Tbilisi Taxi Reform: Will It Work? POLITICS PAGE 6
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Issue no: 1191 • OCTOBER 4 - 7, 2019 • PUBLISHED TWICE WEEKLY PRICE: GEL 2.50 In this week’s issue... How to Put the Fire Out? The EU’s Changing Approach to Eastern European Societies NEWS PAGE 2 Georgia's Military "Ready for NATO" - Former US General Praises Army’s Capacity & “Absolutely Superior” Soldiers FOCUS ON GIYA KANCHELI The passing of a maestro leaves Georgia in mourning PAGE 3 POLITICS PAGE 4 Image source: OK! Magazine Georgia Batumi Hosts 5th North Atlantic Council Meeting Tbilisi Taxi Reform: Will It Work? POLITICS PAGE 6 BY NINI DAKHUNDARIDZE Kerten Hospitality’s CEO Marloes Knippenberg n the summer of 2019, Tbilisi City Hall came up with a new initiative that was Shares Plans for Footprint soon made into a reform, with deadlines in August and then October concerning Expansion in Georgia taxi drivers and passengers. BUSINESS PAGE 6 I The new reform that was ruled in summer and put into full operation on October 1 aimed to raise the quality of taxi service to make it safer Varia(n)(t)ions on a Theme and more aesthetically pleasing. All 31,784 driv- ers who are licensed to drive taxis in Tbilisi had SOCIETY PAGE 7 to have their cars pass technical checks. If they Image source: southamptontaxis.org did, they were given free vouchers to paint their taxis can take passengers from the street or work growing suspicion and anxiety in Georgian soci- cabs white. to order. Category A cabs are allowed to park ety and more so among the members of different Discover Gastronomic Back in August, Giorgi Trapaidze, the director free in different parts of the capital. Taxi drivers political parties, the opposition agreeing that LTD “Almas,” the winner of the bidding for the who fall under this category can put up promo- the reform was “unnecessary.” Treasures at Gorgasali respraying service, said that of the 31,784 (as tional banners on their cars. Giorgi Gabashvili (European Georgia) suggested by the latest data) taxi license owners Category B taxi cabs only work to order. Many demanded the annulment of the taxi reform, Restaurant 7,994 had taken the vouchers and 2,610 had cashed details regarding this category are still unclear. calling it “snobbish.” “People have the right to them. Vice Mayor Irakli Khmaladze reported to the choose the color, shape, and condition of the car CULTURE PAGE 9 The citizens of Tbilisi were told in August that press on October 1 that only 24% of the cabs are that they ride in,” said Gabashvili, speaking for October 1 would mark a new epoch seeing all in the A category. The categorization of the both the drivers and passengers. He claims the taxi drivers with a taxi license driving left-hand, remaining cabs is ongoing, he told the media. new reform will complicate the process of mak- Tbilisi National Ballet white, fi ve-door cars that had successfully passed “30% of the 26,000 licensed taxi cabs could ing the ends meet for Tbilisi habitants as many technical checks. not pass the minimal standard test. 30% is a big of them are no longer able to work as taxi driv- to Revive the Danish The second phase of the taxi reform broke number,” said Khmaladze. “But over the next ers and if they risk it still, they may end up with down the taxi cabs into two categories: A and few days it will still be possible to get permits.” a 200 GEL fi ne in their hands. Ballet “Natalie” B. Category A taxi cabs must be white. These Meanwhile, the new taxi reform raised ever- Continued on page 2 CULTURE PAGE 11 GEORGIA TODAY 2 NEWS OCTOBER 4 - 7, 2019 Russian Artillery Holds Exercises in Breakaway Abkhazian Mountains conducted at night. Khajimba on the anniversary of “the Cooperation and Mutual Assistance” signed of Russia, which takes into account funds BY TEA MARIAMIDZE The statement underlined that all the Independence Day of Abkhazia,” the on September 17, 2008 and the “Treaty of for the provision of socio-economic exercises were held in tactical fi elds Russian President noted that “relations Alliance and Strategic Partnership” on assistance to occupied Abkhazia and equipped with modern technical means between the two countries on the basis November 24, 2014, that envisages creation South Ossetia. ussian artillery from the that allow the simulation of a war envi- of the principles of alliance and strategic of a joint force of troops from both sides. “For cooperation with Abkhazia, Rus- military base located in ronment. partnership are developing dynamically.” In addition to this, Russia has tradition- sia will allocate 1.7 billion Russian Rubles Georgia’s breakaway Abk- Military cooperation between Russia “I would like to assure you that Russia ally been a key trading partner of break- ($26.001 mln) in 2020, 1.9 billion ($29.501 hazia held a live-fi re exercise and occupied Abkhazia was fully launched will continue to assist in ensuring Abk- away Abkhazia and amounts to 74.5% of mln) in 2021, and 249 million Rubles on mountainous and coastal after Russia recognized Abkhazia and hazia's national security as well as in the total foreign trade turnover of the ($3.808 mln) in 2022. It has also been Rterrain in the region on Wednesday. the other breakaway region of Georgia, resolving socio-economic issues,” Putin republic. proposed to allocate 1.5 billion Rubles The information was released by both South Ossetia, as independent states in said in a statement. In 2018, Russia's trade with occupied ($22.935 mln) to assist South Ossetia in Russian and Abkhazian media outlets. the wake of the August War 2008. A week before that, Putin ordered the Abkhazia amounted to $258.6 million, 2020, 1.7 billion ($26.001 mln) in 2021, "The artillery units performed a live- After the war, which left 20% of the signing of an agreement to allocate funds including Russian exports, $192.4 mil- and 163 million ($2.492 mln) in 2020,” fi re exercise using self-propelled Akatsiya Georgian territory occupied by Russia, to modernize breakaway Abkhazia’s lion, and imports, $66.2 million. Accord- Abkhazian media reports. artillery guns, Sani mortars and D-30 Russia set up military bases in these armed forces. ing to the results of January-March 2019, Occupied Abkhazia and South Ossetia howitzers against targets at distances of regions and deployed its troops there. An executive order was published on the volume of mutual trade turnover are only recognized by Russia, Venezuela, up to 15km that simulated an adversary’s In addition to this, Russian President the legal information website last Monday. amounted to $49.9 million, including Nicaragua, Nauru and Syria. The rest of armor, command posts and infantry Vladimir Putin promised de facto Abkha- To note, the so called legal framework of Russian exports at $38.9 million and international society says Abkhazia and amassments,” the statement of the South- zian President Raul Khajimba he would bilateral cooperation between Russia and imports at $10.9 million. South Ossetia are parts of Georgia and ern Military District reads. protect the “republic’s” safety and security. occupied Abkhazia includes more than 100 The de facto Abkhazian regime claims call on Russia to fulfi ll the terms of the It added that the troops held more than In a letter sent to the self-declared bilateral documents at various levels, includ- that a draft federal budget for 2020–2022 2008 ceasefi re agreement and withdraw ten live-fi re exercises, of which half were president, where Putin congratulated ing the fundamental “Treaty of Friendship, has been submitted to the State Duma its forces from the breakaway territories. How to Put the Fire Out? The EU’s Changing Approach to Eastern European Societies prosperous friends around the EU. East- risks in both the EU and in its neighbor- BY LORRAINE VANEY ern European countries remain tangled hood have to do with limited statehood up in violent confl icts, political failure, and contested orders, or in other words, and are still vulnerable to external threats. confl icts over how to organize domestic, n October 1, the Tbilisi It is even more worrisome that these regional and international politics. At State University hosted shortcomings in relations between the the core of this issue is a defi ance towards the fi rst EU-LISTCO event, EU and its Eastern partners are happen- political liberalism and multilateralism organized by the Georgian ing in a global context of contestation of by China, Russia, some countries in the Institute of Politics. the international liberal order, weakening EU and Trump’s USA, which all are Image source: GIP OThrough exchanges with leading uni- the landmarks and orientation originally important partners for Georgia’s politi- a fact being widely discussed among ment, and security,” she added. versities and think tanks, EU-LISTCO set by the EU and US themselves. cal and economic development. In front scholars and local stakeholders. The panel argued that EaP countries aims to develop policy recommendations The October 1 public lecture opened of this concerning picture, the German “The risk is creating defi ance and fatigue need to think about Europeanization for the EU’s external action toolbox, with this concerning state of affairs and Ambassador H.E Huber Knirsch reas- if the EU is not seen to be making grad- beyond the EU itself, in terms of values focusing on investigating the shortcom- questioned how the EU can best support sured that US and EU diplomats are ual commitments to maintaining trust and political orientation, since the EaP ings of European foreign policy in the the three frontline EaP states in foster- working closely to be coherent in their in Georgia,” said Prof.