NEWS: Georgia News Digest 04-01-08

A service of the Georgian Foundation for Strategic and International Studies

Attached PDF file easily navigable with Bookmarks pane
Archives and associated files at groups.google.com/group/genewsfiles (from February 2008) and groups.google.com/group/genews (before February 2008)

1. Interview transcript: Mikheil Saakashvili
2. Republican party urges NATO to grant MAP to Georgia
3. Georgia offers NATO troops for Afghanistan
4. Ukraine, Georgia - effect of NATO Membership Action Plan
5. MP says Russia will revise relations with Ukraine, Georgia if they join NATO
6. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov: Trying to deideologize our actions [excerpt]
7. NATO, but later
8. NATO divided on expanding alliance, but Moscow’s stance is clear
9. MP says Russia will revise relations with Ukraine, Georgia if they join NATO
10. Russia-NATO deal on Afghanistan, NATO expansion 'impossible', say pundits
11. Security and a NATO deal for Putin [excerpt]
12. Bush, Putin set to clash at NATO
13. Nato row over ex-Soviet state member bids
14. Bush's tour of Eastern Europe to focus on diplomacy [excerpts]
15. Bush to talk up NATO on Kiev visit
16. Should we fight for South Ossetia?
17. Press Gaggle by Dana Perino and National Security Advisor Steve Hadley [excerpts]
18. Estonia supports Georgia’s wish to join NATO Membership Program
19. NATO MAP would give impetus to democratic development of Georgia - Estonian President
20. Adm. Giampaolo Di Paola, Chairman-elect, NATO Military Committee [excerpt]
21. Old, new Europe clash [excerpts]
22. NATO summit to grapple with Afghanistan, mull membership for Georgia, Ukraine
23. NATO holds key to European club for Georgia, Ukraine
24. NATO extension, an end in itself
25. Nato has a duty to embrace Ukraine and Georgia
26. NATO hopes of Macedonia, Georgia, Ukraine on hold for summit
27. Identity crisis: A summit that will demonstrate Nato's uncertainty about its future [excerpts]
28. NATO caution on Ukraine, Georgia: New members have been good for the alliance. [excerpts]
29. NATO expansion
30. NATO hot potatoes
31. Is 'fear factor' behind your country's NATO aspirations? [excerpts]
32. Georgia, grounds for serious US/Russia conflict
33. Russia WTO entry terms ‘actually agreed’
34. CIS postpones Abkhazia peacekeepers issue
35. Saakashvili downplays Moscow’s Abkhaz, S. Ossetia rhetoric
36. The President of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili met the experts and the NGO representatives
37. Abkhazia press summary
38. Burjanadze advise Abkhazia to listen to new Saakashvili's proposals
39. Russia has "tough questions" for UN on Kosovo, for Georgia on Abkhazia [excerpt]
40. Shelling reported in South Ossetian conflict zone
41. South Ossetia police post comes under mortar attack
42. Monitoring group investigates fire attack in Tskhinvali
43. Separatists report shelling from Georgian military unit in South Ossetia
44. South Ossetia shooting a "provocation" ahead of NATO summit - Georgian official
45. Georgia denies involvement in shoot-out in conflict zone
46. South Ossetia accuses Georgia of attack near Okona village
47. Kokoyty says arrests made over Georgian "terrorist attacks"
48. Kokoyty dismisses Georgia's Abkhazia proposals as "propaganda"
49. Tbilisi dismisses idea of meeting between Saakashvili, Kokoity
50. The United States and the South Ossetian Conflict
51. Little but trouble in Georgia for News Corp.
52. Imedi TV to be back on air on April 2
53. News Corp to carry on struggle for Imedi TV with or without Patarkatsishvili’s family
54. “Hope” for Imedi depends on the people
55. Little but trouble in Georgia for News Corp.
56. Saakashvili pledges free and fair elections
57. Election update: Inter-Agency Task-Force for Free and Fair Elections
58. CEC to publish the list of voters
59. Opposition to present candidates of single-mandate MPs
60. Labor Party names some majoritarian MP candidates
61. Natelashvili to stand for parliament in native district
62. Republicans call for cooperation in majoritarian MP elections
63. Levan Gachechiladze intends to continue struggle even 'in conditions of Tarkhnishvili'
64. Saakashvili hails cabinet, reports on 50-day action plan
65. Saakashvili gives progress report on efforts to combat poverty
66. Patriarch’s move affirms Church’s role in politics
67. Waiting for the sixth parliament
68. Ex-minister’s allies say conviction is politically motivated
69. Prosecutor’s Office investigates election violations but violators “not punished”
70. Justice system faces new doubts over its independence
71. Workers in Gurjaani demand paying off salary
72. Davit Kirkitadze to be governor of Kvemo Kartli
73. Assistance for Kakheti residents
74. The President of Georgia visited Bolnisi region
75. Lawyer demands punishment of deputy head of Sighnaghi Police Department
76. Vardzelashvili preferred regional governor than majority MP
77. Estonian Formin, Georgian PM discuss ways to improve development cooperation
78. Turkish-Georgian business forum in Batumi
79. 2008 investments worth half a billion dollars
80. Ex-PM chairs soccer star’s business group
81. Renovated building of prosecutor’s office opened in Batumi
82. European Public Law Centre to develop Georgia’s legislation
83. OSCE to hold community policing training course for Georgian patrol police and neighbourhood police officers
84. Tbilisi versus Moscow, for tourists
By I.G. Chopan
Georgian Times , March 31
Last week The Moscow Times announced that Moscow had been declared one of the rudest cities on earth. This ringing endorsement of the Russian capital will hopefully persuade more people to visit Tbilisi instead. But before they come, they will seek references from those who have been. If they do not know a Georgia tourist personally, they will look on the internet. What sort of information will they find?

www.tripadvisor.com is the place to find reviews written by real travellers. It contains 17 reviews of different aspects of Tbilisi. These give the usual mixed picture you will find in reviews ofany place. But some consistent themes do emerge, which the Georgian tourist authorities have not necessarily taken into account in their planning.

The first category for reviews, seemingly taking its cue from foreign embassy websites, is Health and Safety. Thankfully the anonymous reviewer concludes that Tbilisi is "a fairly safe place to visit", and advises nothing more than the usual safety precautions taken anywhere: don't carry large amounts of money, don't draw attention to yourself unnnecessarily, lock doors and windows. The first thing the reviewer mentions however is to consider the political situation before travelling. The separatist regions are mentioned, as are demonstrations. The reviewer advises, "Avoid these situations as they can be dangerous," though the number of visitors to Cyprus who made home movies of the Turkish invasion in 1974 seems to indicate that conflict is actually an attraction for some.

Many of the reviews of Tbilisi do not really enlighten a potential tourist. The post about the weather is typical: it says Tbilisi has four distinct seasons, and gives a rough guide to the temperatures to expect, but not what it feels like to be in a bus or car at particular times, what sort of clothes are most suitable and what sort of food is appropriate. There are however some salient points made. One important one in the Arriving and Departing section is: "first time visitors to the country should investigate the driving rules of Georgia before deciding to get behind the wheel of a car." If this was written by an Englishman it would be described as "a classic example of Briotish diplomacy". Conversely, taxis are described as "one of the best ways of getting around the immediate city", as they can be found "almost everywhere" and have "very affordable" fares. The metro is generally reviewed positively, partly due to its grand interiors, but with the drawback that the stops are announced in Georgian and therefore not readily understood by non-speakers. It is also described as a "quite bumpy ride," though this would necessarily put visitors off. The "marshurkas" as they are called score well on price, but again the language drawback is mentioned. Thereviewers have also not tried to read the new electronic signboards, which move so slowly there is no point trying to find out where the bus will go.

In terms of attractions, reviewers tend to focus on churches and old things in general. As most English speaking visitiors will not be Orthodox, this implies that the country is more of a historical relic than a living reality, not a good way to attract non-tourism-related investment. Tbilisi Museum is recommended for its outlining of the history of the city, although as more recent visitors have discovered, it is difficult to find a museum fully open at the moment with all the construction work going on. Sioni Catherdral and Anchiskati are pointed out due to their age, and as this post was written in 2006 it is perhaps predictable that the new Sameba Cathedral was not taken into account.

Hiking around the area surrounding Tbilisi is a recommended activity. The hike up to Narikhala Fortress from the Mother of Georgia statue is praised, but the usual Western comments about Georgia are made: disrepair, no handrails, it would be closed down for safety reasons elsewhere etcetera. Skiing, particularly at Gudauri, is also mentioned, though this aspect of the Georgian experience is better known. Other attractions are listed, but in most cases it is difficult to find meaningful reviews, or any reviews at all. Stepping into the unknown is all very well, but you still need some idea that it is worth making a long journey to do so.

Some Tbilisi hotels earn glowing reviews. The most popular is British House, although praise for the hotel is contrasted with other aspects of Tbilisi. The Ambasadori is also popular, and it is significant that these lesser-known and cheaper hotels score over the Marriott and Sheraton, though these also have their adherents. There are warnings against some hotels though. The general impression is that travellers want somewhere homely, decent and clean, at a good price, with good service, rather than a swanky place or one which does not make the effort to serve them. As yet, there does not seem to be an official push for more accommodation of this kind, but rather for more five star palaces derided in most reviews as "too expensive".

The overall impression obtained from looking at www.tripadvisor.com and similar sites such as IgoUgo is that not enough people have been to Georgia to give it much of an image, whether positive or negative. The one thing everyone is happy with however is the native food and drink, and in many cases the restaurants, hotel-based or otherwise, they can consume them in. Tbilisi, and the rest of Georgia, seems to be the place where you stay in a comfortable small hotel for a reasonable price, look at an old and exotic world and eat and drink large quantities. Some visitors experience poor service and low standards of cleanliness and maintenance, but others find extreme hospitality, friendly people and an interesting old city. The sort of "inverse development" seen in cities such as Birmingham, which is restoring and promoting the history it used to pull down and making this a newform of progress, would seem the best option for Tbilisi if it is to attract more tourist income.

So how does Tbilisi compare with Moscow? Maybe the answer would be a rude one. But several travellers who have heard much more about Moscow say they are "pleasantly surprised" by Tbilisi. What are they comparing it with

85. Consulate officials to see arrested Georgians
86. Problems of IDPs discussed at the conference
87. Fire destroys 100 ha of woods in Imereti
88. Georgians detained at Israel-Egypt border
89. On birthday of Georgia’s first president, comparisons with its third
90. Pensions increase in Georgia from April 1
91. Worthless electricity vouchers for Lagodekhi residents
92. Every fifth woman suffers from domestic violence

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