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July 20, 2015 #2
July 20, 2015, Issue 2
BE INFORMED, DO BUSINESS IN AJARA
GEORGIA
EU Assists in Recovery of Degraded Forests in Ajara
AJARA1
Pg. 2
TURKEY
Creation of coalition in Turkey shouldn’t affect energy projects, says Erdogan Pg. 4
Turkey, Azerbaijan and Russia Georgia’s Top Trading Partners in 2014
RUSSIA
Central Bank of Russia names country’s 10 most important banks
Pg. 5
UKRAINE
US firm to construct liquefied gas terminal in Ukraine – Yatsenyuk Pg. 6 AZERBAIJAN
Azerbaijan introduces state control over tariffs in hotel business
Pg. 7
ARMENIA
Euromoney names Ardshinbank Best Bank in Armenia in 2015
Pg. 8
WORLD
Obama, Putin congratulate each other for Iran deal Pg. 9
Georgian Wine Invades Chinese Market
G
eorgia’s Agriculture Ministry is stepping up its promotion of the country’s wine and winemaking culture in China; with the unveiling of a promotional centre and winemaking house during an official visit of the Agriculture Ministry to China. The opening event for the centre, located in capital Beijing’s Nutrition and Alcohol Research Institute, was led by Minister Otar Danelia and included a presentation and tasting of Georgian products. The event was attended by China’s deputy agriculture minister, wine importers and industry representatives. Danelia said the centre aimed to promote Georgian culture and winemaking and contribute Georgia’s efforts to export its products to “strategic” markets. The centre will be led by vice president of the Institute, with a special coordinator contributing from Georgia. Pg. 9
Batumi Hosts Ajara Business Week’s Presentation
A
n official presentation of the Ajara Business Week (ABW), a new English-language business-economic weekly, was held at Hilton Hotel in Batumi, the Autonomous Republic
Pg. 3
of Ajara. The event was attended by representatives of the local business sector and the local government, interested audience and the media sector. The presentation was led by GEPRA consulting company’s senior partner Kakha Maghradze.
Specific Reasons for Which Oil Products Importers Will Pay 55 million GEL Fine
T
he national competition agency of Georgia has imposed a total of 55 million GEL fine on oil products importer companies and the owner of 5 major networks of fueling stations. Price collusion is named as a reason for forfeiting the companies. The competition agency head
Giorgi Barabadze told the July 15 news conference the fuels commodity market exploration has showed starting 2008 the companies had violated the competition protection principles. What specific principles have the companies violated and what are their plans regarding the penalty sanctions? Pg. 4
Food Production Costs, Tobacco Prices Rise in Georgia
T
monthly inflation rate. Latest data from Georgia’s National Statistics Office, Geostat, revealed a change in manufacturing prices in June 2015 had contributed to an increased Producer Price Index (PPI). Pg. 8
L
“The weakening of the lari is a “continuation of sabotage. Kadagidze’s actions led to the lari’s depreciation again,”- Mikheil Dundua, 2030 organization member, an economist, says commenting on the recent fall of the lari exchange rate. Pg. 4
he cost to manufacture food and to buy chemical products and tobacco are on the rise in Georgia, however prices of some food items are dropping thanks to a slight fall in the
Central Bank’s Policy Further Devalues the National Currency ast week, the Georgian lari gained some of its value against the major currencies, continued its fluctuations due to the National Bank’s actions, as some experts believe.
Mamia Berdzenishvili: Tourism Infrastructure Development in Ajara will Boost Competition and Balance Prices
Pg. 5
Ronny Solberg: A company is a Success, When it Demonstrates a Responsibility For the Country and the Society, in Which it Does Business
Pg. 6
Teona Baghdavadze: We Should Popularize Ajara Through Sea Resorts and Other Sectors Without Direct Relation With Sea Pg. 7 Giorgi Abramishvili: Only Tourism Sector Cannot Develop Ajara Region. We Should Also Strengthen Other Economic Segments
Pg. 7
Batumi Heats Up with Sanremo Stars’ Weekend
E
veryone’s favorite Italian singer Umberto Tozzi and the near-legendary Ricchi e Poveri graced the newly constructed stage on the Batumi Tennis Courts with their hit songs. “Heat Batumi 2015” moved to an active phase last weekend as 17th to 19th of July saw the Sanremo Stars’ days. The concerts were led by David Gomarteli, who by no mere coincidence is a lover of all things Italy, starting from the language and cuisine and ending with the music. This made him the perfect host for the weekend events. Ricchi e Poveri is an Italian pop singing group. They have recorded both in Italian and Spanish and the group had some of the most popular Italian songs. Pg. 11
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