Issue no: 931

NEWS PAGE 2

BUSINESS PAGE 7

SOCIETY PAGE 12

SOCIETY PAGE 12

CULTURE PAGE 15

POLITICS PAGE 4

POLITICS PAGE 6

In this week’s issue...

Azerbaijan’s Relations with Russia: Beware the Bear

Stuck with an Impotent Presidency

Schirnhofer Now Has its First Store in Tbilisi

• MARCH 24 - 27, 2017 • PUBLISHED TWICE WEEKLY PRICE: GEL 2.50

Continued on page 6

Georgia Condemns Terror Attack in London

Maltakva, Poti to Have a New Beach

New Hepatitis C Center Opens in West Georgia

First Georgian Film Bought by Netfl ix Receives another Prize at Sofi a Int’l Film Fest

FOCUSON MEDIA DEVELOPMENTAs GT celebrates its 17th anniversary, the Georgia Today Group launches The Economist's The World In 2017

PAGE 8-9

Szijjártó on Hungary-Russia-EU Relations INTERVIEW BY VAZHA TAVBERIDZE

Last week, the Foreign Minister of Hungary, Péter Szi-jjártó, visited Georgia to bolster the bilateral relations between the two countries and prepare the stage for PM Orban’s visit in April. In an exclusive interview with GEORGIA TODAY, the FM started off by high-

lighting the importance of mutual economic cooperation and trade, stating that they want to raise the level of economic ties to the level of political relations.

“We started by opening a EUR 85,000 million credit line from the Hungarian Exim Bank to facilitate business to business, com-pany to company partnership. We identifi ed several fl agship areas of cooperation, including water management- a leading Hungar-ian water management company is cooperating with the United Water Supply Company of Georgia. Hopefully, this cooperation will see the Hungarian side assuming operational control in sev-eral municipalities, for example, now we’re running in a tender for Kutaisi, where we already have a Hungarian presence. Wizzair has become a focal point in fostering bilateral travel- the amount of visa applications has risen nine times since the fl ight was intro-duced. Agriculture, food industry technologies, sports infrastruc-ture – we’ll be building a stadium in Batumi - the pharmaceutical industry, where we already have 25 million worth of annual export and, fi nally, forestry, where Hungarian companies take part in modernizing the sector according to European Union standards.

GEORGIA TODAY MARCH 24 - 27, 20172 NEWS

Georgia Condemns Terror Attack in LondonBY THEA MORRISON

World leaders have con-demned late Wednes-day’s terrorist attack in London, which left fi ve people dead and

at least 40 injured. Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili said that Georgia and Geor-gians will always stand by the civilized world in the fi ght against terrorism.

“I am deeply concerned by information on what seems to be terrorist attack near the UK parliament in London. Our thoughts are with the victims and fami-lies,” the PM tweeted.

President Margvelashvili also released a statement regarding the attack. “I am deeply outraged by the terrorist incident at Westminster Palace. We strongly con-demn all forms of terrorism and stand in solidarity with the UK,” the president of Georgia, Giorgi Margvelashvili, stated.

Georgia’s Foreign Ministry said that no Georgians are reported among the deceased or injured in the incident.

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia condemns terrorism in all its forms and conveys its condolences to the families of terrorism victims, as well as to the government of the United King-dom, wishing speedy recovery to those who were injured as a result of the inci-dent,” the statement of the MFA reads.

According to BBC, the incident hap-pened late on Wednesday in London. Five people have died, and at least 40 were injured after an attacker drove a car along the pavement in Westminster, stabbed a policeman, and was shot dead by police on the grounds of Parliament.

“Acting Deputy Commissioner and Head of Counter Terrorism at the Met-ropolitan Police, Mark Rowley, said they think they know who he is and that he was inspired by international and Islam-ist-related terrorism but gave no further details,” BBC reports.

Rowley said hundreds of detectives worked through the night, carrying out searches at six addresses.

Seven arrests have been made in raids following the Westminster according to police.

BY THEA MORRISON

The MPs of Georgian Parlia-ment have overridden President Giorgi Margve-lashvili’s veto on the sur-veillance draft bill adopted

by parliament on March 1st.The legislative package included pro-

visions for the creation of a legal entity of public law (LEPL) the Operative-Technical Agency of Georgia, which will be responsible for covert surveillance. The agency will be under the supervi-sion of the State Security Service (SSS). However, the agency will be accountable to the prime minister and will submit a generalized report of its activities to the PM annually.

The responsibilities of the agency will include hidden surveillance of phone communication; retrieving information from computer systems; control of post offi ce transfers; secret audio and video surveillance; and photographic surveil-lance.

The new bill on covert investigative actions became necessary after the Con-stitutional Court of Georgia ruled on April 14, 2016 that the existing model of surveillance, with the Interior Ministry and Personal Data Protection Inspector as key players, needed to be changed.

The court stated that the existing leg-islation, which allowed the police to have direct and unrestricted access to telecom operators’ networks to monitor com-

Georgia’s Parliament Overrides President’s Veto on Surveillance Bill

munications, was unconstitutional and set a deadline of March 31, 2017 to imple-ment the court’s decision and replace the existing surveillance law with new one.

The president added his remarks to the bill, and he sent it back to parliament on March 21st.

He had two main remarks: The bill does not guarantee the independence of the new surveillance agency, and there are "unjustifi ed and unpredictable costs” that the bill imposes on communications companies.

The majority party, Georgian Dream (GD), which has 116 seats in the parlia-ment, needed at 76 votes out of total 150 MPs to override the bill.

The president’s bill was voted on fi rst. 22 MPs were in favor, and 86 were against.

Afterwards, parliament voted for a bill that had not been approved by the pres-

ident. 93 MPs voted in favor of the bill 21 were against.

Head of the President’s Administration, Giorgi Abashishvili, called this “disap-pointing.”

“If the parliament had supported the president’s remarks, the surveillance agency would have been more independ-ent,” he stressed.

Parliamentary opposition parties believe the majority’s draft bill does not respond to the Constitutional Commis-sion verdict, that the agency must be independent. They also think that the bill gives too much power to the SSS. Non-Governmental Organizations also share this position on the issue.

The bill was once again sent to the president after the veto was overridden. If the President does not sign it again, the Speaker of the Parliament will have the right to sign it.

GEORGIA TODAY MARCH 24 - 27, 2017 3

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NEWS

On 23 and 24 March, Com-missioner for Transport Violeta Bulc is meeting with private and public institutions at a conference

in Sofi a, Bulgaria, to discuss how to boost investment in the transport sector.

The conference is to focus on invest-ment opportunities in the Cohesion Member States and will also address cooperation with the Western Balkans and Eastern Partners, gathering together high-level representatives involved in the planning and fi nancing of European transport infrastructure projects, fi nan-cial institutions and public and private project promoters. Together, they will discuss how to make the best use of the opportunities under the European Com-mission’s Investment Plan for Europe, including the Cleaner Transport Facility, and exchange experience and lessons learned in successful transport projects.

“Public grants are not enough to deliver on our vision for seamless, intelligent and sustainable mobility,” Commissioner Bulc said prior to the start of the confer-ence. “With the Commission’s Invest-ment Plan for Europe, we want to offer innovative solutions such as blending funds to mobilize additional private fi nancing. This is particularly important in the cohesion countries where we still

Investment Plan for Europe: Commissioner Bulc Outlines Vision for Transport Investment

need to work to bridge the infrastructure investment gap with other parts of Europe. Boosting investment is also vital to strengthen the region’s competitiveness and stimulate the recent economic recov-ery”.

The conference in Sofi a follows the recent launch by the Commission of a call for proposals combining EUR 1 bil-lion of grants with fi nancing from the European Fund for Strategic Investments, public fi nancial institutions and from the private sector wherever possible.

The call will complement the EUR 19.4 billion in EU grants already announced under the Connecting Europe Facility and the 36 transport-related projects under the European Fund for Strategic Investments that will trigger a total EUR 15.2 billion of investments.

Conference participants include the Maltese Minister for Transport and Infrastructure Joe Mizzi, Bulgarian Prime Minister Ognyan Gerdzhikov and Trans-port Minister Hristo Alexiev, Pim Van Ballekom, the Vice President of the European Investment Bank, members of the European Parliament, as well as ministers from other Cohesion Member States and ministers of the Eastern Part-ners and Western Balkans countries.

More on this story in Tuesday’s GEOR-GIA TODAY Business issue.

BY THEA MORRISON

On Tuesday, an Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism (IPRM) meet-ing was held in Gali, located in Georgia’s breakaway

region of Abkhazia, near the administra-tive boundary line (ABL).

This was the 44th meeting of the IPRM, which brought together Georgian, Abkhaz, Russian and European Union Monitoring Mission (EUMM) representatives and was chaired by the United Nations (UN).

Representatives of the Georgian central government brought up the murder case of Georgian citizen Giga Otkhozoria, who was killed by an Abkhazian border guard on the territory controlled by Georgia, on May 19, 2016.

Georgian representatives demanded the arrest the Abkhaz citizen, Rashid Kanji-Oghli, who killed Otkhozoria and is now wanted by Interpol.

Georgian representatives also raised the issue of a Georgian citizen, Giorgi Lukava, who is being illegally imprisoned within the occupied Abkhazia region for alleged terrorist activities.

During the meeting issues related to the illegal detentions for crossing the occupation line were discussed. The representatives of the Georgian central

Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism Meeting Held in Gali

government underlined that the illegal detentions not only violate the funda-mental right of the local residents, but also undermine the security environment on the ground.

At the meeting, Georgian representa-tives raised problems caused by the clo-sure of the two crossing points. They also discussed all the major incidents that took place within the region recently.

The Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism was created in February 2009 as a result of the Geneva discus-sions that followed the 2008 confl ict in

Georgia. The meetings are an opportu-nity to discuss the identifi cation of potential risks and problems facing the local community, follow up on incidents, and exchange information. The meetings are co-facilitated by the OSCE and the European Union Monitoring Mission in Georgia (EUMM).

The Georgian representatives at the IPRM meetings are from the State Secu-rity Service and the Reconciliation and Civil Equality Ministry of Georgia.

The next IPRM meeting in Gali will be held on 25th April 2017.

GEORGIA TODAY MARCH 24 - 27, 20174 POLITICS

OP-ED BY NUGZAR B. RUHADZE

Why is Georgia always stuck with some awkward governing absurdities? Why can’t this nation cre-

ate, once and for all, a system of gov-ernance, including the electoral code, which will not need to be forcefully altered every once in a while due to circumstantial exigencies, and that will not have to be tailored on some whim-sical aims and aspirations of another dictatorial leader of a developing coun-try? Take Trump, for example. He craves to see his dictate honored in his own country as well as elsewhere around the globe, but he will never become a dictator in the true meaning of the word – the American system of governance will never allow this nonsense to hap-pen because such is the nature of the American system of ruling the country.

Five years ago, Georgia was a “presi-dential republic,” like the United States,

Stuck with an Impotent Presidency

where the executive branch was made up of president and his cabinet. The only difference was that the Georgian government was technically headed by a prime-minister, who could formally be equaled to the White House Chief of Staff. Here, we have ministries, headed by ministers, and there, they have depart-ments headed by secretaries. Those were the only formal differentiating features; otherwise, the systems were similar and all was OK – it worked, and successfully enough. There was one grave drawback in governance in Geor-gia. All of a sudden, the entire decision-making power became concentrated in one person’s hands, and that one person was the president of the coun-try. What happened later is that the president, following the expiration of his term of offi ce, wanted to stay in power which contradicted the constitu-tion, so he decided to change the system of governance in Georgia, to refl ect this change in the constitution. Georgia was turned from a presidential into a par-liamentary republic, rather, into a semi-parliamentary republic with so many

who don’t even know what the presi-dent is doing in the country they have to fi ght for when the time comes and the need materializes. Why is a parlia-mentary republic better and more opti-mal than a presidential republic? Why are there two high-level courts in Geor-gia – Supreme and Constitutional? America uses only one, with two func-tions, and they say it is more than enough to be judicially good and fair. I don’t think there is anything more exigent to be discussing on everyday basis in the Georgian legislative body. And I guess we the people have nothing hotter to talk about than the issue that bothers us so much – the issue of governing the country in the most effective way.

branches of government. The system of governance in Georgia

allowed the concentration of political power in the hands of one branch of government, in the president. In Amer-ica, this cannot happen because the American political system is adamantly safeguarded by the principle of checks and balances which realistically works there in a foolproof system. Now the question pops up – why does it work in America and not here in Georgia? To answer this question professionally, with a reasonable margin of precision, one needs to do long-term deep research into Georgia’s political history of at least the last thirty years, and include into that scientifi c endeavor the analy-sis of the psycho-type of an average Georgian political animal.

The theme is extremely serious for the further development of democratic governance in Georgia. Again, why does the exact same system of govern-ment iwork in the States and not work-ing in Georgia? Why is the fairness of the judiciary always questionable in our political culture? Why is it so painfully

diffi cult to write a constitution which could successfully do its job for the next fi ve hundred years with only occasional minor amendments? Why do we allow more than three branches of govern-ment in this tiny nation of only three and a half million, whereas the three hundred and fi fty thousand proof Amer-ican nation uses only three? Why do we have to be enslaved by the system which feeds us so many fl agrant inconven-iences? Why are we stuck with an impo-tent presidency and a systemic head-ache? Who needs a commander-in-chief who will never have anything to do with the army except when making rare patriotically embellished speeches before the defenders of the motherland,

OP-ED BY EUGENE KOGAN

The geographic location of the three South Caucasian countries Armenia, Azer-baijan and Georgia is a curse. For centuries these

countries have been divided and ruled by dominating Persian, Russian and Ottoman empires. The empires collapsed and faded away, but their successor states Iran, Turkey and the Soviet Union (pre-sent-day Russia) continue to dominate the region.

The collapse of the Soviet Union gave Azerbaijan breathing space to build a new independent state. Yet the curse of geography still lingers. An independent and sovereign state for 25 years, Azer-baijan is still bordered by Russia and Iran. And this time round, President Vladimir Putin will not give President IlhamAliyev’s regime a second chance to align with the West and Turkey.

First, it is important to elaborate on Azerbaijan’s current domestic situation and its implications for relations with

Azerbaijan’s Relations with Russia: Beware the Bear

Turkey, its strategic partner, as well as Azerbaijan’s relations with the EU and the US, because it explains why Azer-baijan eventually chose to co-operate with Russia. Over the past two to three years, Azerbaijan’s maneuvering space has shrunk due to the domestic economic downturn, falling oil and gas prices and subsequent depreciation of the local currency, and cooling relations with the EU and the US (hereafter called the West) and Turkey. In the end, Azerbaijan is left with the only viable option of co-operating with Iran and Russia, two countries that Azerbaijan has to be very careful with.

On the one hand, for the last 20 years, Azerbaijan has pursued a multilateral policy and kept Russia at a safe distance. Azerbaijan did not let Russia drag it into Russian-led organizations like the Col-lective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) and the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU). Furthermore, Azerbaijan has strenuously objected to the deploy-ment of Russian peacekeeping forces along the Line of Contact (LoC) in Nagorno-Karabakh. Azerbaijan learned from the experience of the international

community that it has no leverage to make Moscow withdraw its troops, and international appeals to Russia to with-draw its troops from the occupied ter-ritories have fallen on deaf ears in Mos-cow.

Yet the government of Azerbaijan real-ized that in comparison with Russia, the West is weak and indecisive when it comes to the South Caucasus, and Tur-key is preoccupied with domestic and foreign crises and distracted from Azer-baijan. As a result, Azerbaijan has to cope alone with its neighborhood, including Iran’s ambiguous policy. Although Azer-baijan and Turkey have been on the same page for many years towards Russia as Finlandization, akin to the Finnish pur-suit of neutrality after the end of the Second World War in the face of a hos-tile Soviet Union.

Closer relations with Russia mean a radical shift in Azerbaijani strategic vision and foreign policy pursuit based on the past co-operation with the West and Turkey. There is no doubt that the shift has been accompanied by a strengthening of IlhamAliyev’s regime at home.

OP-ED BY ZAZA JGARKAVA

The deployment of an S-300 anti-aircraft missile system on the territory of occupied Abkhazia didn’t merit any special reaction from Offi -

cial Tbilisi. The case of Rustavi 2 and the to-be curtailed authority of President Margvelashvili still remain the main news in the country. It is hard to explain why Tbilisi rests easy. Perhaps it is fail-ing to assess the situation adequately. Or maybe it is a sign of panic. The fact is that Georgia is already in the C-300 siege and whenever the Kremlin decides to use its lead, it will do so.

New anti-missile systems were brought into breakaway Abkhazia on March 10 and will be installed on the territories of the Russian military bases in Ochamchire and Gali. Information has spread that the same type of systems are also to be installed in the occupied Akhalgori region. The Russian anti-missile systems in Abkhazia and those installed in the Russian military base in Gyumri, Armenia, completely cover Georgia. Strengthening the arma-ment of the Russian military bases in Abkhazia is assessed as a “demonstration of power” by experts, who also stress that Russia is using de-facto Abkhazia for its own geopolitical interests. The former Minister of Security of Abkhazia, Levan Kiknadze, believes that Russia will import as many weapons as it wants without asking anyone for permission. “They act like this because they want to irritate us. Strengthening the armed forces on the Abkhazian territory will result in the growth of the military contingent, which also means increasing the number of Rus-sians, something the Russian government has been looking forward to for a long

Arming Uptime,” Kiknadze said.

The opposition believes that these actions are directly connected with the government’s imprudent policy. Giorgi Tugushi, member of the European Geor-gia party, disapproves of the policy the Georgian government has had with regards to Russia: “Russia violates all types of international legislative norm a well as strenghtening its military pres-ence. This is yet another consequence of us relying on the Karasin-Abashidze format rather than that of the Geneva. In the fi rst place our government should wake up and fi nally get to the conclusion that warmed relations with Russia prove fruitless. All international leverage at hand should be used as soon as possible.”

Brigadier General and military expert, Amiran Salukvadze, believes that install-ment of the anti-missile systems is an open reaction from the Kremlin in response to the NATO’s activities in the Black Sea region. “The fact that the Cau-casus is vitally important as a region for Russia is well known and the admittance of any Caucasian country in the mem-bership of NATO is totally unacceptable,” said Salukvadze.

Although the role of Georgia within the strategy of NATO in Black Sea Secu-rity has yet to be specifi ed, the leaders of NATO and the government of Georgia have repeatedly stressed that Georgia will certainly engage in the process. Moreover, as the Minister of Defense of Georgia, Levan Izoria stated, Georgia has already presented specifi c proposals about the forms of Georgia’s engagement in Black Sea Security.

The appearance of Russian C-300 in the occupied Abkhazia is a puzzle not only for Georgia. Moscow is trying to revive the unifi ed system of air control it had during the USSR, a serious chal-lenge for the NATO member countries; in the fi rst place for Turkey, but also for other states from the Black Sea region, namely Bulgaria and Romania. Bringing the C-300 anti-missile systems onto occupied Georgian lands is far from then end of this process. Russia is creating a command for its southern direction and also plans to modernize its military units in the North Caucasus, occupied Abk-hazian and Tskhinvali regions and Arme-nia, as well as its Navy fl eets in the Black and Caspian Seas.

GEORGIA TODAY MARCH 24 - 27, 2017 5POLITICS

OP-ED BY TIM OGDEN

Brussels will be shaking at the knees as the French presi-dential election approaches. While Emmanuel Macron's central 'En Marche!' cam-

paign has gained slightly in the polls, an attempted terrorist attack this week at Orly airport in Paris could well see Marine le Pen snatch victory. With both Britain voting to leave the European Union and Donald Trump seeing off Hillary Clinton in defi ance of predic-tions, 2016 certainly showed that the political underdog can win against the odds.

Perhaps in years prior, voters might have thought that casting their ballot for fringe contenders was a waste of their only chance to democratically make themselves heard, but two consecutive shocking wins for platforms perceived to be anti-immigration and nationalistic will likely have dispelled this notion. Should Marine le Pen, an anti-immigra-tion, tough-on-terrorism Eurosceptic, prove victorious, she will likely initiate a Frexit, and the European Union's future will appear more uncertain than ever.

(This would, incidentally, be rather helpful for Britain, which is fl oundering in a sea of Euro-anger and threats of being taken to court if London fails to pay a £50 billion divorce bill.)

Beyond the infi ghting and inability to come to any agreement on the plethora of issues facing the continent, the Euro-pean Union also does itself no favors with the countries that aspire to be a part of it. Its 'mañana, mañana' approach to Geor-gia gradually caused simmering resent-ment amongst parts of the local popula-tion, and while this has receded slightly in the face of the EU's agreement to grant Georgians visa-free access to the Schen-gen zone, remarks made by Austrian Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz could well cause a rise in Euroscepticism.

Kurz suggested that to alleviate the burden being placed on EU nations strug-gling to accommodate Angela Merkel's open-door refugee policy, EU partner states could take asylum seekers of their own. Vienna's subsequent attempts to deal with the Georgian uproar by claim-

Failure Project Europe: Ogden on Frexit & the Cost of Visa Liberalization

ing that his comments had been taken out of context failed entirely; his com-ments, after all, were not of the kind that could be wholly misinterpreted.

Many Georgians understood this as being the price the country must pay for its visa waiver to the EU. While this was hotly denied by Brussels (and the Geor-gian people being prone to believing conspiracy theories, especially ones of their own making), the timing could not have been poorer, and although it is likely that no formal demand was made that Tbilisi should accommodate migrants in return for a visa waiver, it is not beyond the realms of possibility that Brussels had hoped that Georgia would acquiesce in grovelling gratitude.

Most of the recent terrorist attacks in Europe have been carried out by migrants, and the alarming number of sexual assault cases across the continent is also due to Europe's new arrivals having rather dif-ferent ideas about consent, equality, and the rights of women. Doubt has also been raised over the age of many migrants without identifi cation, as many claiming to be teenagers appear far older. These

would all be reason enough for Georgia to be alarmed at the thought of introduc-ing thousands of refugees into the coun-try, if not also due to the dire situation that Georgia faces itself.

Georgia lives in perpetual fear of Rus-sian aggression, and South Ossetia's upcoming formal referendum on joining the Russian Federation will hardly improve matters. In addition, the eco-nomic conditions of the vast majority of the population remains dire, and so how Georgia was expected to help the refu-gee horde when it can hardly serve its own people was left unexplained.

Whether the Austrian FM's remarks were a result of inexcusable ignorance or simply an example of the callousness that eastern EU members feel their west-ern counterparts treat them with, Kurz has helped put a sizeable dent in the surge of optimism felt after Georgia's visa liberalization. If Miss le Pen clinches victory and France follows Britain into European exile, then prospective as well as current EU members might decide that the 'European project' has proved a failure.

OP-ED BY ZAZA JGARKAVA

The time has come for the rotation to happen in the occupied territories. Elec-tions for the so-called par-liament in Abkhazia and

the so-called president in South Ossetia are about to be held. At a fi rst glance, it seems the two elections have nothing in common, but if we examine the course of events more closely, we will see that

No Place Like Home

both “elections” have a big common trait – their former leaders are planning a comeback: Alexander Ankvab to Sokhumi and Eduard Kokoity to Ttskhinvali.

The fi rst round of “parliamentary elec-tions” was already held in Sokhumi and ex-president Ankvab has already been elected among the 35 lucky ones who will take over the legislative manage-ment of the occupied territory. But for Eduard Kokoity things are more com-plicated, as the Kremlin forbids him from returning to the post of head of govern-ment and he has been denied the regis-

teration. Although Validslav Surkov, the head of the Georgian occupied territories from the Kremlin, says Kokoity should satisfy the requirements of the local election commission regarding housing documents, the latter and the “Heroes” of the August War remain stubborn. For a long time, Kokoity has been living in Moscow instead of Tskhinvali, therefore his housing documents are also from the Russian capital. It seems the Kremlin has no need of rebellious leaders in the breakway region and puts its stakes on the current “president,” the former KGB offi cer Leonid Tibilov. So, why the Krem-lin did not prevent Ankvab from becom-ing an MP and why their candidate Ser-gey Shamba was unsuccessful remains a mystery.

Ankvab has the reputation of having a “strong-hand” and supposedly he fi ghts corruption- doing so quite “sovietly”, meaning he confronts only those from the opposite clan. Maybe that is the rea-son he was attacked as many as fi ve times, and once even at his home. But fate was on his side and he survived every time.

Taking into consideration these attacks, we could conclude that electing Ankvab could intensify the confrontation between Abkhazian clans and the “gangster wars.” As they predict in Sokhumi, Ankvab will soon even become the “Speaker of the Parliament” and get his revenge by eject-ing former opponent, de-facto President Raul Khajimba from the post. Why Surkov and the Kremlin allowed Abkvab’s polit-ical resuscitation is truly hard to explain.

It is obvious that the Kremlin is unsat-isfi ed with Ankvab’s political resurrec-tion. Recall Konstantin Zatulin’s visit to Abkhazia, where he travelled with an observer mission from the Russian Fed-eration and said: “Despite all due respect for the Abkhazian electoral system, I should say that during the Armenian Parliamentary elections on April 2, for the fi rst time quotas for national minor-ity candidates will be provided. 99 per-cent of the population in Armenia is Armenian. Nevertheless, there will be four places for the national minorities in parliament. Tell me the need for more than 100 candidates and only one with

a Russian family name?” A total of 137 candidates competed for 35 mandates in the Abkhazian “Parliament,” and while being almost the same number in popu-lation as Abkhazians, Armenians have only four seats. Zatulin’s announcement was was far from coincidental. By bring-ing the Armenian theme to the forefront, it becomes clear that the Kremlin is try-ing to balance the legislative fantasies of the Abkhazians. As time passes, the Kremlin will continue trying to play the Armenian cards more effectively.

Abkhazians are facing a problem: how to withstand pressure from the Kremlin and their desire to swallow Abkhazia completely. Moscow further exerts pres-sure by closing the border and trying to choke Abkhazia economically. And who-ever becomes head of the occupied ter-ritory will have just two options to choose from: watch how Russia eats up Abkha-zia or think about a real comporomise with Tbilisi with the help of the Euro-pean Union. But keep in mind the latter is out of the question if the IDPs aren’t returned to their homes.

BY THEA MORRISON

The Speakers and Vice-Speakers of the Parliaments of the Baltic and Nordic states, who arrived in Tbi-lisi on March 20th, held

meetings with Georgian offi cials.The Nordic and Baltic countries make

up the Nordic-Baltic Eight (NB8), which facilitates open discussions on interna-tional topics and topics vital to the Nor-dic-Baltic region.

The parliamentary delegations of Den-mark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania were hosted by the parliament Speaker of Georgia, Irakli Kobakhidze, on Tuesday.

“It is a historical event, the unifi cation of offi cials of our partner countries to discuss our common interests and make the useful decisions,” Kobakhidze said, addressing the delegates.

Georgian Parliament Speaker thanked the guests for supporting Georgia’s ter-ritorial integrity, sovereignty, and EU and NATO aspirations.

“Let me express my gratitude to each member of NB8 for your signifi cant con-tribution to democracy, good governance, and rule of law. We highly appreciate the attention NB8 attaches to issues that are important for Georgia,” he added.

Inara Murniece, the Speaker of the Latvian Saeima, thanked the Chairman for his hospitality. According to her, the joint visit of NB8 Delegation is a dem-onstration of their support for Georgia.

“NB8 is a unique format of regional cooperation based on a common agenda. We are open for dialogue with our part-ners and with Georgia of course. NB8 enjoys excellent partnership and friend-ship with Georgia[…]Georgia is one of the closest partners of NATO and EU. We hail choice of Georgia and further support the country’s EU and NATO aspirations,” she stated.

The NB8 delegation also met with the Foreign Relations and the EU Integra-

tion Committees of Georgian parliament, as well as with different factions.

“Georgia is devoted to its aim of build-ing a European country with European democracy and institutions,” Georgia’s Prime Minister, Giorgi Kvirikashvili, said in address to the NB8 Delegation at the governmental administration.

The PM thanked the guests for their visit to Georgia and for their assistance to the country.

“I am proud of Georgia’s achievements, but this progress would be impossible with-out your assistance,” Kvirikashvili said.

The representatives discussed Geor-gia’s Euro-Atlantic integration process, Georgia’s success in the process of visa-liberalization, as well as recent develop-ments in Georgia’s occupied regions.

The NB8 delegation once again con-fi rmed their support to Georgia’s terri-torial integrity and sovereignty.

The delegates also met with the Pres-ident of Georgia, Giorgi Margvelashvili, at the Presidential Administration. The key issues of the meeting were Russia’s actions on the occupied territories and further cooperation between the NB8 countries and the Black Sea Region.

On Wednesday, the NB 8 Delegation visited the Catholicos-Patriarch of Geor-gia, Ilia II at the Patriarchate.

“20 percent of Georgian territories are occupied by Russia[…]I have been the Metropolitan of Abkhazia for 11 years, but I cannot go there and meet local believers,” Ilia II told the delegation.

Prior holding the meetings with the Georgian offi cials, the delegation went to the administrative boundary line (ABL) between the occupied South Ossetia region and Georgia.

The delegates met with a family living behind the barbed wire fences in the Central Georgia region in the village of Khurvaleti. The delegation listened to the recent problems of the local popula-tion.

Moreover, the NB8 delegation went to the Gori Offi ce of the European Union Monitoring Mission (EUMM) and met with the mission representatives.

Parliamentary Delegation of Nordic, Baltic Countries Meet Georgian Offi cials

GEORGIA TODAY MARCH 24 - 27, 20176 POLITICS

Szijjártó on Hungary-Russia-EU RelationsWINE IS ONE OF HUNGARY’S SPECIALTY EXPORT ITEMS. IN THAT RESPECT, WHAT’S YOUR TAKE ON GEORGIAN WINE’S PROSPECTS ON THE EUROPEAN MARKET?

I’ve already seen Georgian wine on the Hungarian market. I’ve not tasted it – I’ve never drunk alcohol in my life, so I can be an impartial judge in this. I think the best solution for Georgian wine would be to focus on quality, not quan-tity, just like we Hungarians do. The unique qualities of Georgian wine will be best suited to a niche market.

NOWADAYS, THE FIRST NOTION THAT COMES TO MIND WHEN SPEAKING ABOUT HUNGARY IS HOW HARDLINE YOU ARE ON MIGRATION ISSUES. WITH VISA LIBERALIZATION FAST APPROACHING GEORGIA, A HUNGARIAN PERSPECTIVE ON MIGRATION WOULD BE INTERESTING FOR OUR READERS

We made it very clear that entering the territory of our country is only accept-able if it’s legal. We can never accept anyone entering our territories illegally. We don’t like the European approach of encouraging people to travel vast dis-tances illegally and violate a series of borders. We don’t think it should be a European policy. Our approach would be to help these people stay in the nearby safe, peaceful territories so that they can return when the confl ict is over. That’s why our proposal has always been to give every kind of support to Turkey, Jordan, Lebanon and so on, so that they can take care of the refugees. Still, it’s not like the border entries are closed – they are open, and if somebody wants to come to Hungary, they can do it accord-ing to the regulations. So, instead of a hypocritical and politically correct approach to this issue, we merely urge them to be realistic, more honest and more straightforward.

OTHER CRITICISM THAT HUNGARY HAS TO BEAR FROM THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY LATELY REVOLVES AROUND ITS SOMEWHAT LIBERAL AND SYMPATHETIC STANCE TOWARDS RUSSIA. HOW DOES COOPERATION WITH RUSSIA WORK – ANY HUNGARIAN KNOW-HOW FOR GEORGIANS?

We are central Europeans – we can’t afford not to talk with Russia. So, we are opting for a transparent and pragmatic relationship. And here again we have call out some of our criticizers for dou-ble standards and hypocrisy. We never criticized the fact that Germany bought a record high amount of Gas from Rus-sia last year. We were very shocked by the fact that the Western European com-panies are dealing with Gazprom to build Nordstream 2 together. The European Commission has apparently no say on that; while at the same time they killed the South Stream project in which sev-eral Central and South East European countries would have been involved. Last summer, when I was in Saint Peters-burg attending an economic forum, I saw many people speaking German than Russian there, and lo and behold, Italian Prime Minister Renzi took to the stage with presidents Putin and Nazarbayev.

And I could go on listing many more such occurrences, yet we get criticized and called Pro-Russian!? That’s just dou-ble standards and is unacceptable.

THERE IS ALSO THE MATTER OF SANCTIONS. BUDAPEST DOESN’T SEEM VERY FOND OF THEM

We think sanctions are an unsuccess-ful policy, both economically and polit-ically. Economically, it brought more troubles to Europe than to Russia. Polit-ically, it fell short of its target to make Russia comply with the Minsk Agree-ment. It didn’t work out, so what should be done? First, we should discuss, at the level of heads of states, the impact, expec-tations and future strategy. The fi rst stage is evaluation and the second is what to do. The latter cannot come before the former.

BUT EVEN IF THERE IS AN ECONOMIC TRADE-OFF, DON’T YOU THINK IT’S WORTH IT? WHAT OTHER LEVERAGE DOES THE EU HAVE OVER RUSSIA?

That’s a good question. Whatever hap-pened in Ukraine is very bad, and it should be handled competently, but we don’t think sanctions are the right solu-tion to this. What is the right solution? Well, we cannot say that before we dis-cuss the current situation over sanctions. Unfortunately, the politically correct consensus at Brussels seems that if you mention the impact of sanctions, if you say they were unsuccessful, you’re labeled pro-Russian.

WHAT ABOUT COMPLEX RELATIONS BETWEEN RUSSIA AND GEORGIA? WHAT’S HUNGARY’S STANCE ON THIS?

We have been always very vocal and involved in that regard. The territorial integrity and sovereignty of Georgia must be respected. International law is for everyone, regardless of size, GDP or strength… How can we help Georgia towards stability and progress? I think through EU and NATO integration. If there was a very vocal, very loud coun-try in favor of granting Georgia the visa waiver, then that was Hungary. We pushed for it like no-one else and we were very frustrated when, after fulfi lling all the requirements at least a year ago, new preconditions were set. On the other hand, regarding NATO: you have 870 troops in Afghanistan, you’re the largest non-member contributor, you’ve par-ticipated in every mission – what else should be done by Georgia to get NATO membership? What else?

WOULD IT BE FAIR TO ASSUME THAT BUDAPEST BELIEVES THAT AFTER THE INTEGRATION OF THE BALKANS, ON WHICH THERE SEEMS TO BE A LOOSE CONSENSUS IN BRUSSELS, IT SHOULD BE GEORGIA AND UKRAINE’S TURN?

I think it’s equally important to accel-erate both processes. Realistically, though you should be next, sadly, in Europe now there is no will for enlarge-ment. It’s a case of enlargement fatigue because of all these crises we’ve been facing: instead of looking beyond the horizon, everybody is dealing with daily issues. And I think that we might have forgotten the fact that the more we are, the stronger we are and I think that with Western Balkans and Eastern Partner-

ship integrated, Europe would be a much safer place than it is now. We are in the minority in this position but still, this is what we believe and we’re not going to give it up. That’s why we’re pushing very hard for Montenegro’s and Mac-edonia’s membership and for Georgia’s MAP too, because we don’t see what else it should do to deserve it and receive it. When we speak about enlargement, be it NATO or the EU, we say that the membership of Western Balkans and Eastern Partnership countries (those who aspire to join, of course) must be put into consideration. I think we under-stand the importance of it a little bit better than Western European countries, which is largely a matter of history and geography. So, instead of slowing down and over-bureaucratizing this integra-tion process, we should be accelerating it. It’s even a credibility issue for us. I remember last time, when I had an opportunity to chat with FM of Turkey, Mevlut Cavusoglu, he told me that, even if all those complicated issues between Brussels and Ankara where dealt with, which would require quite huge efforts, there were no assurances of them get-ting visa free access. He brought Ukraine and Georgia as an example as to how the visa liberalization process was dragged out– the way Brussels handled this process is the way that ends up in its losing credibility.

SINCE YOU MENTIONED CAVUSOGLU, WHAT DID YOU MAKE OF HIS PROPHECY AFTER THE RECENT SPAT WITH THE NETHERLANDS THAT THERE WILL SOON BE RELIGIOUS WARS IN EUROPE?

It’s a sensitive issue. It’s very strange to see such a confl ict appearing between two NATO allies. When it comes to reli-gions though, we are a Christian country. And we think that Christianity now is the most persecuted religion in the world. Statistics show that. Thousands of peo-ple are deprived of their lives because they are Christians. We should not be shy to speak out about it. Who would support and protect Christians if not the Christians? And frankly, I’m really fed up with the approach that whenever I speak about this in the European Union, we always end up talking about protect-ing the rights of [other] religious minor-ities. Sure, they are important and should be protected, but if I were to say protect Christian minorities, I shouldn’t be shamed and criticized for saying it. Speak about religious minorities? Very impor-tant, but as a Christian – speaking about the protection of Christians is more important, for me, as a Christian. But anyway, I very much hope there won’t be any religious wars in Europe. I think everyone has to respect that Europe is a Christian continent, but Christianity doesn’t tolerate any anti-something policies, so Christianity must not be anti-muslim or anti-anything else, for that matter. And I think that history has proven that a goodwill approach enables for major religions to live together in peace, but I think everyone has to admit that Europe is a Christian continent by history, and we have to be strong in our values because if we don’t respect our own values, own roots and own history, how can we learn to respect somebody else’s? So when I say that I’m proud to be Christian and I’d like to protect Chris-tianity in Europe, I’m not saying that I’m against something else.

Continued from page 1

GEORGIA TODAY MARCH 24 - 27, 2017 7BUSINESS

BY NINO GUGUNISHVILI

With almost a century old tradition of pro-ducing over 600 vari-eties of meat prod-u c t s , Au s t r i a n

Schir nhofer is one of the leading and largest Austrian meat product manufac-turers, producing 12, 000 tons of meat and sausage products per year, using only Austrian meat for production.

The company’s head offi ce is located in Kaindorf, Austria which is considered as one of the safest ecologically. Schirn-hofer has 630 partner farmers. Its strict quality control begins at each of these farms. Quality control is paramount at every stage of production, so Schirnhofer uses ultra-modern technologies and laboratories. Schirnhofer holds an IFC (International Food Standard) certifi cate, which ensures constant product quality control.

Schirnhofer was founded in 1926 by Joseph Schirnhofer. The family business kept alive by his son Karl, who started producing sausages in 1950 with his mother. Soon the company one of the largest Austrian meat product manufac-turers.

Karl Shirnhofer himself was a founder of the Schirnhofer Company in Georgia, which entered the Georgian market in 2007 and quickly gained popularity among customers for its affordability, variety, and top quality products.

Schirnhofer’s newest store opened at At 7 Vazha-Pshavela Avenue, Tbilisi.

Schirnhofer Now Has its First Store in Tbilisi

It offers a large assortment of the deli-cious sausages that Schirnhofer is loved for as well as an Austrian delicatessen featuring an assortment of fresh Austrian breads, cheeses, and meats.

With half a million USD local invest-ment and almost 20 new jobs according to the company, the opening of the fi rst Schirnhofer store is an important event both for Georgia and Austria.

“Georgian customers know the Schirn-hofer brand well. This is our fi rst store in Tbilisi, and in Georgia, and we’ll be focus-ing on the cheese and meat delicatessen,”

said Lasha Babuadze, Schirnhofer Georgia representative, noting that the company plans to expand and open more stores in Tbilisi and other cities in Georgia.

“Schirnhofer products in Austria are always associated with the best quality.” Arad Benko, Ambassador of Austria to Georgia, said in his speech while attend-ing the fi rst Schirnhofer store opening.

“Schirnhofer is very proud to offer its products in Georgia; I wish our business partners great success”. Alois Kaiser, the company representative who arrived to Tbilisi for the store opening said.

GEORGIA TODAY MARCH 24 - 27, 20178

scape, shaping the country’s public opinion and political discourse in many important ways. Georgia Today is inde-pendent and critical, not shying away from sensitive topics, and its journalists and partners live up to high professional standards, basing their articles on sound investigation and research. Throughout the years, original articles published in Georgia Today gave impetus to impor-tant political developments, like the reversal of the restrictive immigration law that was introduced in September 2014, or the lifting of the landownership ban for foreigners. Both topics were extensively discussed and criticized in Georgia Today, among others in articles provided by ISET. We are proud to have Georgia Today as a media partner for our weekly column, and we wish this outstanding Georgian newspaper all the best for the future.”

ANANO KORKIA, HEAD OF PR AND MARKETING DEPARTMENT AT PASHA BANK

“Happy birthday to my dearest Georgia Today! This is a team of professionals who never stop developing Georgian media. I am sure everyone agrees that their contribution to this fi eld is tremen-dous. They simply put a high standard and we can all read it through the lines of their publications. I cannot fail to use this opportunity and thank them whole-heartedly - as a reader and a loyal cus-tomer as well. We have been business partners for several years already and this relationship has become much more than just that - it has developed into friendship based on mutual trust and respect. I wish Georgia Today many readers, many partners and further suc-cess!”

ANDREAS HEIDINGSFELDER, GENERAL MANAGER, SHERATON METECHI PALACE HOTEL, TBILISI“On behalf of Sheraton Metechi Palace Hotel, I extend our heartiest congratula-tions to Georgia Today for completing 17 years of success in business. It’s been our pleasure to cooperate with the news-paper since it was founded. During my fi ve years in Tbilisi, the newspaper has published numerous interesting and uncountable important articles that con-tribute to the national and international discussion. Georgia Today was always

our exclusive partner in all Sheraton initiatives concerning Corporate Social Responsibility, such as Green Initiatives, charity or cultural events, Earth Hour, and business initiatives. The newspaper, with its brilliant team of dedicated work-ers, has achieved tremendous growth and has built distinguished goodwill and recognition in the community. They always tried to provide the best product and keep an eminent position in the market. Congratulations to all those involved in producing Georgia Today. Working with you has been a real honor. We look forward to our future partner-ship and wish you continued success as an integral part of media.”

MOLLY CORSO, EDITOR OF INVESTOR.GE AND FORMER EMPLOYEE OF GT“My fi rst job in Georgia was at Georgia Today, back in 2002 when foreigners had to have proof of employment to apply for a long-term visa. It was a great oppor-tunity: I met fabulous journalists and learned the nuts and bolts of copy edit-ing. I didn't get paid much (or on time,

for that matter) but I learned a great deal about Georgian politics and made some good friends. Over the years, the news-paper has always provided a steady stream of talented contributors for Inves-tor.ge, AmCham Georgia's business magazine. I really appreciate the efforts that have been made over the past few years to expand the newspaper's scope. Georgia Today has the potential to be a strong English-language newspaper and I hope you achieve great things in the next 17 years and beyond”.

MAKO ABASHIDZE, DIRECTOR, THE BRITISH GEORGIAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE“From the very beginning I was a dedi-cated Georgia Today reader and since founding the British Georgian Chamber of Commerce 10 years ago, Georgia Today

has been our loyal partner. Georgia Today gives our members in the UK direct access to all the most important news in Georgia thanks to the Georgia Today team. We look forward to continuing our friendship and partnership."

TONY HANMER, JOURNALIST, SVANETI REGION, GEORGIA“I became aware of Georgia Today soon after I moved to Georgia to live in Decem-ber 1999. There was, and remains, noth-ing to touch it for quality of news on the country and region in English.

My relationship with the paper as an outlet for my own writings, mostly about Svaneti, began with a simple email offer-ing my services from Mestia in February 2011. My offer was accepted, and from March 2011 until now I have written once a week, just now celebrating six years and over 250 articles on Svaneti and a few others from elsewhere in Georgia,

Canada, Zimbabwe, the UK, and wher-ever I happened to be. The requirement of a weekly deadline has been suffi cient for me to fi nd something every week on which to write, never having to cast about for subjects.

I am grateful to Georgia Today for this opportunity, congratulate them on their anniversary, and look forward to a long future together as long as they will have me! Gagimarjot (cheers to you)!”

PAUL RIMPLE, BUREAU CHIEF CULINARY BACKSTREETS TBILISI"I was one of those ex-pats who found temporary employment copy editing at Georgia Today when I moved to Tbilisi in 2002. Those were days of splintered keyboards, greasy monitors and over-fl owing ashtrays in an offi ce next to the

Georgian Wrestling Federation. Some years later, my friend became an editor and asked me to write a column, which was a lot of fun. I appreciate Georgia Today for being one of the few places where young local journalists have launched their careers in English lan-guage media. Georgia Today’s alumni have gone on to work for the BBC, Bloomberg and RFEL."

ZAZA PURTSELADZE, DIRECTOR BRITISH COUNCIL GEORGIA

“Georgia Today is our long-time partner and we have had many successful years of cooperation with the newspaper and I hope that will continue in the future.”

ERIC LIVNY, ACTING PRESIDENT, INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL OF ECONOMICS, TBILISI (ISET)“Georgia Today has become an indis-pensable part of Georgia's media land-

To celebrate the 17th birthday of GEORGIA TODAY, below are some of the many birthday wishes we have received so far.

U.S. AMBASSADOR TO GEORGIA, IAN KELLY

“I want to offer my sincere congratula-tions to the staff and publishers of Geor-gia Today who are celebrating the 17th anniversary of this essential publication. Over the course of my many years in the region, as well as my tenure as the United States’ Ambassador to Georgia, I have come to appreciate and rely on Georgia Today’s comprehensive coverage of politics, society and culture – as well as its expanded focus on business, econom-ics and law. Many thanks for your reli-ability, professionalism and constant striving to be the best source of infor-mation on the region.”

JUSTIN MCKENZIE SMITH, UK AMBASSADOR TO GEORGIA

“I just want to send my congratulations to Georgia Today, its staff and all the readers. In my time in Georgia, I have found it a very valuable source of infor-mation. Best wishes for the next 17 years!”

AMBASSADOR EXTRAORDINARY AND PLENIPOTENTIARY OF JAPAN TO GEORGIA MR. TOSHIO KAITANI

On behalf of the Embassy of Japan in Tbilisi I would like to offer my sincere congratulations on the occasion on your 17th anniversary. Georgia Today plays a very signifi cant role for the international community in Georgia as well as for the Georgian people. I would like to wish your whole team further success in the future, continuing your signifi cantly important work, with ongoing good health and happiness.

SOCIETY

The Readers Speak:Georgia Today’s 17thBirthday

GEORGIA TODAY

1 Melikishvili Str., Tbilisi, 0179 Georgia

t: +995 32 229 5919 e: info@georgiatoday.ge w: www.georgiatoday.ge

f: GeorgiaToday

Georgia’s leading English language newspaper

Since 2000

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GEORGIA TODAYGEORGIA TODAY

GEORGIA TODAY MARCH 24 - 27, 2017 9SOCIETY

Looking Back on 17 Successful Years of Georgia Today

BY TAMZIN WHITEWOOD

As a 25 year old, British born, bred and raised Londoner, I couldn't really envisage my life outside of London's magnetic pull. Not to say I

didn't enjoy travelling, for I absolutely did with somewhat of a wild passion; but I suppose I had everything I felt I needed, all within a 5 mile radius. A well paid job, my friends and family, and as much Chinese take-out as one could possibly wish for delivered straight to your door at 2am. No, I had no need to venture out beyond the city limits, unless it was to lay on an exotic beach or soak up a bit of culture on a city break that required minimal travel and alcohol on tap. My reasons for visiting Georgia ini-tially were a matter that I will not bore you with, but suffi ce to say the impres-sion the country had on me was one I will never forget and as I'm sure that you, perhaps a foreigner yourself reliv-ing the same moment, will never forget. Sting's 'An English Man in New York' springs to mind, yet a type of New York where the streets resemble something you've only ever heard about and the alphabet mocks you as you see the lan-guage written everywhere you go. Yet I was captivated. I would not be so foolish as to categorize a 'Georgian mentality' (see any blog on Georgia or foreigners living there and you'd know that was a huge mistake) - But what I can say with certainty is that once you enter the heart(s) of a Georgian person, they will keep you there forever and go out of their way to do anything they can, with little to no means, to help you. There's something truly enchanting about the place, whether you're a 'Tbiliseli'; rock-ing around the capital like a wannabe native, or experiencing a Supra in Same-grelo, where you truly feel as if you're having an other-worldly experience. It'll catch ya, hold ya, and in my case, always draw you back.

My initial love affair with Georgia, a country of which I'm proud to say I am now a citizen of, continued over the months and years. I couldn't bare to be away from

Why I started writing for Georgia Today...

BY NINO GUGUNISHVILI

The presentation of the Geor-gian version of The Econo-mist’s annual publication, The World In 2017, was combined with a business

conference “Georgia and the World” organized on March 21 in Tbilisi.

At the business lunch-conference held in Tabla restaurant, Aleksandre Jejelava, Vice Prime Minister of Georgia and Minister of Education and Science, intro-duced the planned education reforms to business and media representatives. Additionally, Gigla Agulashvili, Minister of Environment Protection and Natural Resources of Georgia, spoke about the importance of educating children on environmental issues introducing the steps already taken, as well as future initiatives. He then answered a number of questions related to current environ-mental issues.

Business representatives attending the event were able to ask the ministers questions about such topics as public-private sector future cooperation pos-sibilities.

“Thanks to GEORGIA TODAY, I had the chance to meet with business rep-

Business & Government Representatives Discuss Education, Environment Reforms

In addition to original English language content provided by The Economist’s editorial team, the 2017 issue of The World In, a magazine for those who want to be on top of world trends in international politics and business, also includes a Georgian section with arti-cles written by Georgia’s President; Prime Minister; Ministers of Finance, Economy, Education, and Environment; and Georgian business leaders. The World In 2017 also features op-eds by the US, UK, EU and UN ambassadors to Georgia.

“We decided to organize a conference centered on the education reforms within the presentation of The Econo-mist's Georgian version of The World In 2017," said George Sharashidze, pub-lisher. "We think that the format we chose - important reforms discussed in an informal atmosphere - was effective for the involved government and private sphere representatives. It is important to critically analyze the challenges Georgia faces in the global context of the country’s future development. It’s crucial to generate new ideas, and this conference will have important input in that”.

Georgia Today Group is an exclusive licensee of The Economist's The World In 2017 in Georgia. It's on sale now!

resentatives in a trendy environment and present them the educational reforms the Georgian government will imple-

ment in the near future," said Minister Jejelava. "As a result of this meeting and the following interesting discussion, I

would expect to see a more proactive business sector, eager to participate in the process of reforms."

Gigla Agulashvili, Minister of Environment Protection and Natural Resources of Georgia, Aleksandre Jejelava, Vice Prime Minister of Georgia and Minister of Education and Science and George Sharashidze, publisher at Georgia Today Group

the country for very long. At that stage, I was a Senior Manager of a medical clinic in London. My working month consisted of cramming my full time hours into 24 days, then I would fl y to Tbilisi for the last week of every month and work 'remotely' via my laptop (yeah, right). I started to research the medical sector in Tbilisi and found it to be a thriving area, with much cheaper prices for fairly high quality med-ical care (I refer here to private medical centres) and subsequently was offered a position at a prestigious clinic chain as the Head of National Operations. So that was it, hook line and sinker. My life as I knew it had changed and I knew there was no going back. An old friend of mine, going by the name of Saakashvili (maybe you've heard of him?) was kind enough to offer me Georgian nationality and I couldn't have been prouder. I mastered the language (ah yes, it does sound like I'm blowing my own trumpet doesn't it? Perhaps I am. Catch my next article all about 'Qartuli' and the learning of.), lived and worked like a true Tbiliseli and didn't really look back.

Fast forward a couple of years and my personal circumstances changed and I had to relocate back to London, although it's fair to say I still spend a large amount of the year in Tbilisi. As proud as I am to be British (it is my home, I'll never forget where I came from), I'm equally as proud to be a Georgian and I am pas-sionate about helping, in any small fee-ble way possible, the country realize it's true potential. I think my loved ones are probably sick of hearing about the place, with a simple smile and nod being the average response to my mutterings about Georgia. Yet, this is the country that made me. I will confess that I thought I was a worldly woman until I came here. It taught me who I am, what friendship truly means, was where I discovered true heartbreak and, paradoxically, true joy, and is the place I leave my heart each and every time i leave.

Why do I write for Georgia Today? Because I am a product of Georgia, today. Love conquers hate, and for every polit-ical issue, internal confl ict, street fi ght, there is twice as much love, respect and a mutual admiration for the country we call SAQARTVELO.

BY KATIE RUTH DAVIES

Georgia Today this week turns 17. On March 24, 2000, George Sharashidze and his partners decided to fi ll a gap in the Georgian media

market by offering a bright, fresh and modern newspaper covering local and regional news in English. The mission statement was as follows:

“GEORGIA TODAY aims to offer the most comprehensive, objective, and unbiased information about contempo-rary Georgia and spread it throughout the world. With the largest distribution area and the highest quality printing and layout, we pride ourselves on GEORGIA TODAY’s reliability, professionalism and constant striving for improvement”.

GEORGIA TODAY is Georgia’s lead-ing independent English-language news-paper, published weekly since 2000 and from November 2015 rebranded and divided into two weekly editions: what you are reading now- a Friday Georgia Today (GT) newspaper covering Politics, Society and Culture- and a Tuesday GT Business edition focused on Business, Economics and Law.

Distributed throughout the Republic of Georgia, it boasts international reach through its website (www.georgiatoday.ge) and social media pages (www.fb.com/georgiatoday).

The GEORGIA TODAY team recog-nizes that foreign workers, as well as visitors to Georgia, rely almost solely on the English-language press for informa-tion on news and current events. Our local and international editorial staff ensure that GEORGIA TODAY provides a sensible balance for its diverse reader-ship, completely free from any kind of

infl uence, be it political, business or organizational. The information offered in the newspaper also attempts to give a voice to the voiceless. The fair, accu-rate and balanced coverage of events is our main value.

“The most important thing for me, as a founder, is that throughout its 17 years, GEORGIA TODAY has strongly followed the strategy articulated 17 years ago on March 24, 2000, during the launch party of the fi rst newspaper at the Sheraton Metechi Palace Hotel,” says George Shar-ashidze, Founder and General Manager. “We have made it through diffi cult times and still face diffi culties as a result of economic factors. However, Georgia Today’s team, both editorial and market-ing, is much more professional now than it was. The experience we have gained through 17 years of ups and downs has turned into a competitive competence in modern standard media management. Our aim is to become a profi table pub-lishing company providing diversifi ed quality media content in the English

language through printed and online products, achieving the largest circula-tion and visitor rate. We will focus on the professionalism of our employees and strive for improvement, providing even greater value for our readers and advertisers.”

I, as Editor-in-Chief of the GEORGIA TODAY newspapers since November 2014, have seen them transform in both look and quality. When I fi rst came to Georgia ten years ago, I was interviewed by a GT journalist curious as to why another foreigner had come to Georgia. I told her I came for love- not only for my husband, but because I’d also fallen in love with the country and its people. Over time I was again and again asked to join the GT team, yet was always unable due to other commitments. Now I’m glad I fi nally did. There’s nothing better than being a part of a project and seeing it bloom; and hearing people say “Good job, well done!” All thanks to the brilliant team that provides the stories, attends the events and arranges those exclusive interviews. It’s not easy being a journalist in Georgia. The training is limited and a journalist often has to learn on the job using their wits, fearlessness and nose for a story. We at GT like to give new and young journalists the chance to learn, even as our “old staffers” con-tinue to develop and thrive.

This is not the end of the GT journey, as we expand our reach into the digital and the educational. It is with pride that I congratulate all those who work and have worked for GEORGIA TODAY on this 17th anniversary. We promise never to stop seeking to improve, never to stop listening to our readers, and to keep our strength as the leading English language newspaper found on the desks of those who can make the world a bet-ter place.

George Sharashidze, publisher of Georgia Today

GEORGIA TODAY MARCH 24 - 27, 201710 SOCIETY

The biggest jazz festival on the Black Sea bay will be held form the 27th till the 30th of July. The 11th Black Sea Jazz Festival will traditionally host worldwide musicians at the Batumi Tennis Club.The Festival Program:• 27.07 Club Take 5 – Cory Henry and The Funk Apostles;• 28.07 Batumi Tennis Club – Jamiroquai; Club Take 5 – Matthew Hartnett & The Gumbo All Stars• 29.07 Batumi Tennis Club – De La Soul;Club Take 5 – Lou Berry• 30.07 Batumi Tennis Club – Joss Stone:Club Take 5 – MF RobotsFor more information visit the link http://tbilisijazz.com/black-sea-jazz-festival-calendar/

Black Sea Jazz Festival

Tickets will be sold from the 27th of March 09:00

GEORGIA TODAY MARCH 24 - 27, 201712

Maltakva, Poti to Have a New Beach

10 Galaktion StreetTel: (995 32) 2 45 08 08

E-mail: info@peoplescafe.ge

SOCIETY

ROUTING FLIGHT NUMBER WEEK DAYS DEPARTURE ARRIVAL

TBILISI -ISTANBUL ATATURK AIRPORT

TK 387

EVERYDAY

05.50 07.25TK 385 11.45 13.25TK 383 18.10 20.00

ISTANBUL ATATURK AIRPORT - TBILISI

TK 386 01.40 04.55TK 384 07.30 10.50TK 382 13.55 17.15

TBILISI -ISTANBUL SABIHA GOKCEN AIRPORT

TK 381EVERYDAY

07.40 09.00

ISTANBUL SABIHA GOKCEN AIRPORT -TBILISI

TK 380 20.45 00.10+1

BATUMI - ISTANBUL TK 393EVERYDAY

17.50 19.10ISTANBUL - BATUMI TK 392 13.55 16.55

TIFLIS KIS TARIFESI 7.5x6cm ING.indd 1 02/11/16 15:23

BY MAKA LOMADZE

On 17 March at the Radisson BLU Tbilisi Hotel, Minis-ter of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Hungary, Peter Szijjarto, on behalf of the

Government of Hungary, signed an Agreement on Humanitarian Aid for the victims of the Tbilisi fl ood of June, 2015. Natia Loladze, President of the Georgian Red Cross, signed for the Georgian side.

The Hungarian government has offered EUR 32,000 to support the families which fell victim to a fl ood which tore through houses, a dog shelter and the city zoo. It is a long term project, providing sup-port to children through the Children's Resilience Program (CRP), developed by the IFRC Reference Center for Psycho-Social Support of Children.

“Since the very fi rst hours of emer-gency following the fl ood on June 13, 2015, the Georgian Red Cross has been giving responsive help, including human-itarian and fi rst aid to the victims,” Loladze told GEORGIA TODAY. “One of the main components is psycho-social support. From the very start, we ren-dered psycho-social aid to children, opening a center where everyone was welcome, as well as a hotline. Our ded-icated staff have been working with volunteers throughout. Several donors expressed their wish to see this project continue, including the Danish Red Cross. Later, the Hungarian Embassy also expressed readiness to help. We offered them the chance to participate via the psycho-social center. We are

Hungary Gives Psycho-Social Aid to Tbilisi Flood Victims through Georgian Red Cross

extremely grateful for the support.”Minister Szijjarto took a moment to

remember his fi rst visit to Tbilisi almost a year ago, when they allocated the money to help The School of Tomorrow, totally destroyed by the fl ood. “Hungary knows very well what it is like to fi ght against natural catastrophes and what it takes to deal with the consequences. Hungary is rich in water, like Georgia, which is an advantage on the one hand, but also challenging. Our country was fl ooded in 2013 by a section of the Danube, which, while a major European river and very beautiful and signifi cant, can cause very serious diffi culties. That’s why we usu-ally aim to help those countries suffering similar challenges. We’ve done the same in Serbia, Bosnia, Croatia and Albania and, most recently, Georgia. Last time, we helped The School of Tomorrow to buy equipment to replace that lost in the fl ood. This time, we are signing an agree-ment to be able to operate the psycho-social center. Physical consequences can be handled within the construction works of a couple of months, but tackling the psychological consequences of a disas-ter takes a lot of time. We wish success to the volunteers of the Georgian Red Cross.”

The Minister once again confi rmed that Georgia is a very strong partner for Hungary, having worked a lot on the path of the European and Euro-Atlantic inte-gration. He ended his speech by confi rm-ing that Georgia can always count on Hungarians not only on the political but also on the social level. “Our National Red Cross associations should enhance cooperation in future,” Szijjarto con-cluded.

BY NINO GUGUNISHVILI

The fi rst stage of coastal line con-struction work is completed in the Maltakva neighborhood of Poti, a city Western Georgia. With 3 kilometers of beach ready,

Maltakva will have a 7 kilometers beach when the project is fi nished.

Giorgi Kvirikashvili, Prime Minister of Georgia, who visited the area on Monday, said that the renovation of the Maltakva rec-reational zone will not only improve eco-logical conditions, but also develop the tour-ism opportunities of the place as well.

Prime Minister of Georgia noted that the government has serious plans regarding Poti, a historic city, the potential of which has yet to be used.

The cost for the Maltakva coastal line con-struction is 18 500 000 GEL, the project will be fi nished in 2018.

BY THEA MORRISON

A new Hepatitis C Center opened in Zugdidi a city in the western Samegrelo region of Georgia.

The new center is equipped with modern technologies, and it can serve locals as well as the population from Georgia’s breakaway Abkhazia, which is not far from Zugdidi.

Patients will be able to receive all ser-vices relating to Hepatitis C including screening, diagnosis, consultation, reg-istration and medical treatment at the new center.

The Center was opened by Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili, Health Minister David Sergeenko, and United States (US) Ambassador Ian Kelly.

This is the second Hepatitis C man-agement center in Georgia. The fi rst such center was opened in Tbilisi around a year ago.

“It is very important that the Hepati-tis C Center will start functioning in Zugdidi. I would like to wish the locals health,” the PM said.

Kvirikashvili considers the Hepatitis

New Hepatitis C Center Opens in West Georgia

C Elimination Program a success. According to him, around 35,000 people have undergone treatment within the Hepatitis C program. 25,000 patients have already completed treatment as part of the program and 98 percent of such people have been cured of the disease.

The health initiative--Georgia without Hepatitis C--was launched in Georgia in April of 2015, when the government of Georgia and an American biotech-

nology company, Gilead, signed a mem-orandum of understanding.

The project helps to reduce and pre-vent cases of Hepatitis C in Georgia. The main goal of the project is to stop the disease from being highly conta-gious. The treatment is free of charge for citizens of Georgia.

Georgia is one of the top 5 countries in the world with the highest rate of Hepatitis C. An average of 7.7 people out of every 100 is affl icted with the virus.

GEORGIA TODAY MARCH 24 - 27, 2017 13SOCIETY

BY TONY HANMER

There is a fridge in our home-run shop, which, if my wife opens it while a customer is in, will elicit by aroma the question, “Did some-

thing DIE in here?”But now on to another location for

cheese, the best selection in all of Geor-gia. I fi rst discovered it when Focus Cafe asked Georgia’s then Queen of Cheese to provide her wares for the opening of the cafe’s inaugural art exhibition, fea-turing my photographs connecting Svaneti and food.

That evening was a revelation. I had never, in over twelve years in Georgia, known that so many different cheeses existed in this little country. But, like the enormously varied set of landscapes, practically every village here has its own version of the product. Some are made of cows’ milk, others from that of sheep or goats. They may be smoked, brined, infused with herbs, wrapped in certain leaves or in wax, or kept in wine. No, this isn’t France, it’s Georgia! But few of these cheeses appear in any bazaar; the shop which our heroine started, Cheese Corner, and now a second, are perhaps their only point of sale. The lady has left her shops to others, and they continue to fl ourish.

I recently visited the outlet at 163 Nut-subidze Street. A pair of large cooled glass displays greeted me, fi lled with the magnifi cent wares, making me feel as if I were in any such shop in Europe. One cabinet seemed to be devoted to more common types, the other exclusively to those unknown elsewhere. Different colors, sizes, shapes and, yes, aromas, tantalized me- someone who has loved

Naming the Cheese: Etseri, Svaneti

Cheese Corner: Nutsubudze St. 163 and Berdzenishvili St. 6, Tel. +995 595 953131, info@cheesecorner.ge, www.facebook.com/cheesecorner

Tony Hanmer has lived in Georgia since 1999, in Svaneti since 2007, and been a weekly writer for GT since early 2011. He runs the “Svaneti Renaissance” Facebook group, now with over 1350 members, at www.facebook.com/groups/SvanetiRenais-sance/He and his wife also run their own guest house in Etseri:www.facebook.com/hanmer.house.svaneti

good aged cheese from early childhood and missed those types of decades ago in Georgia. Until now. From softest to hardest, weeks young to years old, gen-tle to pungent: they beckoned me.

Around were also offered things to accompany your choice, all local, too: wines, fruit, nuts, honey and more. This was clearly an experience for all the senses, one suggesting a complex mix of fl avors and textures supporting and strengthening one another in a gourmet’s delight. The prices, too, are somewhat beyond the normal ones you’d fi nd in your corner shop or any of the country’s

main markets. But then, these items sim-ply cannot be found for sale elsewhere.

As for me, I was here on a mission, to fulfi l a dream I’ve had for some years now.

I met the proprietor and we talked awhile about some of his products. One is made by people from Switzerland who are in Georgia for several months of the year, in other mountains than mine; most of the rest are traditional village cheeses from all over the country, as a map illus-trates. There’s even a special matsoni, Georgian yogurt, made from the milk of water buffaloes. The shop has been open for about seven years.

He apologized for the relatively poor selection at the moment, although it was still a cornucopia to my unpracticed eyes. More types would soon be fi nding their way back in to make up for the lack, he assured me. And he let me sample a few, which really impressed me. Each has its own name.

I walked out of there with an extra bounce in my step, mission accomplished. Because, unaccustomed Svans’ olfactory reaction notwithstanding, the very latest cheeses to join their fellows in this shop, by the wish of its owner, from this sum-mer onwards, will be MINE.

GEORGIA TODAY MARCH 24 - 27, 201714 CULTURE

WHAT’S ON IN TBILISIGEORGIAN MONUMENTAL PAINTING

March 6 – April 6THE EXHIBITION MASTERPIECES FROM MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS COLLECTION

IOSEB GRISHASHVILI TBILISI HISTORY MUSEUM

- KARVASLAAddress: 8 Sioni St.Telephone: 2 98 22 81

March 15 – April 15THE EXHIBITION "DIFFERENTLY THAN USUALMODERN DESIGN AND THE POWER OF CUSTOMS /ANDERS ALS IMMER. ZEITGENÖSSISCHES DESIGN UND DIE MACHT DES GEWOHNTEN"The exhibition showcases 148 works by designers and groups of designers from 47 European countries. Miscellaneous projects are free from infl uence: their structure, function and meaning is perfectly comprehensible.

MUSEUM OF SOVIET OCCUPATION

Address: 3 Sh. Rustaveli Ave.

PERMANENT EXHIBITIONVisitors can discover the State's personal fi les of "subversive" Georgian public fi gures, orders to shoot or exile, and other artifacts representing Soviet-era cultural and political repression in Georgia.

GALLERY

THE NATIONAL GALLERYAddress: 11 Rustaveli Ave.www.museum.ge

March 10 - 28RETROSPECTIVE EXHIBITION OF AMIR KAKABADZEDedicated to the 75-year anniversary of the artist.The exhibition showcases artworks created in different media: painting, graphic, sculpture, pop art, fi lm and theater painting.

SFUMATO GALLERYAddress: 19 Ingorokva Str.Telephone: 599 54 87 37

March 26 - April 1RITA KHACHATURIANI’S SOLO EXHIBITION

THEATER

TBILISI ZAKARIAPALIASHVILI OPERA AND

BALLET THEATERAddress: 25 Rustaveli Ave.Telephone: 2 99 04 56

March 25, 26, 28, 29TSUNA AND TSRUTSUNABallet for kidsStaged on Meri Davitashvili’s musical worksStart time: March 26 - 14:00,March 25, 28, 29 - 19:00Ticket: 20-50 GEL

March 27CONCERT DEDICATED TO THE 80TH ANNIVERSARY OF SHALVA MOSIDZEParticipants: Georgian Philharmonic Orchestra,Nino Sulguladze, mezzo-soprano,Gori Women's Chamber Choir,Trinity Cathedral Choir, Gori Sulkhan Tsintsadze College Children's Choir, Ana-Bana Studio ChoirConductor: Svimon JangulashviliStart time: 20:00Ticket: 15-45 GEL

TBILISI NODAR DUMBADZE STATE CENTRAL

CHILDREN'S THEATERAddress: 99/1 Agmashenebeli Ave. Telephone: 2 95 39 27

March 24, 28THE EMERALD CITY OF OZL. Frank BaumDirected by Den KhlibovLanguage: RussianEnglish SubtitlesStart time: 12:00Ticket: 6 GEL

GRIBOEDOVI THEATERAddress: 2 Rustaveli Ave.Telephone: 2 93 43 36

March 26I AM NIKOLAJ GUMILOVDirected by Levon Uzunian Language: RussianStart time: 18:00Ticket: 10 GEL

MOVEMENT THEATERAddress: 182, Aghmashenebeli Ave., Mushthaid parkTelephone: 599 555 260

March 24

PERFORMANCE LABYRINTHDirected by Kakha BakuradzeStart time: 20:00Ticket: 15 GEL

March 24RECITATIVE IN THE CITY Start time: 21:00Free Admission

March 25, 26PERFORMANCE CONCRETE ZONEDirected by Ioseb BakuradzeStart time: 20:00Ticket: 15 GEL

CINEMA

AMIRANI CINEMAAddress: 36 Kostava St.Telephone: 2 99 99 55www.kinoafi sha.ge

Every Wednesday ticket price: 5 LariMarch 24-30

KONG: SKULL ISLANDDirected by Jordan Vogt-RobertsCast: Brie Larson, Tom Hiddleston, Samuel L. JacksonGenre: Action, Adventure, FantasyLanguage: Russian Start time: 19:30Ticket: 13-14 GEL

BEAUTY AND THE BEASTDirected by Bill CondonCast: Dan Stevens, Luke Evans, Ewan McGregorGenre: Family, Fantasy, MusicalLanguage: Russian Start time: 16:25, 16:30, 19:15, 22:00Ticket: 10-14 GEL

SPLITDirected by M. Night ShyamalanCast: James McAvoy, Anya Taylor-Joy, Haley Lu RichardsonGenre: Horror, ThrillerLanguage: Russian Start time: 22:15Ticket: 13-14 GEL

LIFEDirected by Daniel EspinosaCast: Rebecca Ferguson, Ryan Reynolds, Jake GyllenhaalGenre: Horror, Sci-Fi, ThrillerLanguage: Russian Start time: 22:15Ticket: 13-14 GEL

SMURFSDirected by Kelly Asbury

Cast: Ariel Winter, Julia Roberts, Ellie KemperGenre: Animation, Adventure, ComedyLanguage: Russian Start time: 22:15Ticket: 13-14 GEL

RUSTAVELI CINEMAAddress: 5 Rustaveli Ave.Telephone: 2 55 50 00www.kinoafi sha.ge

Every Wednesday ticket: 5 GELMarch 24-30

LIFE(Info Above)Start time: 16:45, 19:40, 22:00Ticket: 13-14 GEL

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST(Info Above)Start time: 22:30Ticket: 13 -14 GEL

SPLIT(Info Above)Start time: 19:20Ticket: 13-14 GEL

MUSEUM

GEORGIAN NATIONAL MUSEUM SIMON

JANASHIA MUSEUMAddress: 4 Rustaveli Ave.Telephone: 2 99 80 22, 2 93 48 21www.museum.ge

PERMANENT EXHIBITION: GEORGIAN ARCHAEOLOGY FROM 8TH MILLENNIUM B.C. TO 4TH CENTURY A.D

EXHIBITION OF GEORGIAN WEAPONRY

NUMISMATIC TREASURY

THE TESTAMENT OF DAVID THE BUILDER AND THE NEW EXHIBITS OF MEDIEVAL TREASURY

September 27 (2016) – September 22 (2017)EXHIBITION STONE AGE GEORGIA

MUSEUM OF FINE ARTSAddress: 1 Gudiashvili Str.

EXHIBITION LADO GUDIASHVILI AND

MUSIC

SPACEHALLAddress: 2 A. Tsereteli Ave.

March 26AlterVision presents: SÓLEYAn Icelandic multi-instrumentalist and singerStart time: 21:00Ticket: 45-55 GEL

DJANSUG KAKHIDZE TBILISI CENTER FOR MUSIC

& CULTURE

March 25CONCERT OF SYMPHONIC MUSICSoloist: Anna Mamisashvili Beethoven’s concerto for violin and symphony orchestraConductor: David MukeriaStart time: 19:30Ticket: 5 GEL

TBILISI SPORTS PALACEAddress: 1 26 May Sq.Telephone: 233 33 11

March 26ARASH AND SUPER-STAR SASYStart time: 19:00Ticket: 50 GEL

TBILISI CONCERT HALLAddress: 1 Melikishvili St.Telephone: 2 99 00 99

March 28LEILA FOROUHAR Start time: 20:00Ticket: 75-175 GEL

March 30MAMUKA CHARKVIANI’S MUSIC EVENINGStart time: 20:00Ticket: 15-40 GEL

MOVEMENT THEATERAddress: 182, Aghmashenebeli Ave., Mushthaid parkTelephone: 599 07 50 61

March 28, 30JAZZ AT MT RESO KIKNADZE QUINTET Free AdmissionStart time: 21:00

March 29MILONGA, LA CUMPARSITAARGENTINE TANGO DANCE NIGHTStart time: 20:00Ticket: 5 GEL

TBILISI STATE CONSERVATOIRE

Address: 8 Griboedov St.Telephone: 2 93 46 24

March 24LE NOZZE DI FIGAROLibretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte Cast: G. Tsamalashvili, M. Shakhdinarova, I. Mujiri, S. Padiauri, B. Saganelidze, N. Kavtaradze, N. Natroshvili, A. Dekanoidze, I. Abashidze Chorus & Orchestra of the Opera StudioStage Conductor: Gogi Chichinadze Conductor: Vakhtang Gabidzashvili Stage Director: Maia Gachechiladze Start time: 19:00Ticket: 3, 5 GEL

30 March LIBRETTO BY FELICE ROMANI Opera in Two ActsCast: M. Murjikneli, G. Davitadze, G. Mchedlishvili, G. Gigineishvili, A. Khomich, K. Papinashvili, M. Vasadze Chorus & Orchestra of the Opera StudioStage Conductor: Tamaz DjaparidzeConductor: Gogi ChichinadzeDirector: Lela GvarishviliManager of the Opera Studio: Irina RamishviliStart time: 19:00Ticket: 3, 5 GEL

GEORGIA TODAY MARCH 24 - 27, 2017 15CULTURE

GEORGIA TODAY

PUBLISHER & GM George Sharashidze

COMMERCIAL DEPARTMENT Commercial Director: Iva MerabishviliMarketing Manager: Mariam Giorgadze

EDITORIAL DEPARTMENT: Editor-In-Chief: Katie Ruth Davies

Journalists: Tony Hanmer, Zaza Jgarkava, Maka Bibilashvili, Dimitri Dolaberidze, Maka Lomadze, Tim Ogden, Joseph Larsen, Vazha Tavberidze, Nugzar B. Ruhadze,Nino Gugunishvili,Thea Morrison

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Reproducing material, photos and advertisements without prior editorial permission is strictly forbidden. The author is responsible for all material. Rights of authors are preserved. The newspaper is registered in Mtatsminda district court.

Reg. # 06/4-309

BY MAKA LOMADZE

Shortly after the unforgettably sparkling Aida performance, staged by the indel-ible Zeffi relli under the guidance of Stefano Trespidi on the Tbilisi Opera and Ballet Theater stage, GEORGIA

TODAY spoke to the renowned baritone George Gagnidze, who sang the part of Amonasro, King of Ethiopia, Aida’s father, and who was once acknowledged as the best interpreter of Verdi.

He is regularly invited by the most prestigious international opera companies, and performances of the 2017/18 season include Tonio in Pagliacci and Scarpia in a new production of Tosca at the Metropolitan Opera, Alfi o in Cavalleria Rusticana and Tonio in Pagliacci at the Hamburg State Opera.

In the 2015/16 season, Gagnidze appeared as Rigoletto and in Pagliacci at the Metropolitan Opera, as Rigoletto at Deutsche Oper Berlin, in Aida at the Opéra National of Paris, Falstaff (title role) at the New National Theater, Tokyo, and as Pagliacci at the Los Angeles Opera.

Other past highlights include the title roles in Rigoletto and Macbeth; Cavalleria Rusticana (Alfi o)

Bel canto Best Interpreter of Verdi – alleged Rigoletto Himself- on the Spotlight

and Hovanšcina at the Metropolitan Opera, Nabucco (title role) and Tosca at the Vienna State Opera, Rigoletto, La traviata (Germont) and Aida at the Teatro alla Scala in Milan, Tosca at Opéra National of Paris, Simon Boccanegra (title role) at the Tea-tro Real Madrid, Rigoletto at the Festival of Aix-en-Provence, Cavalleria Rusticana and Pagliacci at Gran Teatro del Liceu of Barcelona, La Traviata at the Arena di Verona, and Otello (Iago) at The Greek National Opera of Athens.

Born in Tbilisi and trained at the State Con-servatory of his home town, Gagnidze debuted as Renato in Un ballo in Maschera in 1996 at the Z.Paliashvili Tbilisi State Opera. He entered the “Concorso Voci Verdiane” in 2005 as an award-winner of the “Leyla Gencer Voice Competition” and the “Elena Obraztsova Competition”. The jury, chaired by José Carreras and Katia Ricciar-elli, awarded him fi rst prize for his outstanding vocal interpretation. After launching his interna-tional career from Germany, he was soon engaged by many of the world's important opera houses.

In the course of his career, George Gagnidze, who now masters the genre of dramatic heroic baritone, has worked with many renowned con-ductors and directors, including James Levine, Lorin Maazel, Zubin Mehta, Fabio Luisi, James

Conlon, Plácido Domingo, Mikko Franck, Jesús López-Cobos, Nicola Luisotti, Daniel Oren, Gianan-drea Noseda, Kirill Petrenko, Yuri Temirkanov; Luc Bondy, Liliana Cavani, Robert Carsen, Peter Stein, Giancarlo Del Monaco, Henning Brockhaus, and Robert Sturua.

His DVD/Blu-Ray recordings include Tosca from the Metropolitan Opera and Aida from La Scala.

“Franco Zeffi relli is famous for his beauty. That is why the shows were so successful in Tbilisi,” Gagnidze tells GEORGIA TODAY. “We were dressed in accordance with the old Egyptian and Ethiopian traditions and took spectators out of reality, as is the function of art, and together with them travelled through the old epoch, making them part of the story.”

The talented baritone also mentioned that his favorite part is Rigoletto. To our pride, great Jose Carreras assessed his role in following words: “He is not just born for Rigoletto, he is Rigoletto”.

Gagnidze shares the opinion that high art is rarely cared for. “Once, Placido Domingo said that we, singers, should get together and save our cul-ture, which is often underappreciated,” he notes, though he is still optimistic. “I believe that this is a temporary process related to the modern high tempo. In many theaters, singers dress like ordi-

nary citizens. I detest it. Opera is the genre of art that requires pomposity and richness. We should take care of it just like the exhibits of a museum. Could you imagine someone being allowed to paint something on a priceless canvas of Van Gogh? This is the same. We should not cross the lines. Such attitude has nothing to do with free-dom. Opera is untouchable.”

It is diffi cult to grasp how this portly man man-ages to be so convincing in all aspects that an artist should and at the same time so lyrical cre-ating a colorful palette of musical notes and heroes.

Among George’s engagements of the 2016/17 season are his role debut as Carlo Gérard in Andrea Chénier and Amonasro in Aida at the San Fran-cisco Opera, Aida at the Metropolitan Opera, Andrea Chénier and Tosca at the Deutsche Opera Berlin as well as Šakovlity in Hovanšcina at the BBC Proms. He will also perform at Aida at Met-ropolitan, Tosca at Deutsche Oper Berlin, Aida Frankfurt, Pagliacci and Tosca at Metropolitan Opera and Gioconda at Deutsche Oper Berlin.

You can listen to George Gagnidze at Gagnidze.com

https://georgegagnidze.com/en/page/Video.html

BY MAKA LOMADZE

The Georgian fi lm ‘My Happy Family’, directed by Nana Ekvtimishvili and Simon Gross, has already acquired world acclaim, and on March 18 was awarded Best Director at the Sofi a

International Film Festival, where it was nominated among 13 contenders from different countries.

My Happy Family fi rst premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in the World Cinema Drama Compe-tition. Later, it was screened at the Berlin 67th International Film Festival where it fell in the spot-light of international media, with some even pre-dicting candidacy for the Oscars 2018.

My Happy Family is the fi rst ever Georgian pro-

First Georgian Film Bought by Netfl ix Receives another Prize at Sofi a Int’l Film Fest

duction to which Netfl ix purchased the rights to global distribution, meaning that in future, the movie will be shown in 130 countries around the world. Until that time, viewers from France, Ger-many and Georgia will be lucky enough to watch it on the big screen.

Following its victory in the Bulgarian capital of Sofi a, the fi lm has been sent to New York, where it will be screened at the Museum of Modern Art within the framework of MOMA Film Week. The New York Times covered this cultural occasion, naming Nana Ekvtimishvili and Simon Gross among nine directors whose movies are a must-see. The German edition Der Freitag assessed the fi lm with the following words: “My Happy Family shows an interesting portrait of a woman, while depicting an imposing picture of society. The fi lm could have enriched the main con-test program [of Berlinale] as well.”

My Happy Family was released on January 22. It runs for 120 minutes and stars Ia Shughliashvili and Merab Ninidze. For Shughliashvili, this was the fi rst leading role, which, to her private and our common pride and happiness, has proved to be triumphant. “I believe that this is the start of a new and grandiose stage in my life,” she noted follow-ing the Sundance Premiere. “The public reacted quite strongly. The fi lm is saturated with humor, which was met with surprisingly corresponding welcome, and the end got a tanding ovation and left the audience looking very satisfi ed. I can say that the story of this one Georgian family really touched the hearts of Americans. I’m quite sur-prised by this. The story highlight national Geor-gian problems, but reached an American audience equally as well.”

Shughliashvili says her heroine is a very tradi-tional Georgian woman, always making conces-sions, until suddenly she decides to look to her own well-being. “I hope Georgian women can fi nd

their own way to live doing what they love,” the actress says.

Manana Mkheidze, Ia’s characters, tears open the windows of her new fl at and never closes them again. Distant street noises, cheerful birdsong and the gentle sound of the wind form the soundtrack to her new life. The 52-year-old has left her family, without justifying her actions, without any argu-ments. There doesn’t seem to be any fi xed reason for her having moved out. When she’s asked why, she doesn’t say anything and thus turns the ques-tion around. It’s more family structures themselves from which Manana wishes to extricate herself. The roles you have to play, the functions you have to take on so that things keep running smoothly, but which also lead to your going under or becom-ing invisible. Now Manana sits at the open window, playing the guitar and singing Georgian songs the melancholy rhythm of which infuses the fi lm. Whenever she happens to return to the family home, everything seems just as she left it: the grandmother is roasting a chicken, the grandfather is contemplating death, the adult children are wait-ing for their lives to fi nally begin, her husband Soso is chain-smoking and the wardrobe continues to squeak. This resembles the escape from the eve-ryday routine, from the tiring obligations and duties… And then, back to life…

Nana Ekvtimishvili is a successful female Geor-gian director, one of those who stands in the van-guard of the Georgian fi lm renaissance. Without any exaggeration, the phenomenon of Georgian fi lm has always been strong. It managed to be maximally independence even during the strict Soviet censorship. Another directing duo of hers with Simon Gross, in the movie In Bloom, was also very successful internationally. The fi lm premiered at the 63rd Berlinale, winning the C.I.C.A.E. Prize, and was selected as the Georgian entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 86th Academy Awards.

Pheasant’s Tears takes over Poliphonia for one night, March 31stOne of a cycle of events celebrating 10 years of Pheasant’s Tears!

Dishes carefully prepared by Gia Rokashvili (Pheasant’s Tears Restaurant) and the Poliphonia chefs will be paired with back vintages and obscure Pheasant’s Tears wines by John

Wurdeman. Menu will be an extensive gastronomical journey, a multi course creative tasting menu loaded with surprises. Vegetarian and Vegan (fasting options) with advanced notice.

Date: March 31st, 2017Location: Poliphonia 23 Amaghleba St

Time: 7 pmCost per person: 85 GEL