In This Week's Issue... Prometheus Cave, Martvili Canyon, Kazbegi
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facebook.com/ georgiatoday Issue no: 970/90 • AUGUST 8 - 10, 2017 • PUBLISHED TWICE WEEKLY PRICE: GEL 2.50 In this week’s issue... Georgia Addresses Poland Regarding Ex-President Saakashvili NEWS PAGE 2 Electricity Market Watch GALT & TAGGART PAGE 4 Life in Europe’s Highest Village BUSINESS PAGE 5 Paper for Trees: The Tissue Paper FOCUS Initiative ON SAAKASHVILI BUSINESS PAGE 6 A look at former President Saakashvili before and GEM Fest Drug Accusations: after his Ukrainian Visa was stripped from him PAGE 2, 9, 11 One Dead, 20 Hospitalized SOCIETY PAGE 7 Source: © REUTERS/ UKRAINIAN PRESIDENTIAL PRESS SERVICE/HANDOUT VIA REUTERS Popular Oligarchy: Why Prometheus Cave, Martvili Canyon, Kazbegi National the Public Still Supports Park among Top Tourist Destinations in Georgia Georgian Dream river, which can be explored by boat. POLITICS PAGE 8 BY NINO GUGUNISHVILI Martvili Canyon, the second most popular site to visit in Georgia, is situated in the Samegrelo-Zemo Explaining Stalin’s Svaneti region of Georgia. Here, visitors can enjoy rometheus Cave and Martvili Canyon a 700- meter looping paved route which guides you Popularity Through Putin have been named among the top over beautiful waterfalls to what is known to have touristic destinations in Georgia this been the “favorite bathing spot’ of the Dadiani (old POLITICS PAGE 10 year. royal) family. For an additional 10 GEL fee over the According to current statistics for 5 GEL entrance, guests can take a self-row boat ride P2017 from the Agency of Protected Areas of along the river Abasha within the canyon. Martvili Mark Georgia, Prometheus Cave has so far been vis- Canyon was also recently named among the eight ited by 81,110 tourists, Martvili Canyon by 74,580 best scuba diving sites in Europe. Mullen on visitors and Kazbegi National Park by 72,102 Kazbegi National Park, in the northern slopes visitors. The list continues with Sataplia, (55,815 of the Caucasus Mountains, with a total area of the Future visitors), Okatse Canyon (38,088 visitors) and region, offers visitors exceptional views of sta- 9.030 hectares, of which only 35% is covered by Tbilisi National Park (30,228 visitors). lactites, petrifi ed waterfalls, stalagmites and forest and the rest of alpine pastures, was third of Misha The Prometheus Cave Natural Monument stone curtains. Prometheus Cave has 17 halls on the list of areas most visited by tourists in located near the city of Tskhaltubo in the Imereti which can be explored in guided groups, and a Georgia. POLITICS PAGE 11 Prepared for Georgia Today Business by Markets Asof04ͲAugͲ2017 STOCKS Price w/w m/m BONDS Price w/w m/m BGEOGroup(BGEOLN) GBP36.15 +5,1% Ͳ0,2% GEOROG04/21 105.76(YTM5.03%) +0,1% +0,7% GHG(GHGLN) GBP3.57 +0,7% Ͳ3,4% GEORG04/21 111.94(YTM3.39%) +0,1% +0,3% TBCBankGroup(TBCGLN) GBP17.09 +5,8% +4,1% GRAIL07/22 109.87(YTM5.44%) +0,0% Ͳ0,2% BGEOLN07/23 102.32(YTM5.54%) Ͳ0,0% +0,6% COMMODITIES Price w/w m/m CrudeOil,Brent(US$/bbl) 52,42 Ͳ0,2% +5,7% CURRENCIES Price w/w m/m GoldSpot(US$/OZ) 1258,88 Ͳ0,8% +2,9% GEL/USD 2,3910 Ͳ0,3% Ͳ0,3% GEL/EUR 2,8140 +0,1% +3,4% INDICES Price w/w m/m GEL/GBP 3,1171 Ͳ0,9% +0,6% FTSE100 7511,71 +1,9% +2,1% GEL/CHF 2,4574 Ͳ0,7% Ͳ1,0% FTSE250 19969,73 +1,2% +3,5% GEL/RUB 0,0399 Ͳ0,7% Ͳ1,2% DAX 12297,72 +1,1% Ͳ1,1% GEL/TRY 0,6775 Ͳ0,2% +0,5% DOWJONES 22092,81 +1,2% +2,9% GEL/AZN 1,4182 Ͳ0,2% Ͳ0,3% NASDAQ 6351,56 Ͳ0,4% +4,0% GEL/AMD 0,0050 ͲͲ MSCIEMEE 147,41 +1,3% +3,7% GEL/UAH 0,0924 Ͳ +0,4% MSCIEM 1067,26 +0,4% +6,0% EUR/USD 0,8494 Ͳ0,2% Ͳ3,6% SP500 2476,83 +0,2% +2,0% GBP/USD 0,7669 +0,7% Ͳ0,9% MICEX 1953,49 +1,9% +1,9% CHF/USD 0,9727 +0,4% +0,7% MSCIFM 2748,16 Ͳ1,3% +1,5% RUB/USD 59,9685 +0,7% +0,9% GTIndex(GEL) 1133,66 ͲͲTRY/USD 3,5280 +0,0% Ͳ0,9% GTIndex(USD) 922,38 Ͳ0,4% +0,6% AZN/USD 1,7014 +0,2% +0,9% GEORGIA TODAY 2 NEWS AUGUST 8 - 10, 2017 Georgia Addresses Body of Georgian Soldier Killed Poland Regarding in Afghanistan Brought Home Ex-President Saakashvili Saakashvili stressed that he is going to BY THEA MORRISON Ukraine to protect his rights. “I will return to Ukraine before the trial in order to protect my rights and eputy Head of the Public appeal against the absolutely illegitimate and Mass Media Relations order," he said. Department of the Pros- Malgorzata Gosiewska, a Polish MP, ecutor’s Offi ce of Georgia, commented on Saakashvili’s case in a Giorgi Grdzelishvili, stated Facebook post, underlining that despite Dthat they have addressed Poland with the spread of tinformation in Georgian regard to former President Mikheil media that the Georgian side had asked “I share the pain of the family and Bebiashvili is the 32nd Georgian soldier BY TEA MORRISON Saakashvili. Poland to extradite Saakashvili, the Pol- friends of the deceased soldier,” the killed while performing duties in a peace- “Based on the information spread by ish side has not received any offi cial let- President stated. keeping mission in Afghanistan. the media on Saakashvili’s visit to the ter with such a request. The Minister of Defense of Georgia, He died on August 3 in an attack dur- Polish Republic, the Prosecutor's Offi ce “Saakashvili is in Poland as a friend of he body of a Georgian Levan Izoria, underlined that Bebiashvili ing joint motorized patrolling in the of Georgia addressed the competent Poland and the Polish people, and the peacekeeper, Junior Ser- was an exemplary soldier who had “sac- Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. Three authorities of the Polish Republic and authorities and citizens of the Polish geant Mdinari Bebiashvili, rifi ced himself for his country's interests”. other military servicemen of the Geor- started all relevant procedures envisaged Republic treat him with the honor he 25, who was killed during “His name will be immortal,” the min- gian Armed Forces, participating in the by law," he said. deserves, because he is a politician who the attack on Bagram air- ister added. Resolute Support Mission, were also After being deprived of his Ukrainian played an important role in establishing Tfi eld in Afghanistan, was brought back The US Ambassador to Georgia, Ian injured in the attack and were taken to citizenship in late July, the former Geor- friendly relations between Poland and to Georgia by a special fl ight of the United Kelly, also attended mourning ceremony. Bagram medical hospital. gian President arrived in Poland several Georgia,” the MP stated. States Air Force on Sunday. “I cannot fi nd proper words to express The Ministry of Defense reports that days ago to attend the 73rd anniversary Gosiewska added that Saakashvili's A mourning ceremony was held at my pain and sympathy for the deceased Corporal Gega Kharshiladze is in a good of the Warsaw Rebellion. presidency has been highly esteemed in Tbilisi International Airport, seeing rep- Georgian soldier. I would like to offer my condition and was discharged from hos- Now that Saakashvili does not have Poland for implementing public - polit- resentatives of the government, diplo- condolences to the family,” the Ambas- pital on Saturday, while the health of citizenship of any country, it was a won- ical - economic reforms as well as for matic corps and citizens gathered to pay sador stated. After the ceremony, the body Captain Mikheil Gvirjishvili and Lieu- der how he was able to fl y from the bringing Georgia closer to NATO and tribute to the Georgian soldier. was transferred to the National Bureau tenant Giga Khakhutashvili, also injured United States to Poland. European Union and also for the con- Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Kviri- of Expertise from the Airport and taken in the attack, is satisfactory. Saakashvili says that although he was tinuation of the road that will be con- kashvili said at the ceremony that the to Bebiashvili’s village, Martotunbani, in To honor the memory of Bebiashvili, deprived Ukrainian citizenship, he had cluded by integration with Euro-Atlan- loss was a tragedy for all Georgia. Zestaponi municipality, western Georgia. the Georgian fl ag was lowered at the “no problem traveling to Poland from tic structures in the future. “I would like to offer condolences to Junior Sergeant Mdinari Bebiashvili had Hamid Karzai International Base, Bagram the US”. Saakashvili was stripped of his Ukrain- the family and the relatives of the deceased been serving in the Georgian Armed Forces Base, the Resolute Support Mission Com- “I left the US with a Ukrainian passport ian citizenship around a week ago. If he and then to the whole country,” the PM since 2010. Having participated in the mand Headquarters in Kabul and the and I arrived in Poland in the same man- returns to Ukraine, he will be deported stated. International Security Assistance Force Mazar-i-Sharif Base, Marmal at the joint ner, passing the proper control,” he said, to Georgia and held responsible for Giorgi Margvelashvili, President of (ISAF) mission in Afghanistan twice, in decision of the Chief of Military Armed adding that he plans to leave Poland for charges offi cially raised against him in Georgia, said that Bebiashvili died a hero, 2012 and 2014, he was awarded for par- Forces of Georgia in Afghanistan and other European countries.