Issue no: 969 • AUGUST 4 - 7, 2017 • PUBLISHED TWICE WEEKLY PRICE: GEL 2.50 In this week’s issue... FOCUS ON THE US MESSAGE "We are with you, we continue our alliance, Georgia's future is connected to the West" PAGE 4 New Initiative Increases Tension between President & Ruling Party NEWS PAGE 3 Two Cities, Three Georgias POLITICS PAGE 6 US - Georgia Major Partnership: Signing an Agreement with SSA Marine BUSINESS PAGE 9 Swiss National Day Venice Commission to Mediate Celebrated in Tbilisi SOCIETY PAGE 10 Dialogue between Georgian Ruling The Pleasure of Song CULTURE PAGE 13 Party & Opposition Friendly Baseball Match BY THEA MORRISON he Venice Commission is ready to organize a meeting in Strasburg on September 6, in order to facilitate dialogue between the Georgian ruling party and the opposition over the SPORTS PAGE 15 Tcontroversial amendments to the Constitution. The letter of the Venice Commission Head Gianni Buquicchio with the offer to meet in Strasburg was sent to the Parliament Speaker and opposition par- ties. It reads that the Commission is looking for consensus over the issue. The initiative of holding a meeting in Strasburg was raised by the nine non-parliamentary opposi- tion parties of Georgia. The political union, Free Georgia, composed of these nine parties sent a let- ter to Buquicchio on July 25, which introduced the situation to the Venice Commission regarding the constitutional reform process and asked them to organize a meeting. Continued on page 2 Venice Commission Head, Gianni Buquicchio GEORGIA TODAY 2 NEWS AUGUST 4 - 7, 2017 Georgia Hosts 1 Million International Travelers in July Chogovadze, Head of Georgian National BY MAKA LOMADZE Tourism Administration. “July was no exception. Just the opposite: around one million international travelers vis- he Ministry of Interior ited Georgia, which is a record fi gure. Affairs has announced that, Generally speaking, 2017 will be a year in July, almost a million of new records. Where in 2016, we sur- international travelers vis- passed 6 million tourists for the fi rst ited Georgia (982,487), up time, in 2017, we will see over 7 million Tfrom 2016 by 217,724 (+28.5%), a fact international travelers”. never before seen in Georgian history. “The tourism season is in full swing,” The number of tourists overall has Lika Devadze, representative of the increased by 33%. Information-Analytical Department of “We are happy to see the unprecedented the Ministry of Interior Affairs of Geor- increase in the number of tourists is gia, noted. “According to the data of the being maintained in Georgia,” said Giorgi Information-Analytical Department of Country 2016: July 2017: July Difference Difference in % 1 Russia 136,630 219,145 82,515 60.4% 2 Armenia 166,778 209,098 42,320 25.4% 3 Azerbaijan 167,536 190,621 23,085 13.8% the Ministry of Interior Affairs, the from Lebanon +579%, Jordan +373%, Particular growth was seen from Jordan growth in travelers is 32.9% compared Saudi Arabia +254%, Kuwait +207%, Iran +398%, Lebanon +318%, Saudi Arabia 4 Turkey 140,409 141,270 861 0.6% to the analogous period of the previous +86% and the USA +65%. +218%, Kuwait +185%, Iran +170% and 5 Iran 24,091 44,772 20,681 85.8% year”. Uzbekistan +138%. According to the data of July, the num- JANUARY-JULY 6 Ukraine 22,496 26,171 3,675 16.3% ber of those travelers/tourists who spent 3,978,657 international travelers visited TOURISM AN IMPORTANT 7 Israel 13,187 17,219 4,032 30.6% 24 or more hours in Georgia is 519,349, Georgia in January, which surpasses the SECTOR OF THE ECONOMY which surpasses the data of the same same month of 2016 by 572,195 (up 16.8%). According to the data of the fi rst quar- 8 Saudi Arabia 4,777 16,885 12,108 253.5% month of 2016 by 128,651 (up 32.9%). The number of tourists who spent 24 ter of 2017, income from international 9 Kazakhstan 9,849 11,272 1,423 14.4% The top origin countries were Russia or more hours in Georgia January-July, tourism was $434.6 million (up 23.3%), (+60.4%), Armenia (+25.4%), Azerbaijan has reached 1,829,331, which surpasses which surpasses the analogous data of 10 Belarus 6,763 9,704 2,941 43.5% (+13.8%), Turkey (+0.6%) and Iran the same data of 2016 by 423,816 (+30.2%). 2016 by $82 million. The share of tour- 11 Poland 7,283 7,872 589 8.1% (+85.8%). To sum up the seven months, the lead- ism per GDP was 6.8% in the fi rst quar- The positive trend is also maintained ing countries with regards to incoming ter of 2017, a growth of +0.8% compared 12 USA 4,477 7,404 2,927 65.4% from the direction of the EU: from The visitors are from Azerbaijan, Armenia, to the previous year. 13 Germany 5,383 7,155 1,772 32.9% Netherlands with a growth of +43%, the Russia and Iran. From EU, the top coun- According to the data of January-July 14 Oman 3,845 5,016 1,171 30.5% United Kingdom (+34%), Germany tries in this respect are: Austria +52%, of 2017, operations made by international (+33%) and France (+33%). A further the Netherlands +39%, Germany +32%, travelers using foreign cards totaled 15 India 3,778 3,815 37 1.0% growth in number was seen in visitors the United Kingdom +29%, France +26%. $951,335, up +33.5% compared to 2016. Mayoral Candidate Promises Abolition National Food Agency: Georgian Ice-Cream of Contract with C.T. Park Company Free of Pathogenic Microorganisms BY THEA MORRISON is contaminated with pathogenic micro- the street or beach. BY THEA MORRISON organisms. The Agency reports that "Listeria monocytogenesis is a pathogenic laboratory research was conducted on microorganism that creates a signifi cant ndependent mayoral candidate of 105 samples of 21 types of ice cream sold threat to the lives and health of children Tbilisi, Alexander Elisashvili, has he National Food Agency by various business operators in Georgia and pregnant women. Salmonella is a group made a promise that if he wins (NFA) has examined various and the results revealed that they are not of bacteria that causes typhoid diseases the autumn mayoral race, he will types of Georgian ice cream contaminated or harmful for health. The and acute gastroenterocolitis,” the NFA abolish the contract with the park- on the consumer market and study does not appear to have covered says, adding that Georgian ice-cream does Iing regulatory company in the capital assessed that none of them ice cream sold by private individuals on not contain any of these microorganisms. city – C.T. Park. The majority of Tbilisi T residents say they are unhappy with C.T. Park’s services. Photo Source: RFERL The contract between the company the agreement will cost the Mayor’s and the Mayor’s Offi ce was signed under Offi ce GEL 25 million in expenses, a huge the previous government in 2007, seeing sum for the Tbilisi budget. the company receive exclusive rights to Elisashvili has claimed that it is better manage parking services in Tbilisi until to pay GEL 25 million from the budget 2022. than put up with extremely high fi nes However, the service costs and rules from C.T. Park. The politician believes have raised various questions amongst that parking should be a municipal ser- the populace, who disapprove of the vice, governed by City Hall until a new company, claiming it to have high fi nes tender is announced. and unfair conditions. “If I become Mayor, my fi rst act will The current Mayor, Davit Narmania, be abolishing the contract with C.T. Park. has stressed on numerous occasions that After that, an international tender will he is also unsatisfi ed with the work of be announced, which will have three C.T. Park but has explained that the conditions: pay the fi ne to C.T. Park, set- agreement cannot be cancelled because, ting up adequate infrastructure, and according to international auditing com- initiate a parking system in the capital,” pany Ernst & Young, the cancellation of said Elisashvili. Venice Commission to Mediate Dialogue between Georgian Ruling Party & Opposition Continued from page 1 part in the meeting in Strasburg. in the main document of the country. in late June. elections. The majority stated after “If the ruling party adopts this ver- GD says they will join the meeting, Parliament will return to discussing consultations with the opposition par- The Chair of Free Georgia, Kakha sion of constitution, this will be a one- however, they do not specify if they will the draft law after three months, as three ties, NGOs and the Venice Commission Kukava, says that the Venice Commis- party document and a step backwards compromise their position or not. readings are mandatory for the fi nal that the changes would take place before sion's proposal is a serious chance to for the democratic development of “We compromised on many issues. adoption of a law in Parliament. the 2020 parliamentary elections. How- exert pressure on the government to Georgia,” Zaza Bibilashvili from the Consensus with the opposition can be The amendments, among many impor- ever, according to the adopted changes, suspend the review of the constitutional UNM stated. reached at this meeting,” Archil Talak- tant changes, include a delay to the full this will now happen no earlier than amendments adopted in the second European Georgia member Irakli Abe- vadze, parliamentary majority leader, move to a proportional election system, 2024.