Press Digest 19.06.2014

Russian investors to “invade” Georgia

The New City Hall will set to studying the “City Park” issue

“The number of voters was increased under Tina Khidasheli’s initiation; by doing this, she simply aimed to grant the Nationals a chance to win the second position…”

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Russian investors to “invade” Georgia

"Reportedly, after the local elections, a group of Russian businessmen — a Club of Russian Orthodox Scholars -- plan to visit Georgia. Allegedly, they intend to carry out investments in our energy sector. This news has prompted our experts to start sounding alerts by advising the government to take precautions; as they allege, a decision on letting the Russian investors to enter our energy sector must be made extremely carefully,” reports the Rezonansi gazette.

“Georgia’s Energy Development Fund has been involved into a partnership with Russia’s Orthodox Scholars’ Club. As head of the Energy Development Fund, Giorgi Bejuashvili, claims, any further details regarding the issue has not been released so far. “As far as we are concerned, the members of the club take intense interest in energy investment projects the information regarding which is public and is posted on our web-page. We have introduced these people to our business environment, by holding a presentation for them. No other details about their plans have become known thus far,” Mr. Bejuashvili said. The club of Russian Orthodox Scholars is an elite body (founded in November, 2003) which is close to Russia’s Patriarchate. Andrei Polkonsk heads the club; as for its members, they are mainly businessmen whose prime objective and a key task is to do their mite in the formation of a powerhouse Russian empire that will be distinguished with not only unlimited economic potential but also with high morality and spiritual values.

“The Russian Orthodox Scholars’ Club has its own delegation in Armenia. It is also noteworthy that because of its work in Abkhazia, the Sokhumi-Abkhazia’s Eparchy held a special blessing ceremony for the club in March, 2009. Russian Orthodox Scholars went into partnership with Georgia in October 15, 2013, when they sponsored an international exhibition – “Icon – History and our day-to-day World” -- at the Youth Spiritual and Intellectual Development Center near Georgia’s Patriarchate. Some of the representatives of the present Government have always subjected the former Government’s attempt to push the Russian investors to take interest in Georgia to harsh judgment and criticism. However, as it has turned out later, the acting authorities are also ready to follow in their footsteps,” reads the paper.

“Generally speaking, Russia’s investments are far from posing any kinds of threat to Georgia. However, their proposals must be subjected to a thorough looking over. This is an internationally established standard. We know the European state’s approach to Russia’s companies. The U.S. has already set to adopting some defense tools in this direction. Even more, they also created a special Foreign Investment Committee which examines the investment proposals from Russia to make out whether these proposals are of pure financial nature or involves some political overtones. Thus, we must be extremely sober and alert and must find out whether or not some political investments from Russia can jeopardize our safety,” declares expert Gia Khukhashvili.

“As for expert Soso Tsiskarishvili who had been on top of this issue several months ago and who knew that Russian investors planned to enter Georgia has defined this move of theirs as an attempt to counter European standards,” concludes the author of the article.

The New City Hall will set to studying the “City Park” issue

"As soon as a new leadership presides over the City Hall, we will get down to studying the issue of “City Park”. We urged them to give us classified documents in order to take the lid off this issue that needs to be looked over as soon as possible,” reports the Alia gazette.

“Within the New City Hall, we will also scrutinize all issues connected to Tbilisi Water, a number of tenders that had already been declared, infrastructural projects; in a nutshell, we will study each and every subject that is to be examined carefully. We distance ourselves from alleging that these projects should not have been executed, however, indisputable is the fact that they should not have dissipated such vast financial resources on revamping our infrastructure, for instance. Likewise, it is good when you take in new minibuses; however, it is not so good when while doing this you pursue the interests of different companies. Why has the former government’s rule been defined as profligate in this direction too? Because the former authorities let the City Hall and the City Council act as two independent bodies. They executed different projects without even consulting with each other. Against the present backdrop, they are simply obliged to adopt some controlling tools serving as a guarantee that the deviations which took place under the Nationals will not occur ever again,” contends Mr. Samushia.

"As for the fringe benefits that have been given out at the end of the month, we have come this decision together. The majority, the minority as well as different fractions were involved in this; each and every official, including a cleaner, has enjoyed these bonuses; we, the members of the City Council, have also taken these employment benefits and donated them to the children suffering from leukemia. I was not extremely eager to release this information but I had to cater to your curiosity…,” says the respondent.

“We will spend each tetri for particular purposes, this money is excluded to be channeled into the pockets of some scoundrels. We will not let the public pose us different questions regarding this 50 million. The initiation from Davit Narmania is also noteworthy; he has opened his door to his people – our compatriots will be able to meet with their Mayor once a week. The members of City Council as well as our deputies will also always be there for their people and will never avoid contacting them. Thus, we do express complete readiness to be involved in intensive communication with each and every political power aiming to push our country forward, however, we will be extremely alert while discussing the offers on cooperation from those forces that dragged our country back for years,” states the respondent.

“I have a number of question for those people who are entering the City Hall at this point; these people are former high officials and when they propose some kind of initiation that will be favorable for our country, the first thing that I will do is to pose them the question as follows: Why did you refuse to take this step when you were in power? It’s a natural question, is it not,” concludes the respondent.

“The number of voters was increased under Tina Khidasheli’s initiation; by doing this, she simply aimed to grant the Nationals a chance to win the second position…”

"PM Irakli Gharibashvili is in a scrape; it is true that in his region he has broken a record by sweeping a really large amount of votes in Dedoplistskharo but the locals allege that the majority of the region is for Nationals; and, in the wake of this, they apparently challenge the integrity of the Coalition and are unable to believe that this force has really met with victory there,” the “Premier” gazette reports.

“If the success achieved in the Dedoplistskaro region has galvanized Mr. Gharibashvili to view the Georgian Dream as an undefeatable and an omnipotent force… Believe me, he is bitterly mistaken; moreover, he stands a strong chance of losing his billet. They are repeating like parrots that because of low voter turnout, the necessity of holding a run-off has emerged…However, I do hold immensely credible information saying that the number of voters was increased under Tina Khidasheli’s initiation; and do you know what has made her come to this decision? She simply aimed to grant the Nationals a chance to win the second position; however, nothing is particularly bad in this step – as you all know, the only political left-wing force that heads to the West is the National Movement,” states an anonymous force which knows the ins and outs of Georgia’s Government perfectly well.

“As a matter of fact, Mr. Gharibashvili does not really have enough political flair to get that the opposing force of the western orientation is simply mandatory. Do you know what Americans told Ivanishvili? They declared that if the Georgian Dream lets Burjanadze’s party and some pro-Russian powers grab power, they will be removed from Georgia’s political scene once and for all. I do also know that the Nationals and the western wing of the Coalition have held negotiations behind closed doors; and they plan to reshuffle the National Movement by incarcerating some of their members…” claims the respondent.

"Today the only people that the “Republicans” are unable to lead by their noses are Irakli Gharibashvili and Kakhi Kaladze…At first glance, it may seem that Gharibashvili and Kaladze are together, however, if we take a closer look, we will face an entirely different situation. Gharibashvili was very young when Bidzina Ivanishvili took him under his wing and made him enjoy a luxurious life; however one thing is when you are a strongman’s secretary and entirely another thing is when you yourself are a strongman. On this particular occasion, Mr. Kaladze who is linked to Bidzina Ivanishvili with baptism ties, is simply an excruciating headache for Irakli Gharibashvili. As if Mr. Ivanishvili has to choose between the two men, he can easily tilt towards Kaladze… In a nutshell, power has enslaved Gharibashvili, who does not have even a single well-wisher to wake him up and face reality,” concludes an anonymous source.