Getting Closer Getting Closer

May 22 - 28, 2015 WEEKLY PUBLISHED EVERY FRIDAY www.georgiatoday.ge Price: GEL 2.50 Georgia Today 24 p., Enterprise Georgia 4 p. ISSUE No.767 GettingGetting CloserCloser:: ‘Technical Procedures’ are Now All that Stands Between Georgian IN THIS WEEK’S ISSUE and Visa Liberalisation Making Sense of the Census Results In a new bi-monthly feature, experts at Galt & Taggart provide analysis of the latest macroeconomic developments in Georgia. P.6 "A political decision has been made on the visa free regime BUSINESS HEADLINES between Georgia and the European Union and only technical procedures have yet to be finalised," says Young Professionals and Georgia's PM Irakli Garibashvili. Students Discuss Future P.2 of Caucasus at EBRD With the Support Closing Ceremony P.11 Finance Minister Khaduri of “Siemens” Optimistic After EBRD Georgian FLIGHT SCHEDULE Business Forum Electrical In an exclusive interview with Georgia Engineering Today, Nodar Khaduri, Minister of Company “Insta” P.4 Finance, reviews the EBRD Annual Expands its Meeting and Business Forum in Tbilisi. P.10 P.14 Production 2 MAY 22 - 28 POLITICS Getting Closer: ‘Technical Beruchashvili Pushes for EU Procedures’ are Now All that Support ahead of Riga EAP Summit Stands Between Georgian But Will it Come to Anything? and Visa Liberalisation By Zviad Adzinbaia Tamar Beruchashvili, Georgia’s For- eign Minister, has called on European Union leaders to express their support for Georgia’s European future at the forthcoming Riga summit. The Foreign Ministry says that over 14 media sources in the EU countries printed Berucha- shvili’s article prior to the summit. In the article published in New- EasternEurope (NEE), entitled a Criti- cal Summit, Beruchashvili notes that Georgia has taken big steps toward Eu- ropean and international standards in general, as well as in terms of visa liberalisation. “When the leaders of 34 countries meet on May 21-22 for the Riga East- ropean and international security.” Giorgi Margvelashvili at a joint press ern Partnership Summit, we will be con- Beruchashvili explains that remov- conference after meeting with his Aus- fronting geopolitical realities which are ing visa requirements for Georgian trian counterpart on May 18 expressed dramatically different from those which citizens to travel within the EU will his hope that Georgia will see very prin- mean more tourism, cultural, student cipled steps at the Riga summit, which A political decision has been made started in 2010, at the same time framed our last gathering. Already in exchanges, and civil society partner- will be taken for strengthening peace on the visa free regime between Geor- Moldova started.” he said. “It is inter- Vilnius in November 2013, the Russian ships. This will help Georgia to de- and stability in Europe. gia and the European Union (EU), and esting, why our previous government Federation posed a serious challenge to velop and anchor the next generation only technical procedures have yet to be did not start this process. Our Govern- the basic principles of international law firmly within the European family of Author’s Analysis finalised, Georgia’s Prime Minister ment started this process. Everyone and praxis, including the sovereign right nations. Most importantly, it will pro- Some confusion among government Irakli Garibashvili said at the Eastern agrees that the political decision has al- of nations to decide their own future. vide a clear demonstration to the leaders and dis-coordination are plain to Partnership (EaP) Summit in Riga to- ready been made and only technical pro- However, since then, Moscow has gone people of Georgia, including in the see, as the members of the same cabinet day. cedures need to be finished. We hope much further in its aggressive attempts occupied territories of Abkhazia and have varying approaches to Georgia’s Highlighting Georgia’s achieve- that we will finalise these procedures by to tear down the very fundamentals of Tskhinvali region (formerly South foreign affairs. At the same time, Geor- ments, especially in the direction of visa the end of this year and that our citizens the European security architecture,” the Ossetia), and to those of the other gia has been facing problems in the re- liberalization, PM Garibashvili spoke at will be able to travel visa free to Eu- Minister writes. Eastern Partnership countries, that the gions of the Caucasus and Black Sea, as the Party of European Socialists (PES) rope,” Georgian PM said. The Georgian politician views the EU upholds a merit-based approach its Northern neighbor Russia does its forum attended by European Union high PES President Sergei Stanishev also general picture of Georgia’s achieve- and delivers on its promises. best to obstruct the country from the officials, including EU High Represen- has high expectations of a positive out- ments and its current international and Unexpectedly, Georgian Justice Min- progressive path chosen. tative for Foreign Affairs and Security come for Georgia at the EaP Summit: “I democratic standing: “Over the last two ister Tea Tsulukiani stated that Georgia Former Georgian senior diplomats Policy, Federica Mogherini, and the think there will be good news from the and a half years alone, we have - with has never had expectations about receiv- and experts have accused the govern- Prime Ministers of Denmark and Swe- Summit for Georgia, because there is a the support of our EU partners - made ing visa liberalization at the Riga sum- ment of being inactive in the process, den. strong political will to recommit Euro- great strides in bringing Georgia into mit, and the government has never been which needs proactivity and rational “Everyone agrees that in the past two peans engagement towards Georgia and line with the highest European and in- given that impression. “After signing the policymaking, instead of ‘flirting with years Georgia has made significant the other countries which signed Asso- ternational standards. Today, we are Association Agreement, we made it Russia’. progress, including in the direction of ciation Agreement (AA). I also think that proud to be recognized as a regional clear, not to expect visa-free travel with What should Georgia expect from the visa liberalisation. We have made a very there is strong political understanding leader in terms of democracy and hu- the EU immediately after the Riga sum- Riga Summit? Informally, it is already important leap in just six months. Un- that the visa issue is very important for man rights, a stable and secure invest- mit,” she claimed. widely known that there will be no tan- fortunately, the process should have Georgia,” he said. ment destination in a key strategic loca- tion and a pro-active contributor to Eu- Meanwhile, Georgian President gible progress to report. Turkey Backs NATO Expansion and Georgia By Zviad Adzinbaia phase of a process of a new Cold War. or membership, something which Rus- As for raising the issue of Georgia sia has always strongly opposed. In this “We support NATO expansion,” said on the international level, the process is regard, major European players, such as Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt highly reliant on the Georgian France and Germany were reluctant to Çavuþoðlu in a statement on the future government’s willingness and pro-active commit to Georgia’s membership. of the Alliance. politics, from which the Georgian According to Defense and Security “Currently, there are four candidate Dream government has long refrained. Committee Chairman Irakli Sesiashvili, countries: Montenegro, Bosnia and Moreover, some high ranking Georgian the NATO Parliamentary Assembly has Herzegovina, Macedonia and Georgia. diplomats have claimed that after the called on NATO member states’ govern- We want the 2016 NATO summit to of- Georgian government was peacefully ments and parliaments to grant Georgia fer the aim of expansion,” the Turkish changed in 2012 it was conceivable for a Membership Action Plan – the next diplomat said. “Yesterday I exchanged Georgia to receive a Membership Ac- step for NATO integration. The decision information with US State Secretary tion Plan (MAP), if rational steps were was made at the NATO Parliamentary John Kerry about Russia and made. Assembly’s 60th session, which was Afghanistan’s operations. We discussed At this very moment, Georgia, which held in Budapest on May 15-18. plans too,” he continued. has lifted itself from political marshland “The NATO Parliamentary Assem- “The next NATO summit is more to a top reformer country in the region – bly declaration includes an important than a year away. Several days ago, the has now weakened its international point, in which the Parliamentary As- President of Georgia held a meeting with standing as the new governmental policy sembly calls on NATO governments and NATO’s Secretary General in regarding Russia, appears to have parliaments to continue to support Brussels. Naturally, we need to start brought confusion among its Western implementation of the NATO-Georgia’s thinking about the upcoming Warsaw allies. substantial package and to grant Geor- summit in terms of what Georgia can At the same time, some NATO offi- gia the Membership Action Plan in ac- do to receive international support there cials say there are political decisions to cordance with the 2008 Bucharest sum- and how to consolidate this support,” be made about granting Georgia a MAP mit decision,” Sesiashvili said. added Tengiz Pkhaladze, Advisor to the Georgian President. “However, I would like to refrain from making predictions, since neither the summit agenda nor the topic of enlargement have been elabo- rated yet,” he added. European and American parties have put the issue of NATO enlargement on the agenda as Russia has been openly involved in war against Ukraine, forc- HAVE YOUR HAIR CUT AT OUR SALON edly annexing sovereign territories of a AND GET HAIR DIAGNOSTIC AS A GIFT! European country. There is some specu- lation in the region that this is the first 4 MAY 22 - 28 ECONOMY The ISET Policy Institute (ISET-PI, www.iset-pi.ge) is an independent think-tank associated with the International School of Economics at TSU (ISET).

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