Director of the Secretariat Energy Community on Liberalizing Georgia's Energy Market
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Issue no: 1001 • NOVEMBER 24 - 27, 2017 • PUBLISHED TWICE WEEKLY PRICE: GEL 2.50 In this week’s issue... City Hall & KazTransGas Tbilisi: 82 Dead, 350 Intoxicated by CO2 in 3 Years NEWS PAGE 2 Bilateral Arrangements: A Transitional Stage to Heighten Georgia's Security? POLITICS PAGE 4 Russia’s Unlikely Withdrawal from Syria POLITICS PAGE 6 3rd Offi cial Ceremony of the Welcome to Georgia! FOCUS National Tourism Awards ON THE ISANI BUSINESS PAGE 10 TERROR ATTACK What Foreigners Find out the details of Say about Tbilisi the story inside PAGE 3 SOCIETY PAGE 11 Photo source: thepeninsulaqatar.com Sergei Malov to Perform ‘Cello Director of the Secretariat Energy Community & Spala’ on November 24 on Liberalizing Georgia’s Energy Market EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW BY DIMITRI DOLABERIDZE he editor wishes to apologize to read- ers and Mr Kopac for printing the incorrect version of this interview in Tuesday’s GEORGIA TODAY Busi- CULTURE PAGE 15 ness newspaper. Here is the correct Tversion in full. Janez Kopac is the Director of the Energy Com- munity Secretariat, an international organization which brings together the European Union and its neighbors, to create an integrated pan-European energy market. The Community has similar insti- tutions as the EU, and the EU is a member of the Energy Community. Presently, the Energy Com- munity has nine Contracting Parties: the six Balkan countries, Moldova, Ukraine and Georgia. By adopt- ing the Energy Community Treaty, the Contracting Parties made legally binding commitments to adopt core EU energy legislation, the so-called "acquis communautaire”. Continued on page 9 GEORGIA TODAY 2 NEWS NOVEMBER 24 - 27, 2017 City Hall & KazTransGas Tbilisi: 82 Dead, 350 Intoxicated by CO2 in 3 Years quences in the future,” the Deputy Mayor BY THEA MORRISON stated. Chief Engineer of KazTransGas Tbilisi, Giorgi Lepsveridze, talked about the bilisi City Hall and gas sup- social campaign and asked citizens to plier company KazTransGas take into account the recommendations Tbilisi stated that during given by gas experts. the last three years, 82 peo- He noted that only last year, 29 died and ple died and 243 were 125 was intoxicated by CO2 in Tbilisi. Tintoxicated by the Carbon Dioxide in “Unfortunately, 40% of customers do Tbilisi. not listen to our employees' instructions Deputy Mayor of Tbilisi, Irakli Bend- and continue to use improperly installed eliani, and representatives of KazTransGas gas devices,” he noted, calling on Tbilisi Tbilisi, announced that they have residents to be more careful, while Leps- launched a joint social campaign in the veridze urged citizens to call the com- capital, ‘For More Safety’. pany's hot line (2 40 40 04), or call ser- Bendeliani underlined that the vast vice number 114, when they purchase or majority of fatal incidents was observed re-install gas devices. in the winter period. He highlighted that the gas company He explained that in order to eliminate employees work 24/7 and can, on request, intoxication cases, the representatives check any device anywhere in the capi- of KazTransGas plan to visit every fam- tal. ily in the capital and check the installed “Unfortunately, the majority of fatal gas devices. incidents occur in rented fl ats. We call “The employees of KazTransGas will on the population to call us and have also give recommendations to our pop- their devices inspected as soon as they ulation, in order to avoid fatal conse- rent or buy a fl at,” the engineer stated. Economy Ministry: Business House Construction Set for Launch the construction company be absolutely BY THEA MORRISON transparent,” Kumsishvili said, adding that, once operational, business people and legal entities can visit the new Busi- eorgia’s Ministry of Econ- ness House or go online and access the omy and Sustainable Devel- services via a new electronic platform. opment reports that the Business House will be built in the construction works of a Ortachala district of the capital city and Business House are to be will offer the following services: State Glaunched in the near future. property management and privatization, Business House is a new model for Natural Resources Licenses, construc- effective state-business relations that tion permissions, energy projects, agri- will unite more than 600 state services culture assistance state programs, ‘Pro- needed for the business community to duce in Georgia’ project and Partnership function effectively. Fund services. Economy Minister and First Vice-Pre- Spaces inside the Business House will mier Dimitry Kumsishvili, met the rep- be divided into several areas, including resentatives of the construction sector immediate service area, general service on Tuesday at a presentation of the Busi- area and consultation service area. ness House project. The foundation for the country's fi rst The meeting discussed the planned Business House was laid in September, tender terms for construction and instal- 2016. lation works of Tbilisi Business House. It is expected that around 250 people The information was presented by the will be employed at the new Business project company Dmark and Bureau House, which will have the capacity to Veritas Georgia. provide more than 600 services to “It is vital that the selection process of approximately 1,200 customers daily. GEORGIA TODAY NOVEMBER 24 - 27, 2017 NEWS 3 Isani Counter-Terrorism Unit Operation: Gunfi re & Grenades BY THE GEORGIA TODAY TEAM bilisi was on high alert on Wednesday as a special operation commenced at 4am on Monk Gabriel Street in the Isani district Tof Georgia’s capital city, where gunshots had fi rst been heard during the night. The special operation was carried out by the Counter-Terrorism Unit of the Georgian State Security Service, lead- ing to the inhabitants of two apartment buildings being evacuated and a public school being closed. The Counter-Terrorism Unit tried to negotiate with the suspects, encourag- ing them to surrender, but they refused, opening gunfi re and throwing hand grenades. Photos by: Lukas Aubin for Georgia Today The situation fi nally drew to a close operation, later dying in hospital from provide them with temporary housing. crime, is ongoing within the interna- “Of course, questions can be asked, on Wednesday evening, with the Secu- a series of injuries. He has yet to be The Mayor also offered his condolences tional anti-terrorism cooperation and there are institutional formats in rity Service announcing at 7PM that named. to the family of the counter-terrorism framework. which these questions can be answered, one member of the terrorist group had A further two offi cers were wounded unit offi cer who died. “The safety of Prime Minister of Georgia, Giorgi but we can’t go into too much detail of been arrested and three killed. They and taken to hospital. Two members of our citizens is paramount,” he added. Kvirikashvili; Head of the Georgian State these highly sensitive operations,” he also claim that the suspects were not the Special Task Unit of the Ministry Aslan Jabraelov, believed to be one of Security Service (SSS), Vakhtang Gome- noted. citizens of Georgia, and are allegedly of Internal Affairs of Georgia were also the owners of the apartment in ques- lauri; Interior Minister, Giorgi Gakharia; Kvirikashvili added that it is safe for members of a known terrorist organi- wounded. tion, was interrogated by police. He and Deputy Health Minister, Zaza Sopro- people to go about their everyday busi- zation, having been under surveillance Mayor of Tbilisi, Kakha Kaladze, has claimed he rented out his apartment a madze, visited the offi cers who were ness in the city. for some time as part of an ongoing assured residents of the evacuated apart- month ago at the request of his brother- wounded during the 22-hour anti-ter- “Our main priority was the safety of international investigation. ment buildings that any damage caused in-law, without knowing who the new rorism operation at the referral hospi- our citizens,” The Prime Minister said The mission was not without casual- will be fully compensated for. He also inhabitants were. tal in Isani on Wednesday evening. of the operation, thanking the police ties on the Georgian side, with a 41-year- said that the families who were evacu- Full identifi cation of the terrorist The PM called on citizens to refrain offi cers and the counter-terrorism unit old member of the Counter Terrorism ated will be offered shelter, with the group members, and investigation of from making any speculations at this for their work and wishing a speedy Unit, who was wounded early in the Isani municipality to register them and their possible links with international stage of the investigation. recovery to the wounded offi cers. GEORGIA TODAY 4 POLITICS NOVEMBER 24 - 27, 2017 Bilateral Arrangements: A Transitional Stage to Heighten Georgia's Security? OP-ED BY VICTOR KIPIANI hilst the security architecture of the Cold War largely remains in place, some noticeable changes are undermining its ostensibly formidable character, Wand these should not be overlooked. This trend is of paramount importance, and Tbilisi must keep a close watch on events in order to avoid being side- lined or ‘lost in translation’ when designing a national security agenda and communicating the latter to Georgia’s strategic partners. Among the developments that need to be care- fully monitored are a number of bilateral defense agreements of various shape and size which may complement and underpin the Alliance's collective defense system. These notably include attempts to further boost the US pivot to East Asia by out- lining new prospects for partnership with Japan and increasing military co-operation with South Korea; but whilst creating an effective counterbal- ance to the North Korean threat by may be a lead- ing factor of this new confi guration, creating new regional security alliances capable of deterring China’s revisionist policies calls for a long-term strategy.