Tag Archives: Georgia

Georgia’s court acquits 4 of anti-gay attack

OCT. 23 2015, TBILISI (The Conway Bulletin) — A court in Tbilisi acquitted four men of organising a violent attack on a gay rights march in 2013 that injured 28 people, pitting Georgia’s pro-rights lobby against a strong traditionalist group.

The four men, including one priest who was photographed carrying a wooden stool at the 2013 march apparently as a weapon, were accused of being the ringleaders behind the homophobic attack in central Tbilisi.

Human rights groups have accused Georgia of homophobia in the past but traditional values hold sway – the Church is still very powerful and has spoken out strongly against gay rights, – and the court’s verdict will have resonated with many people.

One user on the kavpolit.com website said: “Gay parades are not for the Caucasus. Well done to the priests and the judges. Let them go to Western Europe.”

In 2014, a poll in Georgia found that only 24% of people thought that protecting gay rights was important.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 253, published on Oct. 23 2015)

Currency: Kazakh tenge, Georgian lari

OCT. 23 2015 (The Conway Bulletin) — Despite all the reassuring declarations coming from Astana and the Central Bank in Almaty, volatility will be a constant for the Kazakh currency over the next months. There is just no getting away from it.

On Wednesday, Kairat Kelimbetov, Kazakhstan’s Central Bank chief, said 277.5 tenge/ $1 is an acceptable rate as long as oil prices float around $50 per barrel. Already on Friday, Brent prices fell to $48 and the tenge followed to 278.2. Over the past fortnight it has lost 1.5% against the US dollar.

Other currencies fared better this week, maintaining their value. The Georgian lari was steady at 2.39/$1 and even the Kyrgyz som had a calm week below 69/$1.

Rumours of devaluation are more worrisome in Uzbekistan, where the sum is officially stable at around 2,663/$1, but the website dollaruz.com said informal rates on the Black Market are hitting over 5,700 sum/$1.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 253, published on Oct. 23 2015)

Chinese hotel opens in Georgia

OCT. 15 2015 (The Conway Bulletin) — Hualing Georgia, a private Chinese holding, opened its first luxury hotel in Tbilisi Sea New City, a new urban development on the shores of an artificial lake near Georgia’s capital city. Hualing has invested $150m in Tbilisi Sea New City, including $73m in the hotel. China been investing heavily in the S.Caucasus.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 253, published on Oct. 23 2015)

After seven year delay, Georgia restarts skyscraper project

TBILISI, OCT. 20 2015 (The Conway Bulletin) — Construction work on two twisting skyscrapers that will dominate the Tbilisi skyline restarted after a seven year lull, a symbolic act of confidence in Georgia’s economic revival since a 2008 war with Russia.

At 41-storeys , the Axis Towers will become Tbilisi’s tallest – and one of its most iconic – buildings when they are completed in 2017.

Opening the start of construction for the towers, Georgia’s President Irakli Garibashvili said the project will help boost the tourism industry in Georgia.

“The Axis Towers is a completely Georgian project,” Garibashvili added.

One of the two towers will be a five-star hotel operated by the French company Pullman, and the other tower will host residential apartments. The British company Arup would be involved in building the towers.

In February, the Georgian government and the Axis property company agreed to re-start the $83m project that was derailed by economic stagnation in Georgia after the 2008 war.

The project is funded through a joint venture between Axis and the state-owned Georgian Co-Investment Fund.

“About 1,000 people will be employed in the Axis Towers in the (construction) stage,” Mr Garibashvili according to comments on his website.

“Once it’s built several hundred people will have steady employment here.”

Georgia is witnessing a surge in prestige building projects, including the Tbilisi Sea New City development and various projects planned for the Black Sea resort of Batumi.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 253, published on Oct. 23 2015)

Turkmenistan opens Tbilisi shop

OCT. 21 2015 (The Conway Bulletin) – Perhaps with potential gas supplies to Europe in mind, Turkmenistan opened a shop in Tbilisi selling various national produce. Turkmenistan is exploring the potential of supplying the EU with gas. Georgia hosts a gas pipeline running west from the Caspian Sea.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 253, published on Oct. 23 2015)

Georgia talks with Russia’s Gazprom

OCT. 10 2015 (The Conway Bulletin) – Georgia is in talks with Russia’s Gazprom to import gas, Georgian energy minister Kakha Kaladze told media, highlighting the improved relations between the two neighbours. Georgia currently exports nearly all its gas from Azerbaijan although it hosts a pipeline pumping gas from Russia to Armenia.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 253, published on Oct.16 2015)

KazTransGas talks with Georgia

OCT. 6 2015 (The Conway Bulletin) — KazTransGas, Kazakhstan’s state owned gas distributor, warned Georgia it might take their dispute over its subsidiary to international arbitration if Georgia failed to restart negotiations. KazTransGas is looking for compensation for the $130m it spent on its subsidiary KazTransGas-Tbilisi in 2006-09 before the Georgian government took control of the company.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 251, published on Oct. 9 2015)

ICC plans 2008 Georgia-Russia war investigation

OCT. 7 2015, TBILISI (The Conway Bulletin) — The Hague based International Criminal Court (ICC) said that it wanted to start investigating alleged war crimes committed during a 2008 conflict between Georgia and Russia.

One of the ICC’s prosecutors, Fatou Bensouda, has lodged a potential case with the court and is waiting for authorisation on whether to launch an official investigation. If a full investigation is initiated and charges brought against either Russian or Georgian officials, the case will likely worsen relations between the two neighbours.

“On the basis of the information available, Prosecutor Bensouda has concluded that there is a reasonable basis to believe that crimes within the jurisdiction of the Court have been committed in Georgia in the context of the armed conflict of August 2008,” the ICC said in a statement.

“She will shortly submit a request to the Pre-Trial Chamber for authorisation to open an investigation into this Situation.”

During the five day war in August 2008 that focused on the Georgian rebel region of South Ossetia, human rights groups alleged that both sides fired cluster bombs.

They also said that forces linked to Russia had burned houses belonging to Georgian farmers.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 251, published on Oct. 9 2015)

US criticises Georgia

OCT. 7 2015 (The Conway Bulletin) – The US State Department said it was disturbed by reports that opposition TV channel Rustavi2 may be forced off the air after a court seized a stake in the company, cutting off access to funds that it said it needed to survive. The US has warned the Georgian Dream coalition government about eroding democracy and media freedom in Georgia.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 251, published on Oct. 9 2015)

Georgia’s CAA to improve domestic aviation

OCT. 6 2015 (The Conway Bulletin) – Georgia’s Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) presented a plan to develop four airstrips, a move that it hopes will help boost domestic air travel. The GCAA said it was looking for partners to develop the sites which is said would thrive off Georgia’s growing economy and status as a tourist destination.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 251, published on Oct. 9 2015)