Issue no: 1121 • FEBRUARY 1 - 4, 2019 • PUBLISHED TWICE WEEKLY PRICE: GEL 2.50 In this week’s issue... Henrik Hololei on Georgia’s Transport & Economic Goals POLITICS PAGE 4 Rural Communities to Choose How to Spend the Budget POLITICS PAGE 6 Europe’s Easternmost Port ON GEORGIA'S FUTURE We interview the PM to get his take on Georgia's FOCUS economy now and moving forward PAGE 7 BUSINESS PAGE 8 JSC Nenskra Hydro Georgia Leads Eastern Signs Memorandum of Cooperation with Ministry of Europe & Central Asia Economy of Georgia BUSINESS PAGE 9 2019-2020 Tbilisi in Fighting Corruption Infrastructure Projects SOCIETY PAGE 10 of 35, Eastern Europe and Central Asia is the BY THEA MORRISON second lowest scoring region in the index, ahead Turkish Embassy Hosts of Sub-Saharan Africa which has an average score of 32. Screening to Mark Int’l his year’s Corruption Perceptions The level of perceived corruption is the lowest Index (CPI), released by Transpar- in Denmark (88 points) and the highest in Soma- Holocaust Remembrance Day ency International (TI), reads that lia (10 points). Georgia leads Eastern Europe and Georgia has advanced its score by two points CULTURE PAGE 15 Central Asia countries with its since last year, taking 41st place among 180 coun- Tscore of 58, above Montenegro (45) and Belarus tries. (44). However, the CPI 2018 reads that the country Pachulia: “If there is peace in At the very bottom, Turkmenistan earns the now faces “democratic backsliding, making it lowest score in the region (20), with Uzbekistan both vulnerable to high-level corruption” and the world, everything else is (23) and Tajikistan (25) earning only slightly is “a country to watch moving forward.” more. doable” The report reads that given its average score Continued on page 2 Image source: TI Georgia SPORT PAGE 15 GEORGIA TODAY 2 NEWS FEBRUARY 1 - 4, 2019 Seven Die as a MEP: With Salome Result of Carbon Zurabishvili, Georgia Monoxide Leak Leads the Way Again in Tbilisi BY MARIAM MERABISHVILI alome Zurabishvili once again caught the attention of foreign politicians and press. Euroac- tiv published an article about the new President of Georgia Swritten by Member of the European Parliament (MEP) and Co-Chair of the Friends of Georgia Group in the Euro- pean Parliament, Clare Moody. In it, she says that Zurabishvili is a worthy mem- ber of the small group of women in the club of world heads of state and govern- ment. Moody spoke about Zurabishvili’s visit to Brussels, her fi rst overseas meeting since taking up her new post, and noted The Mayor of Tbilisi Kakha Kaladze that it was an important one for both BY KETEVAN KVARATSKHELIYA has offered his condolences to the fam- Georgia and European member states, Image source: www.euractiv.com ilies of deceased, and stated that regula- which were pleased to meet the fi rst tions have to be tightened: “Of course, woman President of Georgia. In her arti- faced down the misogynist attacks, and vili’s time spent in the Paris Science Po carbon monoxide leak has we need tighter regulations. I fi nd it dif- cle, the MEP demonstrated a positive it is to Georgia’s credit that despite them University and New-York Columbia claimed seven lives at 67, fi cult to answer this question as I am not attitude towards the President and under- she won the fi nal round of the election University. She also highlighted that as Ketevan Tsamebuli Avenue, an employee of the ‘KazTransGas Tbilisi’ lined the existing negative one towards with nearly 60% of the votes. In contrast Georgian Foreign Minister, Zurabishvili in Tbilisi, on Thursday. company,” Kaladze said. gender inequality in politics. to her treatment during the campaign, reached agreement on the withdrawal Their bodies were found KazTransGaz also released a statement “Depressingly, only 7% of heads of state her own platform was based on a very of Russian bases from Georgia. Aon the 7th fl oor of the building where regarding the incident, claiming that the or government around the world are positive agenda,” she added. According to various EU assessments, they were renting an apartment. The water heater had been illegally and inap- women. Despite such a range of achieve- Moody mentioned the President’s Georgia has made remarkable progress neighbors say the victims were working propriately installed, which resulted in ments and experience, Zurabishvili sadly experience, achievements and character, in enshrining democracy, human rights on the construction site of a branch of the accumulation of CO in the apartment. faced what so many other women in which included her return to Georgia in and the rule of law. The country remains Liberty Bank. “Representatives of ‘KazTransGas Tbi- leadership face– a level of abuse that no 2003, her posts as French Ambassador on the right path of development. Davit Sergeenko, the Minister of IDPs, lisi’ business center visited the mentioned men have to endure. Georgia is well in Georgia and Minister of Foreign Affairs, “Many hope it is only a matter of time Labor, Health and Social Affairs of Geor- apartment. They removed the heater known for having ‘robust’ political her founding of political party ‘Georgia’s before Georgia fully integrates into the gia, has confi rmed that carbon monoxide and refused to provide natural gas from debates, but commentators have remarked Way’ in 2006, her leading role in revis- EU and NATO. There is no doubt in my intoxication caused the tragedy. a gas pipe due to a violation of terms of that the tone in this presidential election ing the Constitution and her support of mind that Salome Zurabishvili is prioritiz- Law enforcers were working on site use. Presumably, the owner of the apart- was particularly prejudicial,” Moody the Georgian Diaspora, the occupied ing this agenda and will continue to work and rescue and emergency services were ment voluntarily reconnected the heater wrote. territories, education, science and cul- tirelessly for her country, doing all she mobilized. [to the gas pipe],” reads the statement. “It is to Zurabishvili’s credit that she ture and more. Moody noted Zurabish- can to promote these aims,” Moody wrote. Georgia Leads Eastern Europe & Central Asia in Fighting Corruption Continued from page 1 has failed to establish independent agen- political engagement and public over- methodology, a two-point change is con- The document urges the Georgian cies to take on this mandate. sight,” the report reads. sidered statistically insignifi cant. Nota- government to take immediate steps to “This downturn is due to a lack of The watchdog claims that impunity In the ranking, 100 points indicate the bly, Georgia does not appear on the list ensure the independence of institutions, accountability of law enforcement, cor- contributes to public distrust towards lowest level of perceived corruption of the countries whose CPI score has including the judiciary, and support of ruption and political interference in the state agencies in Georgia. while 0 – the highest. changed signifi cantly, either for better civil society. judiciary and government-sponsored “Progress in anti-corruption will con- Georgia’s CPI scores during the recent or for worse, since 2012. The index is prepared based on research attacks on independent civil society, tinue to stall and reverse if the Georgian years are: 2012 – 52 points, 2013 – 49, 2014 Also, the survey does not refl ect the conducted by reputable international among other issues,” the report reads. government does not take immediate and 2015-52, in 2016 Georgia was placed alleged cases of high-level corruption organizations, each containing an assess- TI added that despite an urgent need steps to ensure the independence of 44th with a score of 57 and in 2017 – 56 publicized in late 2018 which could have ment of the situation prevailing in to investigate cases of corruption and institutions, including the judiciary, and points and 46th place. a negative impact on Georgia’s position various countries with regard to cor- misconduct in the government, Georgia support civil society, which enhances However, according to the survey’s in the ranking in the future. ruption. 20 People Die from H1N1 in Georgia BY THEA MORRISON total of 20 cases of death caused by the H1N1 "swine fl u" virus have been con- fi rmed in a laboratory in Georgia,- Amiran Gamkre- Alidze, Head of the National Center of Disease Control (NCDC), announced Wednesday. However, the exact numbers of fl u cases will only be published fol- lowing the winter season. “We had the highest rate in the last Image source: newsbeezer.com week of December. The tendency is of hospitalization. Hence, at this stage, will cover all expenses related to the decreasing in January, though there is we have a relatively calm situation,” he cost of antiviral medicine Tamifl u and no sharp decline. There is a decrease in said. distribute it to all citizens diagnosed the rate of fl u cases, as well as in the rate The Georgian government stated they with infl uenza free of charge. GEORGIA TODAY FEBRUARY 1 - 4, 2019 NEWS 3 Tbilisi Hosts Georgia & the World 2019 Economic Conference talked about the strategies and aspira- BY KETEVAN KVARATSKHELIYA tions of the country, noting as he did that even though Georgia has made multiple steps forwards in accelerating n January 29-30, Tbilisi the process of development, a number hosted a two-day Eco- of major problems, including poverty, nomic Conference ‘Geor- still remain. Bakhtadze spoke about the gia and the World 2019,’ at country’s desire to become the region’s Tech Park (TechnoPark), economic hub and summarized the Ounder the aegis of the World 2019 annual fruitful outcomes of the World Economic edition of The Economist.