Issue no: 1115 PRICE: GEL 2.50

NEWS PAGE 2

• JANUARY 11 - 14, 2019 • PUBLISHED TWICE WEEKLY

POLITICS PAGE 4

POLITICS PAGE 6

In this week’s issue...

BUSINESS PAGE 9

TBC Denies Slander

Sales of HUAWEI Smartphones Exceed 200 mln Units in 2018

City Full of Love, or...

Georgia’s Khachapuri Listed among Top 100 Dishes

Future of Russia’s “Breakaway Empire”

CULTURE PAGE 11Continued on page 2

FOCUS ON H1N1A look at the toll so far and preventative measures you can take PAGE 2

BY THEA MORRISON

The Economist Intelligence Unit (the EIU), which is the research and analysis division of The Economist Group, the sister company to The Economist newspaper, released its

2018 Democratic Index Report, where Georgia’s position has dropped by 5.50 points compared to 2017.

The Economist Intelligence Unit’s Democracy Index provides a snapshot of the state of democ-racy worldwide for 165 independent states and two territories. This covers almost the entire population of the world and the vast majority of the world’s states.

The Democracy Index is based on fi ve catego-ries: electoral process and pluralism; civil liber-ties; the functioning of government; political participation and political culture. Based on its scores on a range of indicators within these cat-egories, each country is then itself classifi ed as one of four types of regime: “full democracy”, “flawed democracy”, “hybrid regime” and “authoritarian regime”.

Image source: Economist Intelligence Unit

Georgia's Position Worsens in EIU's Democratic Index Report

GEORGIA TODAY JANUARY 11 - 14, 20192 NEWS

The report reads that Georgia’s fall, 5.50 down from 5.93 in 2017, was the steepest in the entire region. The coun-try is in the category of “hybrid regime.”

The index underlines that Georgia’s billionaire former Prime Minister, Bidzina Ivanishvili, returned to politics in May, resumed leadership of the ruling party, Georgian Dream (GD), and despite not holding an elected offi ce, “redirected government policy. “

“The Prime Minister, Giorgi Kvirikash-vili, resigned in June, citing his disagree-ments with Mr. Ivanishvili, rather than widespread popular discontent with the government, as the key factor in his deci-sion. Under Mr Ivanishvili’s infl uence, the government also intervened in the second-round presidential election, offer-ing a debt write-off to 600,000 citizens two weeks after the election day. This appeared to provide the government with a sizeable campaigning advantage

over the opposition,” the report stressed.The index added that in comparison to

Georgia, Armenia saw the most improve-ment among all “hybrid regime” countries in Eastern Europe in 2018, raising its score to 4.79, from 4.11 in 2017. This led to a jump in its ranking from 111 to 103.

This is the 11th edition of the Democ-racy Index, which began in 2006. It records how global democracy fared in 2018.

The report says that for the fi rst time in three years, the global score for democ-racy remained stable. According to it, a total of 42 countries experienced a decline in their total score compared with 2017; 48 registered an increase in total score. But as a percentage of the world’s popu-lation, fewer people lived in some form of democracy (47.7%, compared with 49.3% in 2017). Very few of these (4.5%) were classifi ed as living in a full democ-racy. Around one-third of the population lived under authoritarian rule, with a large share represented by China.

Continued from page 1

Georgia's Position Worsens in EIU's Democratic Index Report

BY THEA MORRISON

TasteAtlas has i n c l u d e d Georgian tradi-t i o n a l d i s h khachapuri in the

list of top 100 dishes of the world.“This simple cheese bread

known as 'khachapuri' is the most famous dish in Georgia. The pastry is traditionally topped with melted cheese, eggs and butter,” the website says.

The article reads that there are different types of khachapuri, adding the most common addi-tions include traditional Georgian Sulguni or Imeretian cheese.

TasteAtlas says khachapuri is shaped into different forms and, depending on the baking procedure and its form, can be consumed individually or shared.

“Two of the most common varieties include the Imeretian khachapuri, shaped into a circular form, and Adjaran khachapuri, the open-faced version topped with butter and a raw egg on top. Although it is considered a snack,

Georgia’s Khachapuri Listed among Top 100 Dishes

khachapuri can often be consumed as a full meal. It can also be bought at numer-ous kiosks located alongside Georgian

roads, however, it is also served at specialized restaurants, known

as khachapurnayas,” the arti-cle reads.

The website also listed other famous Geor-

gian traditional dishes.

BY AMY JONES

The H1N1 fl u strain, com-monly known as swine fl u, is spreading throughout Georgia. The Minister of Health of Georgia stated

that 640 people are currently being treated with the virus in the country, of which 39 are in intensive care units. 10 people are known to have died from the sickness so far. Although the current numbers are far from epidemic levels, it is important to take precautions to prevent the spread of the disease. Here is everything you need to know about H1N1 fl u.

WHAT IS H1N1 FLU? H1N1 fl u, often known as swine fl u, is a subtype of infl uenza A virus, which is a common cause of infl uenza.

SYMPTOMSThe symptoms are similar to seasonal fl u symptoms. You will typically suffer from a cough, fever, sore throat, runny nose, headache, body aches, chills, and fatigue. As symptoms progress, more serious problems such as pneumonia, a lung infection, or breathing problems can occur.

HOW TO AVOID CATCHING THE FLUVaccination is the best prevention method. Amiran Gamkredlidze, the Head of the National Disease Control Center has stated that there is a ready supply of Tamifl u medication available

H1N1 Flu in Georgia: What You Should Know

free-of-charge for pregnant women, children, socially vulnerable persons, pensioners, and those suffering with certain diseases.

It is also recommended to regularly wash your hands with warm water or an alcohol-based hand sanitizer to prevent the spread of the fl u. Moreover, taking care of your general well-being by exercising, sleeping enough, and eating a balanced can strengthen the body against the fl u.

WHO IS AT RISK? Anyone could become sick with H1N1. However, children, pregnant women, the elderly, and people suffering with certain diseases are most at risk. The government is offering Tamifl u medica-tion to such people.

WHAT IS THE GOVERNMENT DOING?On 9 January, the Ministry of Education announced that children would not return to school or kindergarten until 21 Janu-ary, prolonging their winter holidays by one week in order to slow the spread of swine fl u. Moreover, they are getting ready for next season with plans in place to purchase double the amount of anti-fl u vaccines in autumn 2019, up from 41,000 last year to 80,000 for 2019.

NO NEED TO PANIC Deputy Director of the NCDC Paata Imnadze, stated “there is no threat of an epidemic. Infl uenza morbidity is about 195 cases per 100,000 people, while the epi-demic rate is 400. There are 277 cases per 100,000 people. We are far from the peak for the time being as the epidemic limit for our country is 500 cases per 100,000.”

TRANSLATED BY KETEVAN KVARATSKHELIYA

Ajara was visited by an unprecedented number of travelers in 2018. The total amount of international tourists reached 1,931.179

last year, which exceeds the fi gure of 2017 by 14.7%.

The indicator for the growth in the number of international visitors shows Batumi International Airport as leader, where international travel increased by 23.7% in 2018 year-on-year.

The positive dynamics of international tourist fl ow escalation were maintained from traditional markets as well as from new target countries of the European Union, where the Department of Tour-

Ajara Visited by an Unprecedented Number of Visitors in 2018

ism and Resorts of Ajara has been run-ning advertising campaigns since 2017.

• Estonia +88.2% • Germany +79.2%• Great Britain +33.9%• Lithuania +33.2%• Poland +11.5%“Two million visitors represents an

unprecedented number,” said the Chair-man of the Department of Tourism and Resorts of Ajara, Sulkhan Glonti. “This is the fi rst time we have seen such a fi gure. It comprises the data of three administrative zones of Ajara (Sarpi, Batumi International Airport, and Batumi Port). 86.74% of tourists were represented by travelers from our tar-get counties, which is vital for us as we have put a lot of effort into achiev-ing the given result and have actively worked for the promotion of our region and country through international

media platforms, press-info tours, par-ticipation in international exhibitions, online advertising, and other market-ing activities. BBC, Euronews, CNN, and Deutsche Welle are the television companies through which promotion videos about Ajara were discovered by millions of spectators worldwide,” he said, going on to note that the high level of popularity of the region is also emphasized by the fact that Airbnb has named Batumi among the top 19 trend-ing cities of 2019. Airbnb is a platform with more than 500 million consumers and is a valuable recommendation source for visitors.

“Analysis of the time period of visits gives us the opportunity to state that Ajara is no longer just a summer desti-nation: it is becoming attractive year-round, which is our paramount aim,” Glonti said.

GEORGIA TODAY JANUARY 11 - 14, 20194 POLITICS

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

E-mail: info@peoplescafe.ge

Map of the former Soviet Union. Source: kolovrat.org

BY EMIL AVDALIANI

As the West-Russia tensions have grown over the past years, one theater of Rus-sian foreign policy, namely management of breakaway

regions, has largely fallen out of analysts’ works. Where, in the fi rst years follow-ing the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russia had to manage breakaway con-fl icts in small and poor Georgia and Moldova, by early 2019, Moscow’s respon-sibilities have increased exponentially. In a way Nagorno-Karabakh was also under the Russian geopolitical infl uence, although the Russians were not directly involved.

Following the Ukraine crisis, Crimea, Donetsk and Luhansk were added to Russia’s “Breakaway Empire”. This means that at a time when economic problems are looming large within Russia, Moscow has to spend more on multiple actors across the former Soviet space. This means that Russia’s broader strategy of managing breakaway confl icts, though not very much visible, could be coming under increasing stress. Where Russia previously used the confl icts in Moldova, Georgia and Ukraine to limit the ability of those countries to enter the EU/NATO, now Moscow is losing its ability to maneuver in so many diverse confl icts simultaneously. At times, various play-ers are trying to play their own game independently from Moscow. In Transn-istria, the geopolitical situation is trou-

Future of Russia’s “Breakaway Empire”blesome for Moscow as Kiev and Chis-inau at times consider constraining the breakaway territory, and Moscow can do little as it has no direct land or air route. In Abkhazia and South Ossetia, Russian forces watch as NATO exercises take place on Georgian soil, which sug-gests that, despite the Russian military footprint in the region, Western coun-tries are continuing to expand their sup-port for Georgia.

Without doubt, Russia will remain a dominant military power in the region and the breakaway territories will stay dependent on Moscow’s support. Yet, it will be increasingly diffi cult for Moscow to successfully pull the strings in several different theaters at once, particularly as the Russia is facing its own fi nancial problems, increased Western efforts to confront its foreign policy, and “disobe-dience” from various separatist leaders.

BAD, BUT STILL A STRATEGYIf Russia has any notion of a grand strat-egy in its recent foreign policy, it is cer-tainly the purposeful creation of confl ict zones and their management across the post-Soviet space. The fall of the Soviet Union was indeed a colossal geopolitical setback for Moscow as the country instantly lost portions of land on a scale rarely, if ever, seen in recorded history. But maintaining 11 buffer states (except for the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania) around Russia has remained a cornerstone of the Kremlin’s foreign policy against Western military and economic encroachment. Russians knew that because of their own country’s

low economic potential, the South Cau-casus states would inevitably turn to Europe. The same would happen on Russia’s western frontier with Moldova and Ukraine, which have been more susceptible to Western economic and military potential because of geographic proximity and historical interconnec-tions with Europe.

In a way, geopolitical trends also point towards the conclusion that Russia’s usage of breakaway territories to stop

Western expansion in the former Soviet space is not working. True that Moscow needed, be it Abkhazia or Donetsk, to stop the countries in its “immediate neighborhood” from joining the EU/NATO. And to the Russians’ credit, it has worked: the West is hesitant to quickly make Georgia, Ukraine and Moldova the members of the EU/NATO groupings. But there are also signs that the Russian gambit that those very breakaway regions would undermine the integrity of Geor-

gia and Ukraine has largely failed. Only Moldova might be regarded as a success for the Russians, as the country has still failed to unite around its geopolitical choice.

The point here is that although there are breakaway territories, Western expan-sion into Georgia and Ukraine continues through various means, importing a much “deadlier” weapon – economic infl uence – against that of traditional Russian military and religious infl uence.

OP-ED BY ZAZA JGARKAVA

The Ukrainian Orthodox Church has been granted the Tomos, that is the decree of autocephaly, or inde-pendence. On January 6,

one day before Orthodox Christmas, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I handed the Tomos to leader of the Ortho-dox Church of Ukraine, Metropolitan Epifaniy (Epiphanius) of Kiev and All Ukraine. The ceremony took place in St. George's Cathedral in Istanbul.

The Tomos, meaning “decree” in Greek, clearly states that from now on Ukraine’s Church is autocephalous. It is under the direct patronage of the Ecumenical Patri-archate of Constantinople, which also serves as the Supreme Institution of Appeals for it. Before that, for almost 300 years, Ukraine’s Church was part of the Russian Patriarchate and Moscow, and its chief canonical juror was the Patriarch of Russia.

Apart from a parish of 40 million, Mos-cow’s Patriarchate also owned three Lavras (among them part of the Kiev-Pecheri Lavra), 168 monasteries and 13,348 cathedrals. For the sake of com-

Will Georgia Come out against Ukraine?parison, note that on the territory of Russia, the Patriarchate owns two Lavras, 499 monasteries and 18,042 cathedrals.

The loss that the Russian Orthodox Church has seen in Ukraine equals the “fall of the third Rome” for Russia. With the Tomos, Ukraine became the 16th Autocephalous Orthodox Church and its formation has begun a most diffi cult period – a process of recognition which will be marked with intrigue and prob-lems. The Orthodox world should once and for all answer the question as to whether it recognizes the decision of the World Ecumenical Patriarch about granting Ukraine autocephaly, and if it is ready to mention the leader of the newly formed Ukrainian Church Epiphanes in its prayers.

It has been less than a week since the Tomos was granted and the Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch has already turned against the autocephaly of Ukraine, say-ing that Bartholomeus did not take into consideration the position of other auto-cephalous churches when making this decision. The position is shared with the Church of Serbia, with Serbian Patriarch Irinej accusing the Ecumenical Patriarch of “neglecting canonical law.” He com-mented to Euronews that the decision of Patriarch Bartholomeus was not

canonical but political. “In the contro-versy between Moscow and Constan-tinople, we will use canonical law, accord-ing to which Ukraine’s Church is within the canonical borders of Moscow’s Patri-archate,” said the Patriarch of Serbia.

The remaining Orthodox Churches have yet to share their offi cial position, including the Georgian Orthodox Church. This massive change that took place in the Orthodox world went completely unmentioned in Patriarch Ilia II’s Christ-mas liturgy. However, after the liturgy, the Patriarch’s locum tenens Shio and one or two other church leaders provided

the reason for the lack of comment on the issue and said they “hadn’t read the text of the Tomos yet.” “Who knows what is written in it?” they told report-ers. “How can we express our offi cial position without reading it? We need to discuss it during the Synod. We will examine the issue during the following Synod,” said Bishop Nikoloz after the Christmas service.

An interesting position was heard from the Rector of the Theological Seminary, Protopresviter Giorgi Zviadadze. His comment sounded a lot like what the Patriarch of Serbia said about the auto-

cephaly of Ukraine and the decision of Bartholomeus: “Ukraine is the friend of our country and naturally with this atti-tude we all respect Ukraine, but there is a clear Church Law and in this case the Holy Synod will use only the canonical rules. We are confi dent that the Holy Synod will make the correct decision and that it will be based on the Church laws that have been adopted during the various Church meetings and recognized as the only and chief rules to be used when making such decisions.”

This clearly implies that the Patriar-chate of Georgia may well act like the patriarchates of Serbia and Antioch and not support the autocephaly of Ukraine, thus deciding to continue orbiting around the Russian Church.

There were only 15 Orthodox Churches in the world (Ukraine became the 16th): Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch, Jerusalem, Russia, Georgia, Serbia, Roma-nia, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Elada, Albania, Poland, Czech-Slovakia, and the USA. In order to defend its position, Russia needs the support of at least eight other churches. As yet, only three have announced support: Antioch, Serbia and Russia. Whether Georgia will join the campaign will become known soon, but we can already say that it is almost there.

Image source: Bartholomew I signs the Tomos of Autocephaly, marking the formal independence of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church at the Patriarchal Church of St. George in Istanbul. ANADOLU AGENCY / GETTY IMAGES

GEORGIA TODAY JANUARY 11 - 14, 20196 POLITICS

BY THEA MORRISON

The Prosecutor’s Offi ce of Georgia (POG) has launched an investigation into an operation carried out by TBC Bank in 2008.

The POG announced the fact on Jan-uary 9, after TBC Bank released a state-ment regarding the “deliberate black PR against the Bank.”

Prosecutor Salome Chikobava said during the briefi ng held at the General Prosecutor’s Offi ce that the Financial Monitoring Service had begun check-ing the fi nancial activities of TBC Bank and its shareholders in May of 2018.

She noted an investigation is under-way into “facts of the legalization of illicit income.”

The POG claims that in April-May 2008, companies Samgori M and Sam-gori Trade took loans to the amount of $17 million from TBC Bank. On the same day, a loan was issued to individuals Badri Japaridze and Mamuka Khazaradze, co-founders of TBC Bank Group and its Chairmen.

The agency claims that none of the companies paid back the loans and later they [companies] were replaced by an offshore company but the loan was not paid back to the bank.

“In May 2018, the Financial Monitor-ing Service of Georgia started studying the fi nancial activities of TBC Bank, its legal entity customers, shareholders and administrators. The study revealed that specifi c activities included signs of illicit income legalization or money laundering. The materials were sent to the National Bank as well to the Pros-ecutor's Offi ce of Georgia. Based on these materials, on August 2 of 2018, the Investigative Department of the POG launched an investigation into the fact of legalization of illicit income,” the statement of the POG reads.

Before the briefi ng of the POG, TBC Bank released a statement, saying they will not tolerate the “deliberate destruc-tion of the bank’s reputation.”

“If necessary, we will use all the lev-erage available to protect the legitimate interests of TBC Bank, its founders and international shareholders,” the state-ment reads.

TBC Denies SlanderThe bank says documents obtained

by the Prosecutor's Offi ce are related to the 2008 legal banking operation, which, as they say, has been several times checked by auditors and the National Bank of Georgia (NBG) dur-ing the current and the previous gov-ernments.

“It is unfortunate that during the 27-year existence of TBC Bank, and under all governments, the Bank has been object to attack. TBC Bank and its management have seen a number of crises and have always proven their truth,” the statement reads.

The Bank says several media portals released “erroneous and deliberately distorted information that serves to damage the country's leading fi nancial institution and its founders' reputation.”

The National Bank of Georgia released a statement regarding the case saying that TBC Bank is a healthy crediting organization and has an adequate level of liquidation resources and capital.

“Investigation into the case of TBC Bank will not affect the sustainable and effi cient functioning of the banking sec-tor,” reads the statement.

Zviad Kordzadze, the attorney of TBC Bank's Supervisory Board Chair, says that the POG questioned Mamuka Khaz-aradze several days prior to New Year.

The lawyer says the Article, under which the investigation is being carried out, is “absurd.”

“The rumors about money laundering are nonsense. The operation was abso-lutely open and transparent. The POG did not mention that the money was returned to the bank. Mamuka Khaz-aradze borrowed money from a certain person and returned the loan to the bank's capital,” Kordzadze said.

The Banking Association of Georgia released a statement regarding the case, saying “such a campaign” can damage the reputation of a particular bank and the entire banking system, which will negatively impact the country's eco-nomic development.

“Incorrect interpretations of recent developments regarding TBC Bank, and speculations receiving high interest from the public, can damage the correct perception of reality and lead to false expectations regarding the development of the process,” the statement reads.

The Banking Association of Georgia

says they will always protect the inter-ests of its member banks and will not allow a “deliberate slanderous campaign against the leading fi nancial institution of the country.”

Gigi Ugulava, one of the leaders of the parliamentary minority European Geor-gia, believes the recent developments surrounding TBC bank are linked with the ruling Georgian Dream (GD) Founder and Chair, billionaire Bidzina Ivanish-vili.

“Khazaradze was trying to get on well with Ivanishvili before but it did not work…The recent developments mean that Ivanishvili personally threatened Khazaradze…We see business cannot breathe freely,” Ugulava said.

Yet GD member Gia Volsky excludes any political motives in the TBC Bank case. “It is impossible to blame such a huge fi nancial institution so ground-lessly. No-one would even dream of such a thing,” he said.

TBC Bank is the largest bank in Geor-gia. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index.

OFFICIAL STATEMENT FROM TBC BANK:On January 8, late in the evening, several media portals spread misinformation aimed at discrediting the leading fi nancial institution of the country and its share-holders. Such actions undoubtedly aim to damage TBC Bank JSC, which is an important institution in the country, at local as well as international level.

We hereby categorically deny the false accusations and misleading information carefully orchestrated by the forces behind the dark PR.

TBC Bank is and will remain the lead-ing fi nancial institution in the country and the region, observing the best prac-tices of corporate governance and social responsibility, which has been duly rec-ognized by international institutions and investors.

Being a leading Public Limited Company with a premium listing (FTSE250), TBC Bank represents in Georgia interests of investors and shareholders from all of the fi ve continents of the world.

Regrettably, in the course of 27 years since its inception, TBC Bank has been

a target of assaults under every govern-ment. The Bank and its shareholders have gone through multiple crises but have always been able, and will be able in the future, to assert their truth.

As concerns the comment made by the Offi ce of the Prosecutor with respect to the collection of documents, it is related to an ordinary, legitimate bank transac-tion performed in 2008, which:

• has been examined by state structures and the National Bank of Georgia on sev-eral occasions in relevant periods under the present as well as the previous gov-ernment;

• has been examined and verifi ed as legitimate by international auditors on several occasions;

• Furthermore, the statute of limitations for the transaction has expired.

TBC Bank is not going to disregard this deliberate attempt to discredit and tarnish its reputation, irrespective of the source of the misinformation, and will apply all available local and international instru-ments for the protection of the legitimate interests of the Bank, its founders and international shareholders.

Image source: Georgia About

BY AMY JONES

Mehman Huseynov is a blogger and activist who worked to expose uncomfortable truths in Azerbaijan such as

corruption and police brutality. He was

imprisoned almost two years ago for bogus charges of defamation. As his jail time comes to an end, the Azerbaijani police have come up with new charges to extend his sentence by 5 – 7 years. Huseynov has now been on hunger strike for over 10 days in protest.

Before his arrest, Huseynov ran a popular Facebook page that discussed social issues in Azerbaijan and held

offi cials to account. With over 300,000 followers, the page publicized the lux-urious lifestyles and new-builds of offi -cials whilst highlighting social problems. He launched a campaign called the ‘Hunt for Corrupt Offi cials’ shortly before his arrest.

Huseynov was detained 9 January 2017 after publishing videos revealing how ministers were building opulent palaces. He told the judge the following day that police had beaten him, put a plastic bag over his head, and stun-gunned him. Despite a judge ordering an investiga-tion into his treatment, he was prose-cuted for ‘slander’ of the same police station he claimed mistreated him. He has been in prison since 3 March 2017.

The new charges leveled against Huseynov are vague and undocumented. He is accused by authorities of violently attacking a prison offi cer. Many believe the real purpose of these allegations are to silence him so he will not continue to expose police brutality and corrup-tion.

Huseynov’s confi nement is not unique in Azerbaijan. The country’s govern-ment repeatedly targeted fi gures such as Huseynov who are young, popular and politicized in a multi-year crack-down on civil society, media, and polit-ical opposition.

Huseynov is gaining more and more

Blogger on Hunger Strike in Azerbaijanattention both in Azerbaijan and inter-nationally. The opposition party Musa-vat announced that they will hold a political rally in support of Mehman and other political prisoners on 12 Jan-uary. Moreover, various international media freedom and human rights organ-izations such as Amnesty International have spoken up in support of the #FreeMehman campaign.

Despite international criticism of the Azerbaijani government regarding their treatment of the free press, the Presi-dent of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has downplayed Huseynov’s case. He says does not consider Huseynov to be a journalist. “Well-known circles are try-ing to glorify and make individuals with low-intelligence… into the leaders of public opinion.” He believes Azerbaijan is pursuing an independent policy. “This policy annoys those who are trying to make such individuals as Huseynov the leader of public opinion and glorifying them: they are looking for vessels,” he said.

Many politicians insist that Huseynov had a fair trial on correct charges. “He violated the law and therefore appeared before the court,” said Azerbaijani MP Hikmat Babaoglu. “Pretending to be defenders of rights and democracy, they actually show hostility towards Azer-baijan and seek to discredit its interna-

tional authority.” Despite the government’s attempt to

discredit Huseynov, his case clearly raises questions regarding the quality of media freedom in Azerbaijan. Democ-racies fl ourish when supported by an independent judiciary, respect for the rule of law, a vibrant civil society, plu-ralism, democratic electoral processes, a free media, and respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. The imprisonment of Huseynov could be seen to have broken many of these important elements of democracy.

Huseynov is still waiting to hear if his prison term will be extended as his hunger strike continues into its third week.

Mr. Aliyev must think no one will bother to call out his brutish behavior. An experienced career Foreign Service offi cer, Earle D. Litzenberger, has just been confi rmed as U.S. ambassador. He declared in his confi rmation hearing that “democracies thrive only when bolstered by an independent judiciary, respect for the rule of law, a free media, a vibrant civil society, pluralism, dem-ocratic electoral processes, and respect for human rights and fundamental free-doms.” As a fi rst act in his new position, the ambassador should read this list out loud to Mr. Aliyev and insist that Mr. Huseynov be freed.

GEORGIA TODAY JANUARY 11 - 14, 2019 7POLITICS

Image source: nypost.com

BY EMIL AVDALIANI

Syria is symbol of Russo-Iranian cooperation and there are numerous facts to prove it. However, there are also other theaters where Moscow and

Teheran have successfully cooperated for years. Their deep-rooted partnership in the South Caucasus and the energy-rich Caspian Sea is a good example of this growing trend. Altogether, this fi ts into the “geopolitical chaos” across Eurasia where we see Russia, Iran and other regional powers working more closely to confront US dominance.

Iran and Russia have historically been wary of each other’s geopolitical ambi-tions. Numerous wars in the 19th century over the domination in the South Cauca-sus and the Russian infl uence in northern Iran in the 20th century made deep coop-eration between the two powers almost unthinkable. However, the developments in Syria since 2011 and the US pressure on Moscow and Teheran have made part-nership a much more possible scenario.

In Syria, both Russia and Iran are inter-ested in stopping western (primarily American) infl uence gaining much of a foothold in the country. However, while this deep cooperation has become a symbol of the aligning Moscow-Teheran geopolitics, it overshadows other trends in Iranian-Russian relations, namely a deep partnership in the South Caucasus and the Caspian Sea.

The focal point of cooperation is the

Iran-Russia Cooperation Grows Beyond Syria

nascent North-South transit corridor between Iran and Russia, which passes through Azerbaijan. The three countries are already somewhat connected via rail links and there is the notion that Russia’s Baltic ports and the Persian Gulf could one day enjoy effi cient connections. Tehran and Moscow see Azerbaijan as a vital component in advancing North-South trade and energy corridors in the South Caucasus. Both countries work together to block Western-led infrastruc-ture projects. Such corridors rival the West-East ones promoted by Western countries and perhaps also the East-West Belt and Road initiative backed by China. Another common interest will be to avoid any foreign military presence in the region, particularly in Georgia.

Another area of Iranian involvement could be the Nagorno-Karabakh confl ict. There were attempts by Tehran to medi-ate the confl ict in the early 1990s, but it largely failed, and Russia, the dominant power in the confl ict resolution process, would likely be much opposed to any Iranian meddling which might diminish Moscow’s role.

From the Iranian perspective, the grow-ing military cooperation between Turkey, Georgia and Azerbaijan could potentially create a problem. The same problem could be seen in the expansion of NATO, primarily in Georgia. Russian-thinking could well align with that of the Iranians as both fear Western military encroach-ment on their spheres of infl uence. Both also loath Turkish infl uence in the region. Here, Russians are more predominant than the Turks in terms of military pres-

ence in the region. However, in trade and investments, Turkey is unquestion-ably at the forefront. True, there have been positive developments in Azerbai-jan-Iran relations of late, but still, Ankara enjoys good relations with Baku and supports it in the simmering Nagorno-Karabakh dispute.

While the lifting of sanctions against Iran in 2015 somehow helped the coun-try enjoy a freer hand in asserting itself in the South Caucasus economically and politically, the country has nevertheless continued to face substantial challenges from Russia and Turkey. Armenia-Rus-sia relations are too ingrained in mutual military and economic cooperation for Iran to manage to insert itself while, elsewhere, Turkish economic and polit-ical infl uence still overshadows Iran’s ambitions and even in the Nagorno-Karabakh confl ict Russia will use all its tools to block Tehran’s greater involve-ment.

Further east from the South Caucasus the Russians and the Iranians are coop-erating in the Caspian region too. The Caspian Sea was a place of geopolitical contentions among fi ve littoral states. In 2018, the Convention agreed upon by all the Caspian states clarifi ed the right of the fi ve littoral countries to lay under-water pipelines (according to Article 14), subject only to the agreement of those states whose sectors the pipelines or cables pass through. Although this was agreed upon, laying underwater pipelines goes against Russian and Iranian geopo-litical interests as it will allow Central Asian states (primarily Turkmenistan)

to export large resources of gas to Europe. Both Iran and Russia intend to do this themselves, although the latter has clearly had the upper hand since the end of the Soviet Union.

INTERNATIONAL CONTEXTThere is also an interesting international context with regards the strengthening of the Iranian-Russian cooperation gen-erally, and in particular in the South Caucasus and the Caspian Sea. Wash-ington re-imposed sanctions on Teheran in 2018, further underpinning the Rus-sian and Iranian view that the US is against any rise of regional powers across the Eurasian landmass. Both are expe-riencing a sanctions regime from Wash-ington and there is a shared understand-ing in Moscow and Teheran that the US is a geopolitical enemy.

This fi ts into the geopolitical “chaos,” or, as some call it, the strategic realign-ment of many power brokers in the Eurasian landmass. However, the Eura-

sian landmass is also experiencing deep geopolitical changes. On the surface, one might say it is easier for the US to man-age a divided Eurasia now that there are numerous regional powers competing with one other rather than the monolith that characterized the more stable era of the Cold War.

However, the modern-day Eurasia is more chaotic, and this unpredictability represents a marked break with what the West had to cope with in previous decades. In the more predictable Cold War era, geopolitics was important, but it was hidden under democratic and idealistic premises.

In modern Eurasia, though, there is a clear shift towards a new, more unten-able world order. Russian and Iranian cooperation not only in Syria, considered by many as an alliance of convenience, is in fact only one element of much big-ger cooperation between the two, span-ning other regions of the Eurasian land-mass.

GEORGIA TODAY JANUARY 11 - 14, 20198 BUSINESS

BLOG BY TONY HANMER

Well, this certainly was a bolt from the blue, quite unexpected. I got an email from my boss’ boss, George Sharashidze, in Novem-ber. He had chosen me as one

of 50 bold entrepreneurs for the inaugural such group in one of his periodicals, the Georgian ver-sion of Entrepreneur magazine. Me?

He invited me to the awards ceremony, which was to be held in Tbilisi on December 27, 2018. I really hemmed and hawed over going or not. It’s a big honor, but we’re 450 km or so away; winter roads in Svaneti can be a nightmare. Also, the elec-tricity had been coming and going in our village, needing generator interventions to keep the vari-ous fridges and freezers running while we heated with our big wood-burning Svan stove. And our water pipes, which have not yet given us a winter without freezing at some point, needed some babysitting during this early phase. I felt bad about leaving my wife, even for a single night and day, coping alone with these challenges. She left the decision up to me, but there was still the situation to consider.

In the end, I gritted my teeth and bowed out, with regret but also feeling that I was making a small sacrifi ce to do the right thing. And then when I was in Tbilisi, a week or so later, the Entrepreneur offi ce where my award awaited me was empty due to the holidays; all I could do was borrow a key off the guards and present it to myself, alone. Fine!

The deal includes interviews with all 50 bold entrepreneurs in the magazine. Below is my orig-inal English text which was translated and edited for said magazine, minus the questions, which feel free to guess. Many thanks to George for this con-sideration!

– I like being my own boss as much as possible! This doesn’t necessarily mean that I’m a rebel, but the freedom is still useful.

– An entrepreneur is self-starting, taking on the risks and stresses of a new endeavor, whereas a businessperson might either start or join any busi-ness. In short, every entrepreneur is a businessper-son, but not every businessperson is an entrepre-neur.

– We try to promote the return of a full life to Svaneti, which for a long time after the collapse of the USSR was a lawless, cut-off, dangerous, hope-less place, emptying of its own population. But BEFORE that, so they tell me, it was bustling with tourism, well supported by Tbilisi, safe and suc-cessful! How can we get BACK to that, where money can be both made AND spent right here?

– Well, I started the Svaneti Renaissance Facebook group on a whim, as a long-term fanatic of this place, simply to try to gather all past, present and future information on the province in one online place. Similarly, I began writing weekly articles for

The Bold 50: Etseri, Svaneti

GEORGIA TODAY by introducing myself by email from Mestia in early 2011, without even a single meeting or even a phone call; and it was more than six months before I visited Tbilisi and met my col-leagues and bosses there! My wife and I only moved to Etseri after its… “little problem” had been dealt with by a 10-helicopter raid, and President Saakash-vili’s very energetic renovation of the entire prov-ince of Upper Svaneti had begun. No-one then was interested in buying a house in such villages (this isn’t Mestia or Ushguli, both major tourist hotspots), so the house price was ridiculously cheap. But starting a guest house and then the main village shop here were risky ventures, and we had no idea if we could succeed. We did have some other income to draw on, especially from teaching English in the local school and from my wife’s book translating, as well as me writing for GEORGIA TODAY and Where Magazine. But it took us two years’ living here before the last window was put into our for-merly windowless house! We’ve used every form of advertising we can to promote the guest house: travel books, newspapers, online, signage, word of mouth, etc. The shop needed little advertising as news of it got out very fast. My wife is really the family’s businessperson: all the shop’s profi ts she put back into expanding it to what it is today. She, too, is full of energy; and wise with money, unlike me: most of our business success comes from us being together, in ways I could never imagine doing alone.

– To see and be a part of Svaneti fl ourishing again! To give local people the option of using their skills, talents and dreams right here: learning and using English, being involved in tourism, helping us with renovation or repairs or furniture making etc., and seeing this as a place where they can really live, not a place to escape from.

– In the guest house, getting clients, and running the whole thing ourselves, with occasional but not regular help from outside. In the shop, tightly con-trolling the credit system, which has caused many a small shop to close!

– Our success comes from putting profi ts back into business growth. We also try to be generous and help needy people. By the way, the name of our village (ეცერი, NOT ეწერი) is a Hebrew word found in the Old Testament: ezer, meaning help… We have both been helped by our neighbors and try to help them too.

– Risk will always be there. Luck is part of starting up too: not every gifted person in any fi eld becomes successful… Also, I wouldn’t call it “karma”, but gen-erosity has its own rewards, although these rewards should not be the motivation for being generous!

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 nearly 2000 members, at www.face-book.com/groups/SvanetiRenaissance/He and his wife also run their own guest house in Etseri:www.facebook.com/hanmer.house.svaneti

GEORGIA TODAY JANUARY 11 - 14, 2019 9BUSINESS

Sales of HUAWEI Smartphones Exceed 200 mln Units in 2018

Image source: HUAWEI

dare to keep innovating, and make every effort to become a pioneer and leader in the next wave of the smartphone revolution, as well as constantly create new value for consumers, let our con-sumers better enjoy their lives, and truly make Huawei a brand that is beloved by consumers the world over“.– Stated Richard Yu, CEO of Huawei Consumer BG.

HUAWEI products and services are available in more than 170 countries and are used by a third of the world's popu-lation. There are 16 research and devel-opment centers operating worldwide in the USA, Germany, Sweden, Russia, India and China. HUAWEI Consumer BG is one of three business units of HUAWEI, mainly focusing on the production of smartphones, personal computers, tab-lets and cloud services. HUAWEI Global Network is based on 20 years of experi-ence in the telecommunications business and serves to the production of innova-tive technologies to customers around the world.

BY KETEVAN KVARATSKHELIYA

The business team of the HUAWEI Company has announced that that its smartphone shipments for the 2018 year have exceeded

200 million units. The representatives of the company state the given result has been achieved by the enthusiastic support of consumers and partners around the world, as well as the strength of the smartphone products. The experts relate this record-breaking success to the launch of the new innovative smart-phones with the modern technological capabilities by the company, such as: HUAWEI P20 and HUAWEI Mate 20.

During the last 8 years, the business team of HUAWEI has applied the con-sumer-centric concept and approaches. The company has also made important steps forward in the most popular, inno-vative and competitive technological

spheres, such as: photography, battery durability, communication and AI (arti-fi cial intelligence).

In the past eight years, Huawei's smart-phone shipments have increased from 3 million units in 2010 to 200 million units in 2018, refl ecting approximately a sixty-six-fold growth. In the global smartphone market, Huawei has gone from being dismissed as a statistical "Other" to ranking among the top 3 play-ers in the world. And in the second and third quarters of 2018, Huawei became the world's second largest smartphone manufacturer, with a global market share of 14.6%.

Today, HUAWEI smartphones are used by more than 500 million consumers in more than 170 countries across the world. According to IPSOS data, the brand of HUAWEI is associated with progress, strong and innovative capabilities, and trustworthiness.

„Looking to the future, Huawei's con-sumer business will focus on the core concept of 'consumer-centric', and will

GEORGIA TODAY JANUARY 11 - 14, 201910 CULTURE

WHAT’S ON IN TBILISIRED TERROR AND GEORGIAN ARTISTSThe exhibition showcases artworks by Dimitri Shevardnadze, Petre Otskheli, Henryk Hryniewski, Richard Sommer, Kiril Zdanevich, Vasily Shukhaev, Elene Akhvlediani, Lado Gudiashvili, David Kakabadze, Ucha Japharidze, Aleksandre Bajbeuk-Melikov, Korneli Sanadze and more. The exposition also showcases documentary footage depicting the repressions of the 1920-30s.

GALLERY

THE NATIONAL GALLERY11 Rustaveli Ave.TEL (+995 32) 215 73 00

Until January 17NIKO PIROSMANI’S RENEWED EXHIBITION

Until October 5EXHIBITION MASTERS OF GEORGIAN ARTPaintings of Kirill Zdanevich, Shalva Kikodze, Ketevan Magalashvili and Elene Akhvlediani together with Lado Gudiashvili's and David Kakabadze, giving a comprehensive picture of the diversity and aesthetics of Georgian Art.

Until January 20Anniversary exhibition of Georgian artist USHANGI KHUMARASHVILIHis artistic traditions are classic avant-garde. The severe Soviet legacy and socialism were embraced in his creativity in a space of non-conformism. The main and initial stage of his art begins from 1970-80, when he defi ned himself as an expressive abstractionist.

KHIDIV.Bagrationi Bridge, Right Embankment

Every Tuesday, from 15:00-20:00Until February 20Multidisciplinary exhibition project IN-BETWEEN CONDITIONS‘In-between conditions’ displays 18 work contributions expressing cultural impulses affected by political or social forces.

THEATER

TBILISI ZAKARIA PALIASHVILI OPERA AND

BALLET THEATER25 Rustaveli Ave.TEL (+995 32) 2 99 04 56

January 11, 12, 13NUTCRACKERThe State Ballet of Georgia presents Pyotr Tchaikovsky’s two-act ballet Choreographic version and staging by Alexei FadeechevStart time: January 11, 12- 19:00,January 13- 14:00Ticket: 10-50 GEL

GABRIADZE THEATER14 Shavteli Str.

January 11THE AUTUMN OF MY SPRINGRevaz GabriadzeDirected by Revaz GabriadzeEnglish SubtitlesStart time: 20:00Ticket: 20, 30 GEL

TBILISI CIRCUS1 The Heroes Sq. TEL (+995 32) 2 98 58 61

January 12, 13NEW YEAR SHOWStart time: 13:00, 17:00Ticket: 10-25 GEL

CINEMA

AMIRANI CINEMA36 Kostava Str.TEL (+995 32) 299 99 55www.kinoafi sha.ge

Every Wednesday ticket: 5 GELJanuary 11-17

BOHEMIAN RHAPSODYDirected by Bryan SingerCast: Rami Malek, Joseph Mazzello, Mike MyersGenre: Biography, Drama, MusicLanguage: Russian Start time: 19:30Ticket: 15 GEL

CREED IIDirected by Steven Caple JrCast: Michael B. Jordan, Sylvester Stallone, Tessa ThompsonGenre: Drama, Sport

Language: Russian Start time: 22:00Ticket: 13-14 GEL

AQUAMANDirected by James WanCast: Amber Heard, Jason Momoa, Nicole KidmanGenre: Action, Adventure, FantasyLanguage: Russian Start time: 19:15Ticket: 15 GEL

CAVEA GALLERY2/4 Rustaveli Ave.TEL (+995 32) 200 70 07

Every Wednesday ticket: 8 GELJanuary 11-17

BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY(Info Above)Language: English Start time: 22:30Language: Russian Start time: 15:00, 17:30, 20:00Ticket: 16-17 GEL

CREED(Info Above)Language: English Start time: 19:30Language: Russian Start time: 16:30, 22:00 20:00Ticket: 13-17 GEL

MARY POPPINS RETURNSDirected by Rob MarshallCast: Emily Blunt, Emily Mortimer, Meryl StreepGenre: Animation, Adventure, FamilyLanguage: English Start time: 16:15Ticket: 13-14 GEL

SECOND ACTDirected by Peter SegalCast: Jennifer Lopez, Vanessa Hudgens, Leah ReminiGenre: Comedy, RomanceLanguage: Russian Start time: 22:15Ticket: 16-17 GEL

AQUAMAN(Info Above)Language: English Start time: 19:15Language: Russian Start time: 13:15, 22:15, 22:30Ticket: 11-17 GEL

THE GRINCHDirected by Yarrow Cheney, Scott MosierCast: Benedict Cumberbatch, Cameron Seely, Rashida JonesGenre: Animation, Comedy, FamilyLanguage: English Start time: 19:15Language: Russian Start time: 14:15Ticket: 10-12 GEL

MUSEUM

GEORGIAN NATIONAL MUSEUM SIMON JANASHIA

MUSEUM3 Rustaveli Ave.TEL (+995 32) 299 80 22, 293 48 21www.museum.ge

Exhibitions: GEORGIAN COSTUME AND WEAPONRY OF THE 18TH-20TH CENTURIES

NUMISMATIC TREASURYSTONE AGE GEORGIAARCHEOLOGICAL TREASURENEW LIFE TO THE ORIENTAL COLLECTIONS

December 6 – February 28 (2019)In the framework of the celebrations of the European Year of Cultural Heritage in Georgia the Georgian National Museum presents the exhibition WISDOM TRANSFORMED INTO GOLD

IOSEB GRISHASHVILI TBILISI HISTORY MUSEUM

- KARVASLA8 Sioni St.TEL (+995 32) 298 22 81

November 29 – January 20Georgian National Museum in the framework of the Project “Contemporary Art Gallery” presents THE SOLO EXHIBITION OF LIA BAGRATIONI A MAD TEA-PARTY

MUSEUM OF SOVIET OCCUPATION

4 Rustaveli Ave. TEL (+995 32) 2 99 80 22, 2 93 48 21 www.museum.ge

December 11 – March 1Exhibition

WINDOW PROJECT GALLERY

7 Tatishvili Str.TEL (+995) 577 55 35 53

VAKHTANG KOKIASHVILI’S SOLO EXHIBITIONSECOND ORDER

MUSIC

SOUNDS OF GEORGIA

January 11, 16SING AND DRINKMini concerts in the cozy atmosphere of Old Tbilisi, which is a mix of traditional Georgian music, featuring different genres: folklore, a capella, guitar, as well as new Georgian pop and city songs.Start time: 17:00Tickets: 23 GELVenue: January 11New Tifl is, 9 Agmashenebeli Ave., Wine bar ‘Wine Station’Venue: January 16:16 G. Kikodze Str., Café ‘Ezo’

DJ. KAKHIDZE CENTER FOR MUSIC & CULTURE

123a Agmashenebli Ave.

January 13THE CONCERT OF TBILISI SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA Maestro- David MukeriaProgram: ‘Peer Gynt Suite’ by Edvard Grieg, Symphony N1 by Jan SibeliusThe program also includes:Edvard Grieg’s concert for piano and symphony orchestra Tamar Licheli- pianoStart time: 19:30Tickets: 10-30 GEL

IN THE DENSE FORESTTskneti, The last stop

January 13GEORGIAN AMERICAN MUSIC SYNTHESISLine up: Keti Gabisiani, Maia Baratashvili, Paata Anriandze, Levan Deisadze, Zaza TsertsvadzeStart time: 19:00Ticket: 120 GEL

SILK FACTORY STUDIO59 Kostava Ave.

January 13UTSNOBISpecial guest: Nato MetonidzeConcert to close with a DJGuests will be invited to sparkling wineStart time: 23:00Ticket: 50 GEL

TBILISI STATE CONSERVATOIRE

8 Griboedov Str.

January 12PIANO MUSIC CONCERTNatalia Vlassenko & Oleg StepanovIn program:Debussy- Petite Suite (for piano, 4 hands)En Bateau/Cortège/Menuet/BalletNatalia Vlassenko & Oleg StepanovChopin- Three Nocturnes - op. 9Oleg StepanovChopin- Fantasie Impromptu op. 66Waltz in a minor op. 34 N2Waltz in e minor (posthumous edition)Natalia VlassenkoRavel- Rapsodie Espagnole for two pianosPrelude a la nuit/Malagueña/ Habanera/FeriaNatalia Vlassenko & Oleg StepanovStart time: 18:00Ticket: 10 GEL

MOVEMENT THEATER182, Aghmashenebeli Ave.TEL (+995 32) 598 19 29 36

January 15JAM SESSIONEvery TuesdayMusical art director- Sandro NikoladzeEntry: Free

GEORGIA TODAY JANUARY 11 - 14, 2019 11CULTURE

GEORGIA TODAY

PUBLISHER & GM George Sharashidze

COMMERCIAL DEPARTMENT Commercial Director: Iva MerabishviliMarketing Manager: Anuka Poladishvili

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

Journalists: Tony Hanmer, Zaza Jgarkava, Maka Bibilashvili, Dimitri Dolaberidze, Vazha Tavberidze, Nugzar B. Ruhadze,Samantha Guthrie,Amy Jones, Thea Morrison,Ana Dumbadze, Ketevan Kvaratskheliya

Photographer: Irakli Dolidze

Website Manager/Editor: Katie Ruth Davies

Layout: Misha Mchedlishvili

Webmaster: Sergey Gevenov

Circulation Managers: David Kerdikashvili, David Djandjgava

ADDRESS 1 Melikishvili Str. Tbilisi, 0179, Georgia

Tel.: +995 32 229 59 19E: info@georgiatoday.ge F: GeorgiaToday

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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.

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OP-ED BY NUGZAR B. RUHADZE

For Christmas, I had a couple of old friends from the US visiting with me in Tbilisi. They have been in love with Georgia since the end of the

1980s when we were extensively involved in all kinds of exchanges with America – business, cultural, sports, medical and journalistic. The Americans used to come over to stay with our families and we went to the States to spend time in American homes, mostly in the famous Peach State of Georgia whose mottos are ‘wisdom, justice and moderation.’

With Georgia on their minds, my guests came back to revisit their favorite sights of Tbilisi and its environs, and the fi rst question they asked me when I took them for a glimpse of the gorgeously illuminated downtown was: “Why did you guys want to put that bilingual mes-sage in gigantic letters around your elec-tronic Christmas tree? Just to tell the public that this city is full of love? It must’ve cost the earth, to say nothing of the pains taken by the city administra-tion. Is the message that valuable and signifi cant? No city in the world is full of love. Hate is in the same abundance as love everywhere!” I was a little non-plussed to hear the question and quickly came up with the excuse that the sturdy oversized slogan was only an emphatic reminder of what is most innate for our capital, and that is love. That said, I felt better and proceeded with entertaining the visitors.

I don’t really know how convincing I sounded, but about ten minutes after the fi rst question was promptly answered, I heard another, this time about the weird-for-the-holidays structures which had been erected in front of the Old Parliament. My fi rst reaction was to give a strong political speech, briefl y explain-ing why those unsightly tents had been set up right in the middle of the main city thoroughfare, but then I thought that perhaps a witty nonchalant answer

City Full of Love, or...would be better to save the day. “Well, my friends,” I said, “it’s a little love and a little hatred to balance the Christmas moods in town so we can really appreci-ate life and be happy enough to celebrate the holidays.” No laughter ensued. Not even the faintest of smiles.

To escape the acutely inquisitive curi-osity of my foreign friends, I thereafter became so voluble that nobody could get a single word in. When, fi nally, after the evening meal and drinks and my accompanying profuse gibberish, I took to bed physically tired and emotionally overwhelmed, and lay there contemplat-ing my life – long enough to be worth reminiscences, but not quite long enough to stop worrying about the image and fates of the motherland. A lot has hap-pened since we said no to the idea of communism and held up the prospect of capitalistic development. We have certainly changed as a community, but there are things that still linger on as socialist leftovers.

And now, following the train of my psychoanalytical thoughts, it’s my turn to ask a question: in what particular way would messages like ‘City Full of Love’ enhance our chance for a better life and boost our sense of happiness as the dwellers of this ancient urban develop-ment? How about those city folks who feel perpetual resentment instead of love due to chronic deprivation and lack of the resources needed to feel love rather than hate? Personally, I got the “love” message– I am a successful consumer of the fruits of love in general, but again, I have no need to be reminded that I am living in a place that is overfl owing with the stuff.

Let me throw in one quizzical contrast here: if somebody who eagerly wants to pester the author of the slogan in ques-tion and the executors thereof put up somewhere within the city boundaries the contrary slogan ‘City Full of Hate,’ what would happen? Would the alterna-tive slogan be just as lawful to carry? As the saying goes, there’s only one step from love to hate. So why does it make sense to put up either one or the other?

BY SAMANTHA GUTHRIE

Last week, the New York Times published an article about Georgian opera singer Anita Rachvelishvili. NYT classical music editor Zachary Woolfe

quotes eminent conductor Riccardo Muti calling Rachvelishvili "without doubt the best Verdi mezzo-soprano today on the planet. Without. Doubt."

Woolfe praises the young star's perfor-mance in as Princesse de Bouillon in "Adriana Lecouvreur" at the Metropolitan Opera - "Diving into her chest voice, but not milking it or pushing too hard, her

tone stayed round, warm and not all that loud, an iron fi st in a cashmere glove."

Rachvelishvili, 34 years old, was born in Tbilisi in the mid 1980s, and grew up in a time all Georgians remember as hard, full of suffering, but also of community and warmth. In a childhood she recalls as happy, she tells Woolfe stories of how she and her neighbors would gather in one room they could afford to heat. “We would sing, we would play cards,” she said. “We would play word and spelling games. My dad would play guitar, or mom would play piano. The music was, of course, part of 99 percent of it.”

In her mid-20's, Rachvelishvili "was accepted into the prestigious young sing-ers’ academy at the Teatro alla Scala in Milan" where a lucky cancellation saw her onstage as Carmen for opening night of the 2009 La Scala season, paired with tenor Jonas Kaufmann.

Woolfe explains that Rachvelishvili "has rocketed to stardom over the past few years with performances built from brief moments just like it: combinations of arresting vocalism and thoughtful subtlety. Her sensual, even elemental presence makes her particularly ideal for the daunting mezzo roles that anchor some of Verdi’s most important operas."

NYT on Georgian Opera Sensation Antia Rachvelishvili

Photo: Toronto Star

TRANSLATED BY KETEVAN KVARATSKHELIYA

Location, a green yard, spaces for various needs, an experi-enced construction company and parking spaces – these are the main criteria potential

customers pay attention to while choos-ing an apartment.

Within the high level of rivalry on the construction market, Maqro Construction is one of those outstanding companies that fully meets all the above mentioned require-ments. It has prepared special offers for those who are interested in acquiring real estate for the New Year. When purchasing an apartment in the Green Diamond Res-idential Complex before January 15, you will receive a discount of 23%, along with an underground parking space free of charge. The offer includes units of differ-ent size in the completed residential com-plex, with fi nished renovation works and fi xed kitchen facilities. The number of apartments is limited.

Built to the highest standards in Euro-pean residential development, Green Diamond comprises three stages and will integrate a 70,000 sq. m area and 1,800 residential apartments in total. Within the scope of the project, three swimming pools will be set up on the territory. One of them has already opened following completion of the fi rst stage of construction and the welcoming of the fi rst residents. The given complex also includes playgrounds, relaxation areas and pathways, all of which are located in the specially greened area close to nature and far from the busy rhythm of urban life, presenting residenta all the necessary elements for maximum comfort.

The fi rst stage of Green Diamond was completed by Maqro Construction ahead of plan. The construction process of the

A New Year Offer from Maqro Construction

second stage of the project is now well underway, and is scheduled to be fi nished within the next several months.

In 2019, the fi nal stage of the construc-tion of Green Diamond will begin, set to last 30 months. It will be the continu-ation of the concept the company has been following for multiple years already: “The best residential and working stand-ards for the country’s local population and its visitors is the paramount aim of our company”.

Taking into consideration the given factors, the company has launched a brand new concept – Smart Living, which is based on ameliorated standards applied in every aspect of life. The Green Dia-mond Residential Complex and its facil-ities represent the constituent of the given concept, offering everything needed for a comfortable and enjoyable life, far from the busy city, close to nature. Play-grounds, fi tness and recreational areas, children’s play parks, swimming pools, commercial areas – everything for the residents of Green Diamond to utilize without leaving the territory of the com-plex. Delighted clientele is the credo of Maqro Construction.

Maqro Construction is the constituent company of Maqro Group. With the total

size of investments carried out in Geor-gia, Maqro Group is one of the fi ve lead-ing investors. The value of the direct investments to the Georgian economy exceeds $270 million. The core spheres of operation of Maqro Group are con-struction and development, tourism and the hotel industry, furniture production and its retail and wholesale transactions, nutrition and restaurant industries.

In ongoing construction projects, Maqro Construction is included in the list of the top three companies. The residential complexes Green Budapest and Green Diamond, hotels Mercure Tbilisi Old Town and Ibis Styles Tbilisi Center, fur-niture enterprise Glorya Furniture and furniture salon Bellissa, home décor and perfumery brand Madam Coco stores, Dinehall restaurant – these are the suc-cessful projects the company has launched since 2013. Maqro Construction has completed the construction of one of the outstanding residential complexes Green Budapest, representing the cus-tomer oriented complex with the high quality works beeing carried out during the building process. The total invest-ment cost of the project counts to $48 million, while the total investment cost of Green Diamond exceeds $120 million.

Image source: Maqro Construction