economic sectors which are developing in Georgia and in the Caucasus region in general.“We know agriculture, banking and construction sectors are developing in Georgia. We want to look at how attractive the local market is for us, and how it’s possible for Georgia to become a part of the joint European market,” Courtaigne told journalists.
27. Turkey ready to redistribute its share of Shah-Deniz natural gas
Nino Kopaleishvili, The Messenger
Turkey has agreed to concede its share of the Shah-Deniz natural gas to both Azerbaijan and Georgia.The announcement was made after an eight-hour closed door meeting in Tbilisi of the three energy ministers of Turkey, Azerbaijan and Georgia on December 8.It was reported that the meeting was temporarily postponed while the ministers met with President Mikheil Saakashvili at the State Chancellery.“We took a huge step forward during these negotiations,” stated Minister of Energy Nika Gilauri.The detailed agreement between the three countries, specifically on the price of the natural gas and the amount of gas, will be made later when talks resume in Baku slated for December 13.“All this demonstrates one more time that Turkey, Georgia and Azerbaijan are strategic partners today and they are striving for cooperation in any field, including energy,” said Energy Minister of Azerbaijan Natig Aliyev as quoted by the news agency Black Sea Press.From the Shah-Deniz gas pipeline (also known as the South Caucasus pipeline and the Baku-Tbilisi-Erzerum pipeline) Turkey is ready to share its 2.8 billion cubic metres of gas it receives from the project. Georgia hopes to secure 1.5 billion cubic metres of gas from the pipeline. Azerbaijan currently gets 4.5 billion cubic metres of natural gas from Russia, which it strives to replace with gas from the South Caucasus pipeline.“Both Azerbaijan and Georgia are trying to settle their problems of natural gas supplies. We have no way but to reassess our resources, reduce gas imports and use fuel oil to produce electricity. Ministers have today reached a firm agreement on gas redistribution,” Aliyev said as quoted by Azeri Press Agency (APA) on Friday.Azerbaijan and Georgia have pinned hopes on the Shah-Deniz pipeline after Gazprom announced it would increase their gas price to USD 230 per thousand cubic metres in 2007 and threatened Azerbaijan’s government with increased tariffs and reduced natural gas exports if it supplied Georgia with natural gas.
The Georgian government which described the increased natural gas price as “political” announced it would seek for alternative ways. It held negotiations with Iran, which supplied gas to Georgia for two weeks last winter when the sabotage of Georgia’s main gas pipeline took place. However, recently the ambassador of United States made it clear to the Georgian government that it would not be acceptable for the US if Georgia were to form a longterm strategy for energy cooperation with Iran.Now, the country has turned its hopes to the Shah-Deniz pipeline that will start operating on December 15 and provide the country with 10 million cubic metres of gas by the end of 2006.
This year Georgia received from Gazprom 1.5 billion cubic meters of gas and planned to increase its consumption up to 2 billion. The initial contract to receive Baku-Tbilisi-Erzerum project guarantees Georgia will receive 250 million cubic metres of natural gas from the Shah-Deniz.It is reported that today, Georgia gets about 1.5 billion cubic metres from Gazprom and 400-450 million cubic metres are imported by the Russian gas company Itera.
28. Georgian And Armenian Justice Ministers To Sign Memorandum Of Understanding, Prime News
The Georgian and Armenian Justice ministers will sign the Memorandum of Understanding on Monday.Prime-News was told at the Ministry of justice that the delegation of the Ministry of Justice of Armenia under the leadership of David Arutinian, Minister of Justice of Armenia, would arrive in Tbilisi with 2-day official visit.The Armenian guests will meet Ministers of Justice and Foreign Affairs of Georgia and Chairman of the Supreme Court. The delegation will survey National Bureau of Forensic Expertise, Department of Execution of Punishments and Enforcement Department of the Ministry of Justice.
29. Arrested cofounder of “202” places hopes on Strasbourg court, media.ge
The cofounder of TV Company “202”, Shalva Ramishvili, who is serving a sentence in the 6th prison of Rustavi, does not intend to appeal to president Saakashvili with a pardon petition and places all his hopes on the European Court of Human Rights.“Unintelligent investigators were very unsuccessful in “sewing” my case. It is clear to even a trainee lawyer that both David Kokhreidze and I are innocent victims of a provocation and not “racketeers”. We are expecting a substantial progress in this direction very soon. It will be extremely hard for the government to prove its absurd allegations and to explain numerous procedural blunders”, Ramishvili says in his written interview with newspaper “Qronika” (11-17 December edition). Ramishvili and Kokhreidze were arrested on August 27, 2005 on the allegation of money extortion from MP Koba Beqauri. The founders of “202” were promising the MP that they would not air a film produced by studio “Reporter” which described his illegal business activities if he would pay them 100 000 USD. Ramishvili and Kokhreidze were arrested after the money was handed to them.Tbilisi municipal court sentenced Ramishvili to 4 years in prison and Kokhreidze to 3 years.
30. Journalists are not allowed to attend the gamgebeli election process in Gurjaani, unicipal council, media.ge
Local journalists were not allowed to attend the session of Gurjaani municipal council which elected gamgebeli (head of district administration).“After the election of gamgebeli was placed on agenda, the chairman of the council, Zurab Kheviashvili ordered the attending journalists to leave the hall, which angered the latter”, “Medianews” reports by drawing on NGO “Human Rights Information and Documentation Center”.This news was published in newspaper “Akhali Taoba” (New Generation) on December 9.According to the same news the journalists demanded to be advised on basis of which law they were forced out of the hall, but received threats and fist knocks on tables instead.The press service of Gurjaani municipal council explained to “Medianews” that according to the Organic Law on Municipal Councils the chairman of the council has a right to hold a closed session.At the same time, the expert of “Georgian Self-Governance Association”, Koba Dzagania points out that by the amendments made in the Organic Law on Self-governance on November 10 every session of any municipal council is open to any citizen of Georgia.“A chairman of municipal council has no right to hold a closed session, especially when a gamgebeli is being elected, because according to law this elections are open”.
31. “Armavia” Plans To Open Regular Flight Yerevan-Tbilisi-Yerevan Till End, 2006, Arminfo
The “Armavia” Company plans to open a new regular flight Yerevan-Tbilisi-Yerevan till the end, 2006, which had been stopped after the former USSR collapse, the Company’s press-service told ArmInfo.According to the source data, the opening of the new flight is conditioned on the increase of demand in air communication between the two countries in view of the business contacts development. Moreover, this flight will become one way of transportation more for the citizens between Russia and Georgia with change in Armenia after Russia had stopped a direct transport communication with Georgia. The Yerevan-Tbilisi-Yerevan flights will be carried out twice a week by YAK-42 airplane. The price of the air-ticket to both ends without airport taxes starts from $100. Moreover, it is scheduled to open one regular flight more Yerevan-Ashkhabad-Yerevan till the end, 2006.
32. Georgian, Israeli, British Inventors Develop Electrode Sandwich Separation Method, US Fed News
Zaza Taliashvili, Avto Tavkhelidze and Leri Tsakadze, all from Tbilisi, Georgia, Rochel Geller of Ramat Beit Shemesh Aleph, Israel, and Isaiah Watas Cox of London, have developed a method for manufacturing a pair of matching electrodes.According to the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: “Materials bonded together are separated using electrical current, thermal stresses, mechanical force, any combination of the above methods, or any other application or removal of energy until the bonds disappear and the materials are separated.”An abstract of the invention, released by the Patent Office, said: “In one embodiment the original bonding was composed of two layers of material. In another embodiment, the sandwich was composed of three layers. In a further embodiment, the parts of the sandwich are firmly maintained in their respective positions during the application of current so as to be able to subsequently align the materials relative to one another.”The inventors were issued U.S. Patent No. 7,140,102 on Nov. 28.The patent has been assigned to Borealis Technical Ltd., Gibraltar.
33. Saakashvili to award economic medals
M. Alkhazashvili , The Messenger
President Mikheil Saakashvili is going to award economic medals to those people who will make special achievements in the economy.“Economic medals should be presented to those people, who employ the most people, grow their business the most and assisted the development of their country the most. We have military medals and now we should encourage those people who are fighting on the economic frontline because today the frontline is moving to the economy,” Saakashvili stated while commenting on the internship programme on December 8, reports the newspaper Alia.
34. President’s successful internship programme to be continued
By M. Alkhazashvili , The Messenger
The president’s internship programme is moving from the Ministry of Labour, Health and Social Affairs to the Ministry of Economic Development in 2007. According to President Mikheil Saakashvili, the president’s internship programme was a good test for the Georgian economy and the creation of jobs will be the major priority for the country in the near future. Thus the programme will continue but it will be controlled by the Ministry of Economic Development, reports the newspaper Akhali Taoba.“The internship programme will continue and perhaps will be on a larger scale than this year. But the programme should be very useful and each job should be controlled. In reality, the number of jobs has been increasing in Georgia and that is very important. We do not have a higher aim than the creation of jobs,” Saakashvili said while visiting Tbilisi Elmavalmshenebeli, an electric locomotive factory which was hailed by the president as a leader in providing new jobs in the state-funded president’s internship programme, reports the newspaper Akhali Taoba.According to Minister of Labour, Health and Social Affairs Lado Chipashvili over 35 000 citizens participated in the program.“Out of them at least 10 000 people have already received permanent jobs after the internship program,” Chipashvili said on December 8, reports the newspaper Alia.The aim of the state programme is to improve the professional skills of the labour market.For three months, participants of the programme work on probation at different enterprises. They are paid monthly scholarships amounting to GEL150 by the state.
35. Translation of new textbooks for non-Georgian schools underway, The Messenger
Translation of textbooks into the Azeri, Russian and Armenian languages is underway.The holding company Georgian Industrial Group (190 000 GEL) and Bank Republic (87 000 GEL) financed the translation of textbooks created according to the new national curriculum.“One of the main objectives of education system reform is to create a single educational space throughout the country. In this regard, general standards of achievement for all general education schools will be defined,” noted Simon Janashia Director of the National Curriculum and Assessment Centre.100 Georgian-speaking schools successfully underwent the piloting of the new national curriculum. As a result the new textbooks will be introduced in the first, seventh and tenth grades of all Georgian-speaking schools for 2006-2007.In 2006-2007 a pilot project was launched in 10 Russian and 10 Azeri and Armenian speaking schools of Georgia.New textbooks for non-Georgian speaking schools were introduced in public school no. 37 this week.
36. Cartu Group to assists in library restoration, The Messenger
Cartu Group is completing work on a project to reconstruct and rehabilitate the Parliament National Library of Georgia.At a press conference on Friday, Director of the National Library Zaza Abashidze spoke about the problems of the National Library. At the moment, the library contains several million items are in very poor condition. Storage facilities are not ventilated properly, there is moisture and the temperature cannot be maintained at the desired level. Therefore many unique volumes are in very dangerous conditions.Thanks to a donation from the Cartu Group, a considerable amount has been invested to improve the situation. However, the library is still in desperate need of additional storage facilities even though over the last fifteen years, the amount of books either purchased or donated to the library has been very modest due to a lack of financing.The library was founded in 1846 and it was the first public library in the Caucasus. Today the library possesses seven and a half million items including around four million books.The Cartu Group is owned by the famous Georgian tycoon, the only registered Georgian billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili, who is well-known for his charitable activities, supporting much cultural and historical property for Georgia, including the Rustaveli Theatre and construction of the newly constructed Sameba Cathedral.
37. Commission reported over IDP’s death, The Messenger
Special Parliamentary Commission on the Studying the Facts of Violations of Rights of Georgia’s Citizens living in the Russian Federation will hold a meeting to discuss a topic referring Manana Jebelia’s death, who on 2 December died with a heart attack at the deportation center in Moscow.Chair of the Special Parliamentary Commission on the Studying the Facts of Violations of Rights of Georgia’s Citizens living in the Russian Federation Nika Gvaramia said that the commission would hear a detail report on Jebelia’s death and this would be included in the final conclusion of the commission.Reportedly, the Russian Federation with an illegal arrest of Jebelia, who was an IDP from Abkhazia, violated the Vienna Convention, which bans re-proscription from the country.According to the official data of the Border Police of Georgia’s Interior ministry, 940 ethnic Georgia’s have already been deported from the Russian Federation.
38. National Forum slams IMF’s policy, Rustavi 2
Representatives of the political union the National Forum have held a press conference to criticize the International Monetary Fund’s policy.Reportedly, they have accused the IMF of hampering the progress of business and economics in Georgia; the base for anti-national economic policy is a draft-bill on the budget year 2007.The representatives of the National Forum called upon MPs vote against the existed draft-bill on the state budget year 2007.
39. Alexander Lomaia To Speak About Reforms In Strasbourg, Prime News
Alexander Lomaia, Minister of Education and Science, will deliver a speech dedicated to the reforms the Georgian higher education is undergoing at the international conference held in Strasbourg on December 12-13.Prime-News was told at the Ministry of Education and Science that Alexander Lomaia would speak about transformation of educational programs, imposition joint and double diplomas, sharing international experience.The Ministers of Education from Georgia, Ukraine, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Moldova will speak about the reforms the higher education is undergoing in their countries.Bologna process, which will be accomplished by creating European space of higher education for 2010, unites 45 countries.The Ministers of Education from 40 countries and international organizations adopted Georgia as the member of Bologna process in Bergen, Norway, on May 19 2005.
40. The West dooms Georgia, The Messenger
According to the newspaper Akhali Taoba, Nodar Natadze head of the marginal political party National Front thinks that the West will abandon Georgia.
Natadze reports that the decision by the Russian Duma will be significant for the country. Members of the Georgian parliament say that legally this decree means nothing, but it is not true, because legally it is a very big step. By taking this step, Russia has caused damage to Georgia. According to Natadze the second factor is “Putin is really a Russian chauvinist, imperialist but in critical situations, he subordinates to the west’s wishes.”If the West permits Russia’s recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia’s independence, Georgia will suffer terrible losses. According to Natadze, there is a big chance that the West will allow Russia to do this. It will cause terrible consequences for Georgia from the west if they allow Russia to do this and Natadze believes it will happen very soon.Natadze thinks the thing the Georgian government should do in this case is first and foremost to prove that both territories of Abkhazia and South Ossetia are the Georgian nation’s property.
41. Journalists to get code of ethics, The Messenger
According to the newspaper Akhali Taoba, the Code of Ethics for Broadcasting was developed over the course of a year, but as Levan Ramishvili, representative of the non-governmental organization Liberty Institute, said, they tried to interest Georgian journalists to work together on this document but in vein. Ramishvili thinks it would have been better to work on this code together with journalists but overall they didn’t get a large response to the project. With the help of the Council of Europe they have written and reviewed this document several times.The reason to develop such a code is simple-it tries to create a value system for journalists, because the profession of journalism is very often connected with ethical dilemmas. Very often a journalist has to balance both the interests of opposing sides and this code aims to help the journalist do this.According to this code, the basic requirement for journalists is to self-regulate. For example, if someone objects to a report about them or one that quotes them, the journalist will be obliged to listen to their complaint and then to make decision whether or not to print a follow-up or retraction which will give an explanation about the case. The response must be objective.Ramishvili thinks that it is necessary for journalists to work with this kind of document in order not to have problems with citizens. This code will also help journalist be more mobilized and more professionals which is necessary for Georgian media.
42. Why I must serve as a reservist, The Messenger
According to the newspaper Akhali Versia MP Mamuka Katsitadze and deputy director of the opposition party New Rights says that he is against serving as a reservist, because he doesn’t see the sense in this idea.Katsitadze thinks that it is not a requirement to meet NATO standards. He thinks it is a public relations stunt by President Mikheil Saakashvili, made by himself and for his friends, to make them more popular. This project will work quite successfully for the Georgian president and he mentions that they are spending their time playing PR games rather than thinking about the people of their country’s problems.Katsitadze fought in the Civil War in Abkhazia. Katsitadze said that according to this proposal, it will be mandatory for him to serve as a reservist if the parliament approves this law, which implies that an MP’s mission is as a reservist rather than law-maker.
Jonathan Kulick, Ph.D., Director of Studies, Georgian Foundation for Strategic and International Studies, 3a Chitadze, Tbilisi 0108, Georgia (Republic), jonathan.kulick@gfsis.org, office: +995 32 47 35 55, mobile: +995 95 33 33 40, USA voicemail: 310.928.6814
No comments:
Post a Comment