Issue #1321

Issue no: 1321

• NOVEMBER 5 - 11, 2021 • PUBLISHED WEEKLY

PRICE: GEL 2.50

In this week’s issue...

COVID: New Cases & Fatalities Up, President Urges Mandatory Vaccination for Risk Groups NEWS PAGE 2

Iran Showing It Is Still a Power to Reckon With POLITICS PAGE 4

FOCUS

ON PROMOTING THE VACCINES

EU-supported countrywide information meetings on Covid-19 vaccination kick off in Tsalka

PAGE 8

The Local Self-Government Elections in Georgia

BY KETEVAN SKHIRTLADZE

ISET Business Confidence Index | Q4 2021: Recovery (Continued) ISET PAGE 7

Georgia Welcomes First Annual Screenwriting Residency, with Matt Dillon, Blerim Gjoci, Douglas Morris, NYU Professor Kenneth Friedman and More SOCIETY PAGE 9

Italian Taste by Chef Enzo Neri SOCIETY PAGE 10

Lecture-Concerts of Classical Music in Alternative Spaces CULTURE PAGE 11

O

n October 30, the second round of local self-government elections was held in Georgia in five selfgoverning cities, 15 municipalities, and 24 constituencies. Citizens had to elect 20 mayors and 42 majoritarian members of city councils.

As a result, the candidates of the Georgian Dream ruling party won in 14 out of 15 municipalities- in Tsalenjikha, Samegrelo, the candidate of the National Movement, Giorgi Kharchilava, defeated the candidate of the ruling team. This is the only self-governing community in the country where an opposition candidate won.

Kharchilava got 51.107% of the vote, and Georgian Dream candidate Goga Gulordava got 48.893%.

Continued on page 2

CULTURE PAGE 11 Prepared for Georgia Today Business by

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NEWS

GEORGIA TODAY

NOVEMBER 5 - 11, 2021

COVID: New Cases & Fatalities Up, President Urges Mandatory Vaccination for Risk Groups

BY TEAM GT

T

he epidemiological situation in Georgia remains concerning. Against the background of a very low vaccination rate, the recent elections and reactions to the results have led to mass gatherings of people becoming frequent, which further complicates the situation, even raising concerns that it might become uncontrollable in the near future.

At a special briefing held on Wednesday, President Salome Zurabishvili called on authorities to implement mandatory vaccination for high-risk groups, for Covid certificates to be a requirement in public areas, and for coronavirus treatment to be charged for if the patient is unvaccinated.

Following a meeting with the CatholicosPatriarch, she further called on the Georgian Orthodox Church to promote mass vaccination for parishioners and suppress anti-vaccine campaigning by some priests.

“I appeal to the government to take urgent and strict measures - mandatory vaccination for risk groups, introduction of a Covid passport for entering public spaces and even paid treatment for nonvaccinated people,” Zurabishvili said.

She also attended the sitting of the Coordination Council working on Covid issues on Thursday. The discussion lasted two hours.

THE VACCINE Health experts have also expressed con-

cerns about the current situation.

Speaking of the vaccination, Deputy Health Minister Tamar Gabunia said offering a universal booster jab is under discussion. Under the current rule, only people over 50 are eligible for a booster jab six months after their second vaccination.

On Thursday, head of the National Center for Disease Control, Amiran Gamkrelidze, spoke at a briefing about the effectiveness of the vaccine and presented an analysis of the March-September data of Georgia.

“In vaccinated individuals, the effectiveness of vaccine protection is 90%. The chance of infection in fully vaccinated persons is 9.87 less than in unvaccinated individuals. During this period, as of September 30, 814,851 people were fully vaccinated in the country, of which 11,403 were infected with Covid,” Gamkrelidze said.

He noted that a total of 53,767 people had been hospitalized in the country since March 15, and 1386 needed hospitalization after vaccination. The effectiveness of vaccination in terms of protection from hospitalization is 93.4%.

The need for intensive care in the fully vaccinated age group over 60 is 97.5% lower than in the unvaccinated, while the population aged 18-59 is said to be 99% protected from intensive care.

As for protection against lethality, a total of 5,469 people died in the country between March 15 and September 30. 98.95% of them were unvaccinated. In the 18-59 age group, in the case of fully vaccinated, mortality protection is 99.37%, while in the 60 and 60+ age groups, it is 97.8%.

The data includes all the vaccines available in the country.

THE STATISTICS Based on the current week’s Covid statistics, most of the new cases are being detected in Tbilisi, which is followed by the Imereti and Kakheti regions.

The country recorded 5553 coronavirus cases, 4223 recoveries, and 47 deaths on Tuesday. Georgian capital Tbilisi recorded the highest number of 1794 Covid-19 cases within 24 hours, followed by the Imereti region with 1189 cases, and the Kakheti region with 657 cases.

The country reported 6024 coronavirus cases, 3818 recoveries, and 49 deaths on Wednesday. Tbilisi recorded 2237 Covid19 cases, followed by Imereti with 1148 cases and Kakheti with 553 cases.

On Thursday, Georgia reported 5206 coronavirus cases, 4648 recoveries, and 53 deaths. Tbilisi recorded the highest number of 1885 Covid-19 cases within 24 hours, followed by the Imereti region with 979 cases, and the Kakheti region with 530 cases.

The daily test-positivity rate now stands at 10.71 %.

Georgia’s total case tally since the first case appeared in the country in February 2020, this week reached 738,171, among which 678,288 people recovered and 10,238 died.

As of November 4, 1,990.501 people in Georgia have received a Covid-19 vaccine, averaging around 3469 jabs a day.

THE CASES WORLDWIDE The global COVID death toll hit 5 mil-

lion this week.

The US, Brazil, India, Mexico and the UK account for over half of deaths in the Johns Hopkins University tally, The Guardian reports.

In the Asia-Pacific region, the World Health Organization granted an emergency use license Wednesday to a coronavirus vaccine developed in India. The UN health agency said in a statement that it had authorized Covaxin, made by India's Bharat Biotech. That makes Covaxin the eighth Covid-19 vaccine to receive WHO's green light. Covaxin was given emergencyuse authorization in India in January even before the completion of its late-stage trial, which later found the shot to be 78% effective against severe Covid-19. The vaccine is made using a an inactivated SARS-CoV-2 antigen to prompt an immune response, and is given in two doses.

RUSSIA The situation is particularly alarming in Georgia’s neighboring country Russia.

Vladimir Putin has said Russia may need the army’s help to build field hospitals for Covid patients, as officials battle rampant outbreaks that have led to a nationwide workplace shutdown, Reuters reports.

His remarks came as Russia reported 40,993 new Covid infections, its highest single-day case tally since the start of the pandemic.

EUROPE In its weekly report on the pandemic, the UN health agency said new cases jumped by 6% in Europe for the week of Oct. 25 to 31, compared to an 18%

increase the previous week. The weekly number of new infections in other regions either fell or remained about the same, the report said.

While the Czech Republic, Poland and other countries in Central and Eastern Europe have reported recent infection spikes, the continuing rise in confirmed cases across Europe has been driven mostly by: • The United Kingdom, with 285,028 new cases — a 14% decrease from a week earlier.

• Russia, with 272,147 new cases — a 9% increase.

• Turkey, with 182,027 new cases — an 8% decrease.

The highest number of deaths in the region were reported in: • Russia, with 7,938 reported deaths — a 9% increase.

• Ukraine, with 3,857 reported deaths — a 19% increase.

• Romania, with 3,072 deaths — a 6% increase.

UKRAINE “Several hundred people blocked traffic in the center of the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv on Wednesday in a protest against coronavirus restrictions and mandatory vaccinations which the government introduced to curb new infections. Vaccines have become mandatory for some state workers, and, in "red" zone areas, including Kyiv, only vaccinated people or those with negative Covid-19 test results are allowed into restaurants, gyms and on public transport,” reported the CBC News.

The Local Self-Government Elections in Georgia Continued from page 1 The united opposition said it did not recognize the results of the second round of elections, claiming the GD falsified the results, and called on their supporters to gather on 31 October in front of the Parliament building, where the opposition leaders presented their plan to hold a rally in Tbilisi on November 6.

According to Tbilisi mayoral candidate Nika Melia, in parallel with the rallies, they will appeal all election violations in the districts and then in the courts in order to go through full legal procedures.

As Melia says, the aim is to show the country’s Western partners that holding rallies is not the will and aim of the opposition, but are necessary due to the current situation.

EU Ambassador Carl Hartzell, in coordination with EU Heads of Mission, released a statement saying: “Following the first round, we stated that the reported

Democracy is a work in progress.

It requires dedication to the highest international standards and vigilance to ensure citizens’ rights and freedoms are protected

Image source: reginfo.ge

malpractices must not become a norm in Georgia. We deplore that these elections have been a missed opportunity in this respect. Despite a clear assessment by the international observers, meaningful steps were not taken to address key shortcomings. On the contrary, further shortcomings have emerged, especially in terms of misuse of administrative resources and violent rhetoric by Georgia’s political leaders, further fueling an already deep political polarization. Suggestions made before these elections that the central government would not cooperate with local councils, should they swing towards another majority, are of concern as they seek to restrict the electorate’s choice and to limit pluralism.

“We call on all parties to stay engaged in the electoral process. Public trust in its integrity requires an inclusive, credible, and transparent recounting process and fair adjudication of complaints and appeals. In this regard, the Central Election Commission and the courts have a key responsibility in the days ahead,” Hartzell wrote.

Former president of Georgia, Mikheil Saakashvili, assessed the local self-government elections and stated: “I am very angry and insulted, as all self-respecting Georgians should be. We had the elections stolen from us in every big city. We won this election and the group of bandits who usurped the Georgian government snatched this victory from us. They robbed

us and deprived us of our most basic right to be the masters of our own country.”

Several opposition MPs in the week following the election renounced their parliamentary mandates in protest at the results. Lelo for Georgia party leader Mamuka Khazaradze was the first to leave parliament following the announcement of election results. Saakashvili assessed his move as “very impressive” and called on other opposition MPs to follow his example.

“My advice would be for the patriots of this nation and my comrades to do as Mr. Khazaradze did and to leave the parliament and leave the ‘Dream’ alone with itself,” read his message from Rustavi prison.

Other MPs who refused their mandates are UNM members Levan Varshalomidze, Ani Tsitlidze, and Nona Mamulashvili, Tako Charkviani, and Girchi-More Freedom leader Zura Japaridze. Other opposition MPs are expected to follow their example. MP Elene Khoshtaria went on a hunger strike in parliament Thursday, saying "I will continue my hunger strike until Mikheil Saakashvili is taken to a civil clinic. I choose a peaceful protest. Other members of the opposition have different forms." Earlier in July, UNM Chairman Nika Melia renounced his mandate as he prepared for his mayoral candidacy.

Chairman of the Georgian Dream Irakli Kobakhidze states the ruling party convincingly won the local elections. “The

most problematic aspect of this election, which all international observers noted, was the very high degree of polarization and the highly polarized media environment. It is our duty to change this situation qualitatively before the next elections.

I believe this was the last polarized election in Georgia, and the next, 2024 parliamentary elections, will be held in a much healthier environment, amid a healthy political debate around election programs,” Kobakhidze said.

The US Embassy in Georgia released a statement on the second round of elections, noting that they share the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights’ (ODIHR) assessment that the elections were generally calm and welladministered.

“We share ODIHR’s assessment that the elections were generally calm and well-administered, but allegations of intimidation and pressure on voters persisted, and continued polarization, coupled with the escalation of negative rhetoric, adversely affected the process.

Sharp imbalances of resources and the undue advantage of incumbency further tilted the playing field. ODIHR also noted concerns with the persistent practice of representatives of observer organizations acting as party supporters, at times interfering with the process, and groups of individuals potentially influencing voters outside some polling stations.

While ODIHR found that the CEC organ-

Image source: ghn.ge

ized the second round in a professional and transparent manner, concerns over the impartiality of the lower-level election commissions persisted. US Embassy election observation teams witnessed similar interference and bias at several precincts.

“As these elections have shown, democracy is a work in progress. It requires dedication to the highest international standards and vigilance to ensure citizens’ rights and freedoms are protected. Some of the reforms enacted by Georgia’s political leaders through an inclusive, multiparty process earlier this year, such as automatic recounts and electronic vote counting, largely succeeded in increasing the transparency of the voting process,” reads the US Embassy statement.

The winner of the Tbilisi election for mayor, Kakha Kaladze, thanked all the people who trusted and voted for him.

“The main principle for me is that I am a mayor for absolutely everyone. I have stated several times that for me Tbilisi is not divided into my own and other people’s. This approach has not existed since 2017 and so I plan to continue my work this way. I will be a mayor for everyone and I am ready to use the enthusiasm, energy, knowledge, and experience of each person to make Tbilisi the greenest, most comfortable, healthy, and orderly city. To achieve these goals, the involvement and activity of every Tbilisian is needed,” Kaladze said.

POLITICS

GEORGIA TODAY NOVEMBER 5 - 11, 2021

3

Georgia - One of 120 Countries Showing an Interest in Battling Climate Change

Prime Minister of Georgia Irakli Garibashvili with (left) UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and (right) SecretaryGeneral of the United Nations António Guterres, at COP26

BY TEAM GT

T

he Prime Minister of Georgia, Irakli Garibashvili, published a post on his Facebook page thanking the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Boris Johnson, and the Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres, for their efforts, in spite of pandemic, to bring more than 120 world leaders together for the climate this week.

“I had the honor to participate on behalf of Georgia in the 26th UN Summit of World Leaders on Climate Change 2021, held in Glasgow,” the PM wrote. “I thank the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Boris Johnson, and the Secretary-General

of the United Nations, António Guterres, for their efforts to bring together more than 120 world leaders in the wake of the pandemic.

“Climate change is a global challenge that cannot be tackled without joint efforts. We owe it to ourselves to work together,” the post reads.

He participated in the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) held on November 1-2 in Glasgow, along with other world leaders, who over the two days agreed on two important advances on climate change, promising to curb methane emissions by 30% by 2030, and agreeing on a deal to end deforestation by 2030.

A total of over 100 countries have now joined the US and EU’s ‘Global Methane Pledge’ to cut methane emissions by 30% by 2030.

Methane is a strong greenhouse gas which has

Opera Soloist Giorgi Todua On a Dream of Returning to His Home in Abkhazia

higher heat trapping potential than carbon dioxide.

Methane takes 20 years to break down, as opposed to hundreds of years for the number one greenhouse gas, carbon dioxide, which means that cutting methane emissions can have a rapid impact on global warming. If met, the pledge could prevent 0.2 degrees of warming by mid-century, which in turn fulfils the 2015 Paris climate Agreement. China, Russia, and India did not sign the pledge, although they are among the top five methane emitters. Skepticism remains high as to transparency and accountability, however, as members of the alliance are not required to set individual targets for reducing their emissions.

Further results this week saw over 100 world leaders promising to end and reverse deforestation by 2030. Countries such as Canada, Russia, Brazil, Indonesia, and many more will endorse the Glasgow Leaders’ Declaration on Forest and Land Use. Together, they account for 85% of the world’s forests. Brazil, now infamous for the huge loss of stretches of the Amazon rainforest, was among the signatories on Tuesday.

Deforestation contributes to climate change because it reduces the number of trees absorbing the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide.

28 governments also committed to removing deforestation from the global trade of food and other agricultural products, such as palm oil, soya and cocoa. These industries impact forest loss by cutting down trees to make space for animals to graze or crops to grow.

The deforestation reduction pledge includes almost $19.2bn of public and private funds, some of which will go to developing countries to restore damaged land, tackle wildfires and support indigenous communities.

Mane experts welcomed the pledge, but warned the last deal made in 2014 had failed to slow deforestation at all. It is also uncertain how governments would be held accountable, as, although national laws would be needed to guarantee the agreement is upheld, none have yet been announced.

“Delegates on Wednesday focused on how to get

private finance working with public sector funding to boost global investment and nature-positive technology, innovation, and infrastructure projects in a bid to ensure Climate Change funding and adaptation,” impakter.com reported. “More than 30 of the world's biggest financial companies, including Aviva, Schroders and Axa, have also promised to end investment in activities linked to deforestation. And a $1.5bn fund will be established to protect the world's second largest tropical rainforest - in the Congo Basin.”

A survey conducted by the Regional Environmental Center for the Caucasus within the EU4Climate program implemented by the UN Development Program in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine, found the following results in Georgia last year: • 97.6% of respondents have heard about climate change.

• 91.35% think that climate change is real and poses threats to humanity.

• 25.9% of Georgia’s population believe that international organizations will be able to manage the consequences of climate change.

• The majority of respondents think that climate change is more important than international terrorism and armed conflicts (57.9%).

• 36.19% believe they can do nothing to tackle climate change (among them, women: 41.4%, men: 30.1%).

• Global warming and draughts (96.11%), disasters (92.84%), melting glaciers and warming ocean (91.83%) are considered as negative effects of climate change.

• 86.7% of Georgia’s population are aware that energy efficiency measures can reduce their monthly expenses, and 7.9% believes that energy efficiency measures do not affect their monthly expenses.

The data was collected by face-to-face interviews with 1100 respondents in urban and rural settlements across the country in August and September 2020.

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INTERVIEW BY GISP

I

t is my homeland I came back to, and not the ‘Republic of Abkhazia’, said Mariinsky Opera House soloist Giorgi Todua after a concert in occupied Gali in 2018. Since then, Todua has not been able to return to his homeland - after he spoke those words to Georgian media outlet LivePress, and gave clear answers to several of their questions, the de facto government of Sokhumi named the incident a provocation.

Giorgi's concert in Gali was his father's dream, and he dedicated it to his father, calling the performance: “Father, I'm back home.” The opera singer says that under the agreement, there should have been no talk of politics that day, but sometimes “there comes a time when specific questions need

to be answered.”

Todua spoke to Gisp.ge about whether he hopes to return to Gali again, how he remembers the scandalous concert of his father’s dreams, and what he sees as the key to resolving the situation between Abkhazians and Georgians.

YOU HAVE NOT BEEN BACK TO GALI, YOUR CHILDHOOD HOME, FOR THREE YEARS. HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THAT AND DO YOU HOPE TO BE ABLE TO GO BACK AGAIN? Of course, I hope so – hope has lived on since my childhood, since the moment we left Abkhazia. I think we’ll go back to our native land and stay there.

Of course, it’s difficult when you can’t get to your own home, nor see your relatives. I expect that feeling is the same for all Georgians.

Continued on page 6

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4

POLITICS

GEORGIA TODAY

NOVEMBER 5 - 11, 2021

Iran Showing It Is Still a Power to Reckon With

BY EMIL AVDALIANI

F

or the second year in a row, the South Caucasus is seeing tensions as regional powers scramble for influence in a region which is increasingly important energywise and an interconnector between Europe and Central Asia. And for the second year in a row, the West is notably absent. In 2020, Europe and the US were idle at best in addressing the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Now, the West is being distracted from Azerbaijan-Iran tensions, which might have wider ramifications for future re-alignment in the South Caucasus.

Iran is motivated in its behavior by the growing Israeli factor in South Caucasus affairs, and especially its growing security and military ties with Azerbaijan. Some reference to extremists near the Iranian borders was also voiced, with a hint toward the alleged dispatch of fighters from Syria to Nagorno-Karabakh in 2020.

The tensions also followed a growing number of drills held by the Azerbaijani army recently near the strategic Lachin corridor which connects the separatist region to Armenia and the Caspian Sea. But the real reasons behind the Islamic Republic’s activist behavior in the region could lie in the longterm strategic changes which have taken place as a result of Armenia’s defeat and Azerbaijan’s victory. Iran has been sidelined. Its diplomatic initiatives did not work, and it is being pushed away from the post conflict environment.

To be sure, Iran has never been a dominant power in the South Caucasus. It has not even, unlike Russia or Turkey, had a true ally. Iran was a part of the calculus of each regional state, but was hardly as feared as Russia or Turkey. Nevertheless, Tehran

Image source: Daily Sabah

views the South Caucasus as part of its sphere of geopolitical influence based on millennia of close political and cultural contacts.

Forswearing its ambitions in the South Caucasus might not be suicidal to Iran’s ambitions in the Middle East, but it will certainly be harmful enough to impact Iran’s position, prestige, and ties with Russia, and undermine the simple strategic logic of not allowing foreign powers near its frontiers.

No wonder then that Iran ratcheted up tensions with Azerbaijan. First, it served the aim of partially restoring the image of the Islamic Republic in the

geopolitics of the South Caucasus. But it was also a thinly-veiled threat to Turkey that its growing ambitions, and indeed practical moves made since the 2020 war, threaten Iran’s position.

For Iran, the Turkish moves are disrupting the very foundations of the status quo which was prevalent in the South Caucasus from the 1990s.

Ankara is also looking at the Caspian basin and even Central Asian region. To expect Turkey to become a major power there is an overstretch, but it nevertheless worries Tehran, as the agreement signed among the Caspian littoral states in 2018

specifically stipulates no external power should be militarily involved in the region.

The Caspian Sea has always been regarded by Iranians as an exclusive zone shared first with the Russian Empire, later the Soviets, and presently the Russian Federation. Other littoral states play a minor role. This makes the Turkish moves in the basin and the recent improvement of ties between Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan rather an unpleasant development for Tehran – fewer roadblocks to the Trans-Caspian Pipiline threatens the Islamic Republic’s ability to prevent the project from happening.

This is where Iranian views align almost squarely with those of the Kremlin. Both fear Turkish progress, and the new Iranian leadership could lean strongly toward Russia. Resisting Turkey on its own would be tough, but together with Moscow much easier. Russia might facilitate Iran having a greater voice in South Caucasus affairs as a blocking tool against Ankara.

The Azerbaijani-Iranian tensions, and Tehran’s underlying discontent about Turkey’s resurging position, show the limits of cooperation in the South Caucasus. An increasingly fractured region is being pulled apart by the greater powers around it. This state of affairs essentially dooms the prospects of pan-regional peace and cooperation initiatives. Take the latest effort by Russia and Turkey to introduce a 3+3 platform with Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and the three larger powers. Existing disagreements will eventually preclude any meaningful progress, especially as Georgia fears being dragged onto the platform and dealing with Russia, which has occupied 20% of its sovereign territory.

Thus, tensions between Iran and Azerbaijan and by extension Turkey will be recurrent. Regional shifts indicate that Iran has to take some kind of initiative, lest it loses completely its position to Turkey and Russia.

Embassy of Israel & MASHAV Donate Stateof-the-Art Israeli Greenhouse to the Georgian Agricultural Scientific Research Center cation, entrepreneurship, healthcare, women’s empowerment etc.).

The handover ceremony was attended by the Ambassador of Israel to Georgia, Ran Gidor, Deputy Minister of Environment Protection and Agriculture, Solomon Pavliashvili, and Deputy Chair of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources Committee Khatia Tsilosani.

Next year, both countries will celebrate 30 years of bilateral diplomatic relations, and it is hoped that this agricultural demonstration hub will develop into one of its most outstanding landmarks.

Coming T Soon Say Hello To Ramada By Wyndham Old Tbilisi

he Embassy of Israel & MASHAV (Israel’s International Development Cooperation Agency) this week donated a state-of-the-art Israeli greenhouse to the Georgian Agricultural Scientific Research Center.

The handover was the first step in implementing a long-term vision of turning the Center into a regional Israeli agro-technology demonstration and training hub for the entire region. Agronomists and experts from Israel, Georgia, and neighboring countries will have the opportunity to share training, knowledge and experience with each other.

The state-of-art greenhouse is equipped with ventilation, fertilization and drip irrigation systems.

The next phase will see the introduction of Israeli hydroponics technology (an innovative method for cultivating crops without soil) to the Center.

MASHAV is the International Cooperation Development Agency of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Israel, which was launched in Georgia in 1992, shortly after the opening of the Embassy. To date, more than 1600 specialists from Georgia have received professional MASHAV training - both in Israel and Georgia – in a wide spectrum of disciplines (agriculture, innovation & technology, edu-

POLITICS

GEORGIA TODAY NOVEMBER 5 - 11, 2021

5

Black Sea Security and Georgian Coastal Defense

A Lekiu-class frigate firing an Exocet MM40 during operational exercise Taming Sari. These anti-ship missiles are specially designed to hit and sink enemy vessels. Royal Malaysian Navy photo

BY MICHAEL GODWIN

M

uch of the legacy of naval warfare is filled with the imagery of large, tall, wooden ships dueling with incredible volleys of ship-mounted cannon and musket fire, concluding with boarding and a clash of sword and spirit. These close range engagements are what made the legends of some of the world’s greatest naval leaders. John Paul Jones, Horatio Nelson, Chester Nimitz, and Karl Dönitz, to name a few, were undoubtable masters of the sea. Now, with new antiship missile (ASM) technology, the shipon-ship combat seen during the times of these aforementioned heroes is something relegated to the past.

Much of Georgian modern naval supremacy in the Black Sea has been consigned to that of a dream. After the elimination of the Georgian Navy in the 2008 August War, the remaining vessels were reformed into a coastal patrol force.

The Russian invasion in Crimea and a build-up of their Black Sea Fleet has only been lightly checked by NATO naval patrols coming through to conduct exercises with Turkey and Georgia. Despite this assistance, it is glaringly imperative that Georgia take its naval defense and security seriously.

The Georgian Coast Guard, a branch of the Ministry of Internal Affairs’ Border Police department, is charged with the defense of the nation's shores. Sadly, this organization has the inglorious business of fending off any potential incursion. With their inadequate firepower and vessel numbers, this will most certainly be an effort in vain.

After decades of NATO and Georgian involvement in the Global War on Terrorism, much has been invested in ground combat. Fighting the enemy and their proxy forces in small villages and towns, destroying hostile armor, and scrambling electronic systems during the assault.

The strength and will of the Georgian ground defense forces and accompanying popular militia may even halt or at least stall an overland invasion of the country.

However, in the near-future event of further Russian aggression or any other

act of naval aggression, it is doubtful that the Coast Guard would be able to resist the onslaught of their Black Sea Fleet.

The primary port of Sevastopol contains the core of their attack vessels, and, as of early 2021, this extensive force is compiled, though not exclusively, of: • 1 guided missile cruiser (Moskva) • 5 guided missile frigates (Admiral Grigorovich, Admiral Essen, Admiral Makarov, Pytlivy, Ladny) • 11 missile corvettes (Grayvoron, Ingushetia, Orekhovo-Zuyevo, Vyshny Volochyok, Bora, Samum, R-60 Burya, R-109 Briz, R-334 Ivanovets, R-239 Naberezhnye Chelny, and the R-71 Shuya) • 3 anti-submarine corvettes (Muromets, Suzdalets, Aleksandrovets) • 1 diesel submarine (Alrosa, though she is slated to be transferred to the Russian Baltic Fleet) • 6 minesweepers (Ivan Antonov, Vladimir Yemelyanov, Ivan Golubets, Vice Admiral Zhukov, Turbinist, Kovrovet) • 6 intelligence collection ships (Ivan Khurs, Priazovye, Donuzlav, Stvor, Ekvator, Kildin) • 3 amphibious transport docks (Nikolay Filchenkov, Saratov, Orsk) • 4 naval landing ships (Novocherkassk, Azov, Caesar Kunikov, Yamal) • 4 military cargo ships (Dvinitsa-50, Vologda-50, Kyzyl-60, Kazan-60) This represents only the forces assigned to Sevastopol, and does not include the additional naval forces assigned to the regional port bases of Feodosia and Temryuk. The Novorossiysk naval base also provides another litany of naval assault and support forces, making the threat all too real for Georgian coastal defense units. To further complicate matters, the garrison of Russian S-400 missile batteries outside of the Crimean regional capitol city makes the Black Sea all that more of a potential flashpoint.

All of these combined factors highlight the pressing need for a coastal defense solution that is effective for both the military tasked with national defense and for the Georgian taxpayer. While the dreams of a new Georgian Navy may lie on the distant horizon in restored and updated American and European warships, the near-future solution lies in land-based defense. Coastal artillery batteries and anti-ship ordinance make

quite the case in this realm.

Traditional coastal artillery in the form of large-bore guns housed in immense concrete bunkers are mostly relegated to the past. Modern penetrating munitions delivered by both naval and air platforms have overcome this once stalwart defense by rendering the reinforced concrete positions obsolete as well as prohibitively expensive. Georgia, looking at some of the naval tensions in the Pacific and Indian Oceans, can gain some valuable insight as well as technologies.

Several of the leading ASM systems used by NATO present themselves as ready and viable candidates for a new coastal artillery unit of the Georgian military. While there is a litany of solutions for land-based ASM systems, two of the most fitting for application in western Georgia are the RGM-84 Harpoon ASM and the EXOCET MM40 Block 3 Coastal Defense System. These systems, both in use with Georgia’s allied

navies, offer a significant strategic littoral deterrent.

The Harpoon missile, named for its historical whale-hunting weapon system, is an older generation in the family tree of ASM platforms. Developed and later deployed during the 1970s, it became the fleet-wide ASM for both ship-mounted, aircraft-mounted, and land-based platforms. With more modern upgraded versions reaching out to almost 150 nautical miles (172.6 land miles), this platform has been in almost constant use around the world.

The EXOCET missile, manufactured

by European defense firm MBDA missile systems, has made waves in the ASM field. With a significant operational history, particularly during the Falklands War against the British Royal Navy, these once had a home in the former Georgian Navy. The current version being used across the globe by over 30 navies and air forces has a maximum range of average 110 nautical miles (126.6 land miles).

These ASMs are “over the horizon” capable, meaning that these munitions are able to be delivered to long-range targets that would otherwise be unable to be engaged by traditional artillery or shoulder-fired weapons. This long engagement distance is coupled with their “sea skimming” flight technique.

This technique involves the ASM flying between 2 to 50 meters above the surface of the water, evading the radar and defense systems of the target vessel. When approaching a target vessel at this low altitude, the target ship is often only given under one minute to respond to the threat once detected.

Both of these ASM systems are fully available for coastal batteries, and capable of being organized into the Georgian defense force framework. This implementation is a relatively simple undertaking given the typical complexity associated with the raising of new military units. In addition, the Georgian coast lends itself to a natural defense.

The curvature of the coastline and the strategic location of key cities makes the placement of coastal artillery ASM batteries easy. Each battery would be responsible for a particular sector of the Georgian littoral region. Batumi, Kobuleti, Poti, and Anaklia posts make the eastern Black Sea a “kill zone”, to use the tactical term, of overlapping fields of control.

At the battery level, each unit comprises

four major components; The radar/sensor unit, the control unit, and 2 missile firing units. The radar/sensor unit is tasked with target acquisition and surveillance of the target area. The Control Unit is the overall command element for the combined unit, making firing commands, and managing and supervising the combined unit. The 2 missile firing units are the ASM components of the combined unit, responsible for upkeep and launching the ASMs. Each missile company has its own organic maintenance detachment for routine repairs and field troubleshooting.

Each combined unit is a vehiclemounted and highly mobile coastal defense asset. Elements maintain 8 loaded and staged ASMs with resupply being handled at the battalion level to ensure ASMs are ready to be reinstalled. Together, these coastal ASM batteries ensure that any circumvention of the overland invasion route by way of the Black Sea would be a fatal decision.

Each battery at the aforementioned locations would be under the leadership of a captain or major, the NATO equivalent of an O-3 or O-4, while the ASM battalion would fall under the equivalent of an O-5, or Lieutenant Colonel. This headquarters would be stationed alongside the coast or as far inland as Kutaisi.

These command and control elements would be integrated into the force-wide Command, Control, Computers, Communication, Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (C4ISR) digital framework. The data gathered from the radar/sensor units would allow command staff to anticipate any littoral threat and react with deliberate prevention and area denial tactics.

A project of this magnitude will surely find its detractors. The breadth, complexity, training and maintenance considerations, and the inevitable cost, will all require deep examination by the nation’s leaders and military experts.

Contrarily, the opportunity to partner with European and American defense firms further links Georgia with NATO and Western spheres, a positive for all facets of Georgian statehood. All of these will need to be weighed with consideration of the security of the nation, the budget of the total defense framework, and the combined mission that stands against continued aggression and subversion by the Kremlin.

A Harpoon missile is launched from the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Shiloh (CG 67) during a live-fire exercise. By Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Kevin V. Cunningham/U.S. Navy

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POLITICS

GEORGIA TODAY

NOVEMBER 5 - 11, 2021

The Choice is Made – Now What?

OP-ED BY NUGZAR B. RUHADZE

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one! Time to have an incisive look at how promising this electoral outcome might be. That the nation is split and totally polarized is not in doubt, and any discussion on the topic has been rendered totally irrelevant. Having prioritized the most salient national issues, the hottest among them seems to be what particular good ensues after the ruling party has won another election, I think the eighth in the row. Another subject of our national headache is how not to let the extant flagrant animosity between the ruling and oppositional sides ruin the country.

And the third problem stuck up our national nose is whether the remainingin-power political force can manage to carry on building the ailing economy so well that we pay off our debts, and don’t borrow more, and let every breadwinner of this nation bring the bacon home without too much sweat and that proverbial pain in the neck.

The opposition is, of course, not prepared to recognize the results of the October 30 municipal elections- such is their nature and their perpetual political tendency! They declared the elections null and void, while the ruling party elatedly celebrated a landslide victory. Who might be the judges in this kind of a

public controversy? I call it public because each side has its considerable chunk of the country’s electorate. The opposition has strengthened itself by uniting forces, and although the individual parties, comprising the amalgamated oppositional force, hate each other vehemently, they still want to be together because otherwise they will never see anything even close to victory.

Georgia needs judges to voice the final electoral verdict. The pleasure and honor in that task belong to our valuable inter-

national observers, their excellences the ambassadors, accredited in Tbilisi, and to our appreciated western friends who are in the swim of our electoral matters.

I have a little observation to make here: none of these professionals should beat around the diplomatic bush as they so often do. Diplomacy has nothing to do with the overstrained situation in this country. They have to make the clearest and the loudest comments on whether the election was fair, free, and transparent or not, and they must do this in such

a stentorian voice that the entire world hears it. Auxiliary words like ‘but, though, and still’ make no sense in this particular case of electoral evaluations. The words of the observers must be straight and cutting; their attitude decidedly unhesitant; and their verdict should be final and not subject to further discourse.

Anything short of this will ruin Georgia, and the observers’ shoulders will be the only place to put the blame for that ruin.

Only having made and heard that judgment will we Georgians be able to embark

on a detailed deliberation of the issues mentioned at the beginning of this nervous piece. Otherwise, we will forever be plunged into public chaos, political delirium and economic debilitation. Who needs that? None of the parties – be it the current government, its opposition, or our friends in the West, or in the East either, for that matter.

Georgia cannot and should not waste any more time. We have been wasting it for thirty something post-soviet years.

It is very easy to blame the revolutions, irrational changes, governments and various individuals for destroying the future of Georgia, but such incriminations have yet to yield anything good for the nation. We simply don’t let the elected governments rule; never giviving them a respite to think and actually work. My reasonable fear is that, even with our long and bitter experience, we are not ready to give each other a chance. It is so funny that the opposition wants to persuade people that their coming to power would be a panacea that would put Georgia on the right track of development. I can assure both the tellers of the story and the listeners that all of us are made of the same national clay and soul. Our only chance is to finally grant a mandate and an opportunity to the elected government.

Dear Observers, please give us that chance. Just say frankly, forthwith, openly, and at full volume – what kind of an election was that?

Opera Soloist Giorgi Todua On a Dream of Returning to His Home in Abkhazia Continued from page 3

DESPITE A PROMISE FOR YOUR 2018 CONCERT NOT TO GET POLITICAL, DID YOU EXPECT TO HAVE TO TAKE A STAND IN ONE WAY OR ANOTHER ON THE ISSUE RAISED? DID YOU EXPECT TO HAVE THE REACTION THAT FOLLOWED? When the concert was planned, I decided from the very beginning that I would avoid talking to journalists as much as possible, but, unfortunately, or fortunately, there are moments when specific questions are asked which need to be answered.

YOU SAY "UNFORTUNATELY OR FORTUNATELY". IF YOU COULD GO BACK TO THAT INTERVIEW, WOULD YOU CHANGE THE POSITION YOU TOOK? I have taken this position all my life, and I voice it whenever I have the opportunity to, or when there is a need to do so.

Do I regret that interview? There are certain moments I regret in life and others I never regret. But there are specific questions that require specific answers.

You can try to avoid some questions, but when you are asked what you think about a situation, in my opinion, you should answer from the heart.

AFTER THE CONCERT, YOUR UNCLE APOLOGIZED FOR YOUR POSITION. DID YOU HEAR A LOT OF HARSH FEEDBACK ABOUT IT AFTER RETURNING TO RUSSIA? Of course. I expected it. I read some comments, then got some calls, even from Abkhazia, but I had to adapt to it.

There’ll always be people who like your opinion, others who won’t. In my opinion, given the circumstances, this is completely normal. After a while it calmed down, but there were times after when they called me, asked me questions, wrote to me referring to that interview. Even in Russia, I have met many people who supported me in my statement, but there are also people who thought I shouldn’t have done it. I think

everyone has a right to their own opinion, and I made my own decision in the moment.

YOU HAVE SAID THAT ARGUING OVER ABKHAZIA, OVER WHOSE IT IS, PREVENTS RELATIONS FROM EVER BEING FIXED. WHAT SHOULD THE MAIN APPROACH BE FOR TALKS TO BE EFFICIENT? WHAT IS THE ROLE OF PUBLIC DIPLOMACY IN THIS? There should always be arguments, but they should be focused. The debate over who owns the land, the territory itself, and the fact that we are constantly shouting about it and saying, "ours" or "yours", can be talked about endlessly. The moment we declare that land is ours, we forget the main factor – the people, both Georgians and Abkhazians, and those who live in Abkhazia today. In my opinion, we need to establish more communication with these people in order to share views, no matter how bad those views may sound for us or for them.

YEARS HAVE PASSED AND NO TANGIBLE STEPS IN THIS DIRECTION HAVE BEEN SEEN. YEARS OF SUCH INACTION ONLY SEPARATE US FURTHER. If there is inaction, of course, that will separate us. I have been in touch with young Abkhazians and I know the situation in which they have to study, what they are being taught; that they are considered enemies. And this is not surprising, because an unthinkable tragedy has taken place in the country - brothers shot each other, we killed one another, of course, with the intervention of external forces. However, a certain period of time must pass for this to be properly analyzed, for which a relationship is necessary again with the people who live there today. If this relationship does not exist, of course, the existing problem and issue will not be resolved.

WITH 20% OF GEORGIAN TERRITORY OCCUPIED BY RUSSIA, PEOPLE WHO TAKE PART IN CONCERTS OR

PERFORMANCES IN RUSSIA ARE OFTEN CONSIDERED TRAITORS TO GEORGIA. IN ONE INTERVIEW, YOU MENTIONED YOU SEE THIS AS RADICALISM. WHAT APPROACH SHOULD GEORGIANS TAKE TO THOSE ARTISTS LIKE YOU WHO PERFORM IN RUSSIA SO AS TO NEITHER FORGET THE OCCUPATION NOR FALL TO RADICALISM? When an artist performs outside of Georgia, in this case in Russia, how can it be forgotten that part of our territory is occupied? I think more actors, singers, public figures, whoever they may be, should come and show their position [in Russia]. It will have more of an impact than staying at home and saying, "I will not leave," "I will not go there," "I will do nothing- I will be at home and shout from here at the top of my lungs that my territories are occupied". When you work and do something for the good of your country, and at the same time you are called an enemy, it is ridiculous, if not a tragedy.

YOU HAVE SAID YOU ARE ALWAYS INTERESTED TO SEE ABKHAZIAN NUMBERPLATES ON CARS IN ST. PETERSBURG, AND THAT YOU TRY TO GET TO KNOW THE OWNERS. WHAT ATTITUDES DO THEY TEND TO HAVE TOWARDS GEORGIANS? About 4-5 years ago, I was sitting in a Georgian restaurant with my friends.

We stayed until late and three young people came in. They sat down a little away from our table, began eating, and were enjoying themselves like us. Then we started singing the Megrelian "Asho Chela". They joined us, and turned out to be Abkhazians. We got to know each other. I won’t say that we had constant contact after that, but we got in touch from time to time. We didn’t talk about the difficult political situation between us. We were adults and saw it that we were relatives, brothers and sisters. Anyone who understands this will look at this problem a little differently. Too many

Abkhazian friends who have relatives left in other parts of Georgia cannot visit each other for some reason, and the same goes for Georgians, as well.

When communicating with each other, willingly or unwillingly, you also touch on the conflict. But this is such a delicate topic that you have to approach it so that the relationship that began when you met the person is not damaged right away. In order to make people understand your point of view, you must first get to know to each other. If we go straight to aggression and start arguing about whose Abkhazia is and "why you are there and we are not", then the dialogue will simply not develop. Where there is no dialogue and no relationship, no truth can be found.

TELL US WHAT YOU REMEMBER ABOUT LIVING IN GALI. When the war started, I was three-anda-half years old. I remember our beautiful yard, the orchard. My grandparents were alive then, and I remember how they cared for us, how we grew up in a warm environment. I remember our relationship with the neighbors. I remember going to kindergarten for the first time. I remember everything well. Years passed and I visited Abkhazia again at the age of 14-15, and saw a completely different picture of what was happening there.

YOU HAVE THREE CHILDREN. HOW WOULD YOU LIKE THE FUTURE TO BE FOR THEM? They are still young. My eldest son Mate is 4, Ramaz is 3 and Meriko is a year and a half. This year we managed to come to Georgia for about 20 days. I always try to raise them with the Georgian spirit, to teach them how to respect their relatives and elders, to learn about

the world in detail. Then, when they grow up, of course, I will talk [about Abkhazia] and try to explain everything.

Their mother is Russian, Siberian, but she is very interested in Georgian culture. She studied Georgian reading and writing and is also very interested in us, as a Georgian family, returning to our homeland and moving to Georgia.

In my opinion, the biggest step for my children in being Georgian will be for them to study and live there.

DO YOU PLAN TO COME BACK TO GEORGIA IN THE FUTURE? HAVE YOU HAD AN OFFER TO PERFORM HERE SINCE COMPLETING YOUR EDUCATION HERE? When I finished musical school in Russia, I came to Tbilisi in 2005 and met Nodar Andghuladze. It was a real pleasure for me. I was in Tbilisi for exactly eight years, and I realized that the city of my dreams, my country, where I should live and study, and then continue my work, was Georgia. I didn’t want to go anywhere else. Unfortunately, as soon as I got my Master's Degree, I had to go back to Russia. Ever since, I have been thinking every day how to get back to my homeland.

It would be very easy to take my whole family and come to Georgia, but due to the social situation, there are no conditions for me to live there just yet. I’m not a person who looks for luxury, in fact, I avoid it, and I really want to live in Georgia, but so far it just hasn’t worked out. I don’t see any support from the Georgian side, and, to tell you the truth, I don’t ask for it - I consider myself an independent person and I always try to do everything by myself. But unfortunately, my return does not seem to be a realistic possibility just yet.

BUSINESS

GEORGIA TODAY NOVEMBER 5 - 11, 2021

ISET Business Confidence Index | Q4 2021: Recovery (Continued)

A

fter significant increase in the previous quarter, BCI has decreased by 5.8, compared to Q3 2021, and reached 30.6 index points for Q4 2021. Expectations in the Georgian private sector have decreased by 12.9 index points, reaching 32.3. As for the business performance over the past three months, it has almost halved, reaching 28.7 points, indicating a downturn in production, turnover, and sales.

Compared to the previous quarter, the Sales Price Expectation Index has increased significantly, showing growth

in the market share of business owners who expect higher sales prices.

Compared to Q3 2021, BCI increased in retail trade (+20.9), manufacturing (+9.8) and financial sectors (+6.7), while it decreased in construction (-21.0), service (-15.3), and agriculture (-8.8) sectors.

Business confidence for the 4th quarter of 2021 has decreased by 6.9 index points for large companies and by 0.2 for SMEs.

PAST PERFORMANCE Businesses’ Past Performance Index, which shows the development of businesses' production, turnover, and sales in the past 3 months, decreased significantly compared to Q3 of 2021 and reached 28.7 for Q4 2021. It should be noted that until Q3 2021, the Past Performance Index remained negative for 5 consecutive quarters. The biggest deterioration for Q4 2021 was observed in agriculture (-34.9) sector, followed by the service (-30.2), manufacturing (-20.0), and financial (-3.7) sectors.

Business activities in past 3 months have deteriorated for both, large businesses and SMEs. For large firms, the index decreased by 20.4 points and reached 35.9. For SMEs, the same indicator decreased by 3.5 and settled at -6.1 index points.

EXPECTATIONS The Expectations Index decreased by 12.9 index points for Q4 2021 and settled at 32.3. Prospects for the next three months have worsened for all sectors except for the financial (+27.5) and retail trade (+14.4) sectors. The highest decrease is observed in construction (-57.4), and agriculture (-42.5) sectors.

Business expectations have deteriorated for large firms (-16.3) and improved for SMEs (+4.6).

64% of the surveyed businesses do not expect any changes in employment over the next three months, 7%

of firms stated that they would hire fewer employees in the future, and 28% think that they would hire more.

40% of the firms surveyed expect the economic condition of their businesses to improve over the next three months.

42% do not predict any changes, and 17% of businesses believe their business conditions will worsen.

SALES PRICE EXPECTATIONS The Sales Price Expectations Index increased significantly from 18.4 points (in Q3 2021) to 44.1 points for Q4 2021.

The index increased for all sectors, with biggest change in retail trade (+56.0) and construction (+32.7) sectors. The overall Sales Price Expectations Index has increased for both large companies and SMEs. Around 42% of all firms surveyed intend to increase their prices over the next three months. 7% of firms expect to decrease prices, and the remaining 51% will not change their prices in the near future.

For Q4 2021, limited access to financing and a lack of demand continues to be most significant obstacles for SMEs. Meanwhile, together with the lack of demand, shortage of qualified labour force is indicated as a major constraint by large companies.

It should be noted that the present BCI results may be overestimated, as the survey only covers businesses currently operating and not those that have already exited the market. Firms, which exited the market are, to some extent, more likely to demonstrate a negative outlook.

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8

SOCIETY

GEORGIA TODAY

NOVEMBER 5 - 11, 2021

EU Supported Tsalka Local Action Group Joins COVID-19 Vaccination Campaign WHAT TYPES OF ACTIVITIES DO YOU PLAN TO INCREASE THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO WANT TO BE VACCINATED?

BY KETEVAN SKHIRTLADZE

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astweekend,theEU-supported Tsalka Local Action Group (LAG) hosted one of many countrywide information meetings concerning Covid19 vaccination and immunization. The meeting was supported by the European Union and World Health Organization (WHO) in cooperation with the United Nations Association of Georgia CENN, the Tsalka LAG, and the National Center for Disease Control and Public Health (NCDC). The purpose of the meeting was to raise public awareness about vaccination against COVID-19 and to popularize the importance of vaccination in the fight against the pandemic.

"I hope such meetings will help us defeat the pandemic,” said Nino Sarashvili, Member of the Immunization Communication Group of the NCDC Department of Non-Communicable Diseases.

“The pandemic is not going away, precisely because there is less access to useful information that will help people make an informed decision about vaccinations. No epidemic in the world can end without vaccination. We have forgotten those diseases that are not present today only thanks to available vaccines,” she pointed out. “I was glad to see young people at the meeting because vaccinating youth is crucial.”

The meeting was chaired by invited experts and specialists in the field of medicine, who provided the participants with comprehensive information on public health and the importance of vaccination.

“The meetings made it clear that people need credible information to make an informed decision to get vaccinated against the coronavirus,” said Tamta Khutsishvili, UN Association Project Manager. “To this end, the UN Association's information campaign is holding meetings with the most vulnerable groups, including those living in remote villages, residents, and settlements along the occupation line, as well as ethnic minorities.”

About 100 residents from various villages of Tsalka municipality attended the meeting. The Tsalka Local Action Group itself mobilized the populations from eight villages. The meeting was held in an interactive manner, and all participants had a chance to ask questions and get comprehensive answers about the vaccination. The most commonly heard questions were Why is pandemic a problem? What is vaccination? Is vaccination safe?

Zurab Alkhanishvili, an expert who spoke about vaccination at the meeting, said the disinformation campaign against vaccination in general, and against Covid19 vaccines in particular, is quite strong.

“The situation in which humanity found itself at the onset of the pandemic was unfamiliar to us,” he noted. “Fear, anxiety, and stress have increased the demand for information. It is difficult to distinguish between true and false news in the sea of information. This is why it is important to communicate directly with people so that you can understand what is bothering them, what is scaring them, what is hindering them; listen to their questions, and provide accurate, evidence-based, verified information. In fact, no-one wants to harm themselves or those around them, they just have incorrect or insufficient information

about both Covid-19 and vaccination.”

He said meetings similar to those held in Tsakla are very productive and added that the population had very practical questions and the audience was active.

“They have tools to test the results, however, the quality of the audience activity and the content of the discussion already testified to the fact that these people would have made the decision in favor of vaccination anyway.”

GEORGIA TODAY sat down with Zurab Alkhanishvili to learn more about the importance of proper communication and the vital role of vaccines in defeating pandemics.

“In public health crisis situations, our weapon is communication,” he tells us.

“This is called risk communication, which is a very accurate and extremely important discipline. Each word, each action can significantly affect people’s mood and behavior. Vaccination is one of the tools to protect ourselves and those around us and to stop the pandemic. In our meetings, when we talk to the population, we rely on the above principles.

We do not demand anything from anyone. It is up to them to decide. We provide them with information to make decisions that will be better for them, for those around them, and for the community as a whole.”

Our activities involve direct communication with the population, as well as preparation and dissemination of communication materials through social networks. In addition, during every meeting, we look for interesting, active people in the same community, and we empower them. Eventually, these people become sort of “health ambassadors” in their regions.

Vaccines, in a way, are victims of their own success today. We no longer see past killers of pox, measles, polio, etc. around us, and as a result, we have relaxed our attention to communicable diseases, so much so that we do not see it as a merit of vaccines. And, unfortunately, we have been talking too little about it in recent years. However, every citizen should be aware of the enormous benefits and good that vaccination brings, alongside the potential risks and side effects that accompany this process.

“Youth are vital to the awareness-raising process. Young people are a part of society that has a huge potential for volunteering,” he tells us. “This is the energy that can bring about the greatest change.

Their role in pandemic management can also be immeasurable.”

He noted that after the briefings, mobile teams are available to vaccinate on the spot if there is no immunization room at the local outpatient clinic in the community.

Information meetings are being held in five regions of the country by the UN Association in cooperation with the NCDC, and with the financial support of the European Union and the World Health Organization. The organization of meetings in Tsalka Municipality was supported by CENN and the LAG. Nana Janashia, Executive Director of CENN told us that from the day the Covid-19 vaccines became available in the country, CENN has been promoting the importance of vaccination among its colleagues, project beneficiaries, and partners. Within this period, they have organized several webinars about vaccination and encouraged youth and teachers to participate in it.

“Since the vaccination process is going slowly in Georgia, and the vaccine is the only way that can help us to win over this global pandemic, we plan to organize such campaigns and involve professionals in this process so that the provision of information on this issue becomes the responsibility of the relevant specialists,” she adds.

GEORGIA TODAY spoke with her further on the importance of promoting vaccination.

WHAT IS THE BEST WAY TO CONVINCE THE POPULATION OF THE NEED FOR VACCINATION? Today, we have two main issues: a lack of information and a huge amount of disinformation about Covid-19 vaccination. People lack accurate and reliable information about the vaccination process and sometimes become victims of organized disinformation spread on the internet. The result is that too many people refuse to be vaccinated. The only way to increase the vaccination rate is to provide accurate, reliable information regularly, and this information should be provided by relevant individuals, both

professionals and those whom the public trusts. It is also important to provide accurate statistical information on the prevalence of diseases in the vaccinated and unvaccinated segments.

WHAT MESSAGE IS THE CENN TEAM SENDING TO PROMOTE THE VACCINE? Protect others by protecting yourself – get vaccinated. At CENN, we believe that to protect our families, friends, colleagues, and loved ones, we need to protect ourselves, and vaccination is the best way to do so.

WHAT WAS THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE EVENT HELD IN TSALKA MUNICIPALITY AND WHAT RESULT DO YOU THINK IT WILL BRING? About 100 residents from various villages of Tsalka municipality attended the meeting, and up to 60% of them were not vaccinated. The meeting participants were very engaged and full of questions.

It was very important that the meeting was attended by teachers and local youth.

At the end of the meeting, many participants expressed their readiness to get vaccinated and promote vaccination among their communities as well. We hope this campaign will have a positive impact and will increase the vaccination process. We will follow this process and organize additional campaigns as needed.

HOW IMPORTANT IS IT TO INVOLVE ORGANIZATIONS LIKE CENN IN PROMOTING VACCINATION? “CENN implements many different projects in almost every region of Georgia,” Janashia tells us. “Each project has many beneficiaries and target groups who trust the organization and support its initiatives. The involvement of CENN and other organizations in promoting vaccination is very important because many people believe in our mission, vision, goals, and values, and they trust the information we share with them. At CENN, we believe that each of us should contribute to the process and promote the vaccination process among our communities to end this pandemic and get back to normal life as soon as possible.

“Every organization in its segment should try to promote vaccination as much as possible, because it is necessary to defeat the pandemic and take active steps to restore the normal rhythm of life.”

The informational meeting was held within the framework of a large-scale information campaign which is being implemented within the framework of the UN Association project in the villages of five regions of Georgia - Kakheti, Samegrelo, Kvemo Kartli, Adjara, and Imereti.

SOCIETY

GEORGIA TODAY NOVEMBER 5 - 11, 2021

9

Georgia Welcomes First Annual Screenwriting Residency, with Matt Dillon, Blerim Gjoci, Douglas Morris, NYU Professor Kenneth Friedman and More

BY KATIE RUTH DAVIES

NON-FICTION AND TRAVEL WRITER DOUGLAS E. MORRIS’ INSIGHTS AND SUGGESTIONS ON “THE ART OF WRITING”: • Writing is not magic … you cannot just snap your fingers and it happens.

Writing takes time and effort. We have this myth that we must wait for the flash of inspiration to hit us before we start writing. In reality it is the opposite. Start writing and the flash of inspiration will find you.

S

creenwriting remains a consistent problem for Georgian cinema. There is no institutional screenwriting school dedicated to the craft, and universities don’t offer academic pathways for screenwriters, meaning local authors don’t have the opportunity to receive the needed education and degree in screenwriting. There are many international platforms where it is possible to get involved in a script development program, however, places on these platforms are always limited, and most Georgian writers don't get a chance to participate, - Ana Chkonia, International Co-ordinator at Terra Incognita Films, tells GEORGIA TODAY. “That was why we decided to create an annual screenwriting residency program at the House-Museum of the famous Georgian award-winning screenwriter and novelist Zaira Arsenishvili. In spite of the crazy conditions, pandemic, scarce budgets, and low support, we fought to make it happen this year and create a much-needed precedent, as the new educational project aims to develop scripts together with Georgian and foreign experts.”

Organized by local production company Terra Incognita Films and supported by the Georgian National Film Center, Goethe Institute and US Embassy, the screenwriting residency program ran on October 10-17. It came as part of the US Embassy’s effort to create well-paying jobs in Georgia, seeking to help the country become an international filmmaking hub through skill building for film production and post-production work.

The first Annual Screenwriting Residency of Georgia featured a week of intensive workshops for young screenwriters at the Zaira Arsenishvili House Museum in Telavi. The opening event was held at Winery Rtoni and was attended by US Ambassador Degnan, who met with the young Georgian screenwriters, international filmmakers, representatives of the Georgian National Film Center, and the family of late screenwriter and novelist Zaira Arsenishvili.

Out of 30 submitted projects, the following 6 projects were selected for this year's Telavi residency: Princess Maya, script by Margo Zubashvili; Tear Gas, script by Uta Beria; Under the Sky, script

by Anastasia Chanturaia; Cut Out of Context, script by Gigi Janashia; Chaos of Silence, script by Nino Shaburishvili; and White Shadows, script by Nino Gogua.

Working sessions began on October 11.

The sessions were held both physically and online. On the Tuesday, the participants were joined online by renowned American actor, screenwriter and director, Matt Dillon.

The project mentors included the American screenwriter and New York University Professor Kenneth Friedman, Albanian director and producer Blerim Gjoci, the founder of Carte Blanche Pictures Anne Marie Boidock, producer Dominique Welinski from France, who ran the Film Factory, part of the Cannes Film Festival, until 2019, and German producer Titus Kreyenberg, who has been working successfully on both German and international projects for years.

He attended the residency physically, and throughout the week worked with each participant. American writer Doug Morris also attended the residency, offering a seminar about the “Art of Writing” and helping the participants individually.

“Selected tutors and experts of the residency will be able to monitor projects in the future and also help turn the script into a film project, give advice on operating in the industry, and make recommendations on various platforms or

The first Annual Screenwriting Residency of Georgia

festivals,” Chkonia tells us. “Given the international experience and reputation of our partners, the chosen scripts will continue their journey and will be prepped for scholarships to attend further labs and workshops, such as the Locarno Filmmakers Academy, Torino Film Lab Meeting Event, IFFR Pro’s Rotterdam Lab, and many more. In addition, the permanence of the residence and the international status will strengthen and make relevant the screenwriting profession and will fill both the local and regional deficit in this direction.”

Professor Kenneth A. Friedman told GEORGIA TODAY that it was a pleasure to work with the group of young Georgian filmmakers and screenwriters.

“As much as they may have learned from me, I learned as much or more about Georgia, it's culture, people and their stories. Ana Chkonia did a great job of preparing me and the students to maximize the experience. And thanks to the American Embassy, State Department, Christopher Anderson and Ryan Sherman for making this possible and so productive!” he said.

“I was disappointed that it was not possible to attend personally and meet everyone in a more social setting. Hopefully, that will be rectified next year, and I would very much like to attend and participate personally,” Friedman noted.

“My focus in my classes at Tisch Graduate Film at NYU, and in seminars and events elsewhere, is to encourage writers to explore and expand story telling choices and not arbitrarily eliminate options. At this event, I was able to read the participants' scripts beforehand, so I could offer specific feedback and ‘talk story.’ We were also able to make time for one-on-one sessions, where the writers could pick my brain about their projects and writing processes.

“As a writer and filmmaker, I've had the pleasure to have my films being made across the US and in many nations in Europe and the Far East,” Friedman says.

“From what I could see, the Georgian filmmakers and writers have all the tools, creatively and technical potential to have their films distributed throughout the world.”

We asked non-fiction and travel writer Douglas E. Morris about the masterclass he presented at the Annual Screenwriting Residency of Georgia.

“I titled my discussion ‘The Art of Writing’, and talked about the fundamentals of the creative process of putting words on paper, or as is now the case, fingers to keyboard,” he tells us. “I chose this theme as I have been a professional writer for almost 25 years, and have had 14 books published, had a column in a magazine for over 10 years, and

have had numerous freelance articles and editorials published. I’m not suggesting I know everything there is to know about writing, but based on my track record, I must have figured something out!”

“As I knew two of the other mentors – Matt Dillon and Blerim Gjoci – and had read up on the others, I knew that the participants would be offering indepth, meaningful, practical information specifically about the filmmaking process as well as screenwriting in particular. I have worked with Blerim Gjoci as a script doctor on a number of short films and a feature length film, and wrote a screen play in collaboration with Matt Dillon,” Morris says.

“I decided to start at the beginning, and talk about how to write, how to get your ideas down on paper, how to develop the habit and discipline of writing, and how to excel at ‘The Art of Writing.’”

“What I knew about the Georgian film industry came from my good friend Blerim Gjoci, who was chiming into the Residency digitally from LA. He had worked on a few films that had been shot in Georgia, and was effusive in his praise about the atmospheric locations here, and the history of the filmmaking industry harking back into the Soviet era,” Morris says.

“But overall, I was not deeply informed about the Georgian filmmaking industry, though I was very impressed with the stories the participants were telling, how completely Georgian they were, but also how they were filled with universal truths.

The stories were very compelling, and it is my fervent hope that these stories will be able to come to life on the screen.”

We asked him how he felt the Residency had worked out.

“Personally, I felt my talk was well received and I felt that the participants got something out of it. As experienced writers and creatives, they knew some of what I was sharing, but mostly it seemed that there were things that they learned. I was also pleased with how each person shared something that worked for them. From each of them I learned something too. We are all students, and we are all teachers. We all have something to show others, and we all have something to learn from others.

The moment we stop learning, the moment we stop being willing to learn, and think we already know everything we need to know, is the moment our creativity dries up and becomes stale.

So I advised them all to keep on listening and learning and start to share what they know and teach others as well.”

The event was also supported by Telavi Municipality, Winery Rtoni, Badia, and Hotel Alazani Valley.

• Find a place to write without distractions That modern day stereotype of the hip and cool writer, pounding away at his laptop while surrounded by the hustle and bustle of a café, slurping on his coffee, supposed creative juices flowing … should NOT be your model of success.

In the vast majority of cases, this stereotype is not real. It is a myth. A façade.

The best writers hole up someplace isolated, alone, without distractions, without other people around, so that their imagination can burst free from their minds.

You do not need a lot of space. It could just be your room, and on your door handle you put a handmade “Do Not Disturb … Under Penalty of Death” sign (that got a laugh) so your family knows not to barge in on you and derail your train of thought.

In your writing space, at your writing time, you should do NOTHING but write.

No surfing the net. No email to friends. No video chats. Just writing or thinking about writing, or just getting rid of all distractions so that the inspiration can find you.

So turn off your phone, better yet, leave it turned off and outside of your writing sanctuary; and only have your writing app open on your computer. Nothing else.

Also, try and get rid of as much distracting noise as possible. Use a fan to create a white noise blocking out sound. Or use one of those white noise machines.

Or use ear buds or ear plugs. Or all of the above.

Do not let noise and other distractions stop you from writing.

This is not to say that you should not sit in a café and people watch. By all means, but only do it for research. When you are looking for the size and shape of a particular character, or to see how different couples interact, there is no better place to find that person than sitting on a park bench, or in a café.

• Find time to write everyday … In the same place … At the same time.

Even if you do not feel motivated, still write. Put words down. Create.

Rewrite tomorrow, but today let the words explode onto your keyboard. The next six or seven drafts are going to be work. So why not enjoy the first draft, in the hope that your joy will find others in the world who, reading your story, will catch fire, too?

• If you want to become a writer, you need to write.

I have heard so many people say … I want to be a basketball player, or filmmaker, or artist, or whatever … but then they do not spend the time honing their craft.

They say they want something, but they do not put the time into making it happen.

To do that, to succeed at writing, take time out of every single day, in the same place, at the same time and write. Even if you do not feel the creative spark igniting your imagination, just sit there and think. Even if you are not writing a specific story, or screenplay, or project, put in the time each day and write. Be what you say you want to be … a writer.

• Keep a journal I often get new ideas in conversation, from news stories, from travel, literally from everywhere. Ideas spring forth unbidden at any time. But I never fully understand and own those ideas until I write about them. Writing, at its best, clarifies our thoughts. And it leads to new thoughts. It expands us, when it’s done right.

People have long kept diaries and journals, reflecting on their day. But few do so today. The daily journal or diary is a great avenue to enhanced self-knowledge and a great way to improve your writing. So is writing letters to friends and family. That is how I learned to write – I kept a journal for decades and wrote letters galore.

Before the age of the internet, long distance communication was done by writing letters to friends. So you had to learn how to paint pictures with words, to let your friends know what you were doing, what you were seeing, how you were feeling. Social media can be used for this purpose, though it seldom is. Very few people write lengthy, descriptive, letters on social media. It is all single sentences or sentence fragments filled with Emoji or GIFs. More like ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics than modern writing.

• Write quickly When you are writing, if you cannot think of the exact word to describe something, just leave that space blank and move on. Do not stop the flow of your creativity just for one word. Come back to it later. Get your ideas down before they disappear. In quickness is truth. The faster you write, the more real your writing will be.

• Writing is an adventure … and hard work To work creatively, an artist in any field must put effort into it, must work at it, while also enjoying it as an adventure, as fun. So learn not to be put off by the effort, because the reward of the creative process itself is worth it.

• Your Subconscious is Your Friend … now THIS is magical If I am struggling with a particular scene, or a transition from one scene to another, or anything related to my writing, or business, or life, and the solution is simply not coming to me, I just let go … and sleep on it. And then the next morning, or in the middle of the night (so have your phone or a notebook ready by the side of your bed) the solution comes to me.

I have heard from many other creatives in all sorts of industries – from computer programmers, to musicians, to filmmakers – that sleeping on a problem and letting their subconscious mind work for them to find a solution is what they do. And it works.

So, consider putting your subconscious to work. Before you go to bed, tell yourself what it is you are seeking and the next morning you just might wake up with your solution.

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SOCIETY

GEORGIA TODAY

NOVEMBER 5 - 11, 2021

Autumn’s Greatest Hits: Svaneti

BLOG BY TONY HANMER

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he season’s fruits come out ripe: grapes, apples, pears, quinces, walnuts. The apples, at least up here, are far too many, and many rot or freeze on the trees, or fall and do likewise, the region’s most unpopular gift.

We dry, boil for jams and sauces, pickle, make wine or liqueurs, or freeze what we can. Any new recipes to try, different ingredients such as spices or whatever?

The cellars and under-stair spaces fill up with jars and bottles.

Halloween? Not up here at all, not even a whisper of it, except possibly a paragraph or two as part of traditional offerings in some of our English textbooks.

Smoke from burning harvest leftovers,

especially of corn and potatoes, scents the air with the unique aroma of October. White sacks dot the potato fields, and our neighbors send them full to Zugdidi, where Svan potatoes are prized.

They might then shovel the last year’s cow manure from the barns onto sleds, which oxen will pull to the now empty fields to be dumped and wait until spring comes to spread them by rake and begin the growing cycle anew.

The buyers of Svan sulguni cheese, another expensive item in Zugdidi, come through in their van, and we unload several thousand GEL of what we bought cheap and stored in brine until now, a tidy profit. Some of it I’ve tried smoking or at least keeping in the fridge for some months instead of in the brine, with much more interesting results flavor-wise in my opinion. Yes, the mold can be scary to look at, but (to me) it also tastes fantastic, and it’s

obviously safe, because I have both lived and flourished to tell the tale.

People store scythed and field-dried haystacks in their barns for the bovines to eat all winter. Much of this is still cut by hand, but some farmers are switching to gasoline-powered cutters now.

We layer up as temperatures fall, and consider when first to light the roaring big Svan stove. (In my house, we mostly use it only for heating, not much for cooking; or we’ll add something to bake or roast when using it anyway. Electricity here in Upper Svaneti is free, so we cook as much as we can using our electric oven or single cooking ring.)

I gather all the nicely dry scrap wood from our ongoing café construction project while weather is dry, and sort it as I’m going. Sawdust first, to sweep up for smoking cheese, tomatoes and other things. All the smaller pieces of wood go into sacks which I’ll store either in the barn or under the house floor, for dry, hassle-free access. If it’s big enough to see and pick up, I can burn it! The

next size up are short enough for the stove but too wide, so, piled for splitting with the axe, then also to sack up or at least stack. Finally, another pile is of pieces both too long and too wide, so: chainsaw first (this too is electric) and then split and store.

The café has a level floor on our land’s mild slope, which has opened up a huge new under-floor storage area too, and even an attic under the A-frame roof which is finally on. Eventually, we’ll put many things under the floor to keep them dry: next project’s cut wood planks and beams, stacked with spacers to dry staying flat and not warping; extra cement blocks; shelves for smaller items (all things not tempting to petty thieves, which unfortunately cannot be discounted here). Nothing locked up, because it’s generally things which everyone else has too or doesn’t want.

The café attic might eventually take an extra rough-it guest or two in overflow situations, once there are stairs or at least a ladder to it. Really, though, we’re

trying to cut down on having extra STUFF, because our lives are full enough with it already; so we shouldn’t be eyeing it as another place to put excess belongings. Time to chuck out or give away what we don’t need and haven’t used for years now.

People stock up on rubber boots, winter apparel, white woven plastic potato sacks, canning or preserving supplies.

The shop has a buzz in seasonal turnover.

And…as always at the moment, in Georgia’s current political season, #mishavs means: “It matters to me”!

delivered on a consistent basis is one of them. Also, we need to continue to find energetic and motivated people to join our growing team.

A specialty of ours has to be Porchetta Tonnata: sliced pork covered with housemade mayonnaise, tuna, and caper sauce.

This is a popular dish in Italy, but relatively unknown here. We refer to it as “Vitello Tonnato’s younger sister.”

Another dish we are proud of is our Trippa Alla Fiorentina. This is classic Florentine-style Tripe cooked in wine along with the “Holy Trinity” of celery, onions, and carrots.

Tony Hanmer has lived in Georgia since 1999, in Svaneti since 2007, and been a weekly writer and photographer for GT since early 2011. He runs the “Svaneti Renaissance” Facebook group, now with nearly 2000 members, at www.facebook.com/ groups/SvanetiRenaissance/ He and his wife also run their own guest house in Etseri: www.facebook.com/hanmer.house.svaneti

Italian Taste by Chef Enzo Neri

INTERVIEW BY KETEVAN SKHIRTLADZE

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talian by birth, chef Enzo Neri is owner of the Vera Italiana Kitchen & Bar with his partner Niccolo Ricciardi. He has been living in Georgia for five years now.

“From the first few days here, I somehow knew that I would want to make Georgia my home,” Enzo tells us.

He helped start a number of restaurants, among them The Asado Steakhouse in the Mercure Hotel, and was involved in the founding of La Boheme, Bioli, Andropov’s Ears, Dinehall, and Enzo’s Ezo in Kakheti. He has also advised and consulted for a number of other restaurants in Tbilisi, including Pomodorissimo and Filini in the Radisson Hotel.

For the past twenty years, Enzo Neri has been a professional chef and has worked in Italy, England, New York, Dubai, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Ukraine, Montenegro, and the Caribbean, among others. “I have also traveled extensively, and when I travel, I always focus on the food. I’ve written about many of my travel experiences in my book,” he says.

Vera Italiana Kitchen & Bar is located in the Vera district and is truly an Italian masterpiece. If one wants to experience

real Italy and taste Italian food, this is the place to go.

To learn more about it, GEORGIA TODAY sat down with its creator, Enzo Neri.

WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO OPEN VERA ITALIANA KITCHEN & BAR? My business partner Niccolo Ricciardi and I felt strongly that there was a need for an authentic Italian restaurant here in Tbilisi. We planned to make some of the best pizza and pasta in the city, but we also believed that there were many other dishes, which are lacking here but are widely available throughout Italy, that would be appreciated by Georgians and foreigners alike.

As an Italian, I have always had a special love for the cuisine of my home country. While Italy is not a large country, it has an extraordinarily varied cuisine. One of our objectives in starting this restaurant was to bring some of these relatively unknown dishes here to Georgia.

CAN YOU EXPLAIN THE CONCEPT OF YOUR RESTAURANT? We want our customers, our guests, to feel as though they are walking into Italy.

Our name is Vera Italiana, and, yes, it is

partly because we are located in the Vera district of Tbilisi. But “Vera” means “true” or “real” in Italian. We are a truly Italian locale. To give three examples: we serve Cichetti, which is a kind of Italian tapas popular in bars in Venice; we use Italian guanciale (a cured meat made from pig jaws) in our carbonara and amatriciana pastas; and we directly import a dozen wines from Italy, including Barolo red and the incredible Franciacorta classic method sparkling wines.

WHEN WAS THE FIRST TIME YOU CAME TO GEORGIA, AND WHAT LED YOU TO STAY HERE? I came to Georgia at the invitation of Gia Piradashvli. Gia runs Chateau Mere in Kakheti, and he asked me to come for a week. He and his wife Nino have become great friends. I love this country, maybe, in part, because Georgians and Italians are so similar. I immediately felt at home here.

Georgian cuisine is one of my favorites.

I especially love Chakapuli. If I weren’t serving Italian food to Georgians, I would probably be serving Georgian food to Italians. In fact, this is something I would love to do someday!

WAS IT EASY TO BREAK INTO THE GEORGIAN HOSPITALITY SECTOR? Nothing is easy when you’re a perfectionist like me! But I’ve found that when it comes to business, every country – including Georgia – has its advantages and challenges. Some of the advantages here include being able to open a bank account in minutes, and establishing a company in an hour. Try doing this in New York! But, of course, there are challenges. Getting high-quality ingredients

TELL US ABOUT THE VERA ITALIANA KITCHEN & BAR MENU. Our menu has seven sections. Cichetti (or Italian finger foods), Antipasti, Pizzas, Pastas, Salads, Main Dishes, and Desserts. We also have a full bar serving Italian cocktails and an extensive wine list.

Although we just opened, some of the dishes that have been very popular include our house-made Ravioli with Pumpkin, our Ossobuco, and our Suppli al Telefono. Suppli is a rustic Roman street food made with rice and mozzarella resembling Sicilian Arancini. It is called “al telefono” because when you pull one of the rice croquettes apart, long strings of mozzarella stretch between the two halves, resembling an old-fashioned telephone wire. Also, trust me, our Panna Cotta must be tried.

WHAT DISTINGUISHES YOUR RESTAURANT FROM OTHERS? We are trying hard to be authentic and also accessible. We want our customers to feel equally as comfortable having a simple pizza and an Aperol Spritz or having a full course meal with a bottle of Italian wine.

WHAT ARE YOUR FUTURE PLANS? Niccolo and I are laser-focused on making Vera Italiana one of the best Italian restaurants in Georgia. We cannot begin to think beyond this yet.

CULTURE

GEORGIA TODAY NOVEMBER 5 - 11, 2021

11

Lecture-Concerts of Classical Music in Alternative Spaces oncerts are to be held in art schools within the framework of the project “Concerts of Classical Music in Alternative Spaces in the Regions and the Capital of Georgia” from November 3-6.

Within the framework of the project, 4 concerts will be held in the following art schools of Tbilisi City Hall: November 3 – School # 2 November 4 – School # 26 November 6 – School # 4, School # 3 The aim of the project Classical Music Concerts in Alternative Spaces in the

Regions and the Capital of Georgia is to offer cognitive lecture concerts to the public in full compliance with the regulations, to introduce the amazing world of classical music to young people living in the regions and the capital of Georgia, to interest the young generation in music, and to promote the culture of listening.

During the concerts, the musicians themselves tell children in an interesting way about music, musicians, composers, epochs, works, or instruments.

These activities have an interactive, cognitive-entertaining form.

The project is implemented with the support of the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Youth of Georgia and organized by the Center for the Protection, Development, and Promotion of Classical Music.

pion in freestyle wrestling in Tehran, and three days later in Sambo, too. The famous wrestler says that Vakhtang Balavadze (Georgian freestyle wrestler, two-time world champion, bronze medalist of the 1956 Melbourne Olympics) asked to participate in the sambo championship.

“In my youth, I also competed in Sambo - we wrestled all tyles, even Greco-Roman.

I complained ‘where are you sending me? At least remind me of the rules, lest I do something stupid’ I said! I went out and ... along with the championship, I also won the prize for the most technical wrestler!”

We also talked to Levan Tediashvili about his son, who died during the war in the Russian-occupied part of Abkhazia. In "Brighton 4th" Tediashvili plays a father who comes to the USA to help his son. He says he’d go to the world’s end, if it meant he could help his son in

real life: “When my son Vakhtang left for Abkhazia, I got on a plane and went with him. My son was going to war and I would stay at home?! No chance! ‘Dad, where are you going?’ he asked. I will cover at least one bullet fired at you, I said. I thought so, but when Babushera airfield was bombed and the plane exploded, I couldn’t help him, and he died in my arms in the hospital. I would not want one’s worst enemy to feel what I felt, I have traveled a very difficult path.”

At the end of the conversation, we also asked the legendary wrestler, if he wrestled today, how good would he be?

"The rules have changed so that wrestling is no longer as diverse as before.

Excessive referees are sometimes too much. We still have good wrestlers, but if Georgian wrestlers don’t use various Georgian wrestling techniques, wrestling is no longer spectacular!”

BY KETEVAN SKHIRTLADZE

C

Big Teddy's Big Award

BY RATI SHELEGIA

L

evan Tediashvili is still the only wrestler in the world to have won the title of champion in three different weight categories. The famous Georgian wrestler is a two-time Olympic champion, and multiple winner of the world and European championship. After finishing his career, the legendary sportsman unexpectedly tried his mettle in acting and perfectly played the role of folk-legend thief Gogia Kenkishvili in the movie "Khareba and Gogia". More than 30 years have passed since then, and, recently, 73-year-old "Teddy" (Big Teddy Levan Tediashvili in America R.Sh.) achieved another victory – he was named the Best Actor at Tribeca's 20th anniversary film festival!

At the annual Tribeca Film Festival, founded in 2002 by Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal and Craig Hatkoff, Levan Koguashvili's film "Brighton 4th" won three major awards - Best Picture, Best Screenplay and Best Actor. Levan Tediashvili's protagonist is the main character of the film, a former wrestler who comes to Brighton to help his son who is in debt. Giorgi Tabidze, Nadezhda

Mikhalkova and legend of Georgian cinema the late Kakhi Kavsadze, participate in "Brighton 4th", and, for Kavsadze, this role turned out to be his last.

Levan Tediashvili does not like journalists very much. Famously reclusive, he even refused to reveal how the director persuaded him to take part in the film when he finally agreed to an exclusive sitdown. However, he did praise Koguashvili, and is sure that sooner or later, the Georgian director will also be nominated for an Oscar.

“Levan Koguashvili is a very good man and director, and he will definitely achieve great success. He will also get an Oscar - I predict it! By the way, one very big director asked me to play the role of Vakhtang Gorgasali (a Georgian king, the founder of Tbilisi in the 5th century), but I refused. I’m waiting for Levan Koguashvili, and if he makes a film on this topic, I will agree,” Tediashvili says.

The shooting of Brighton 4th took place in the USA, where Tediashvili had competed several times during his sports career. He says that Brighton Beach is an interesting place, one where many representatives of the former Soviet countries live. The hospitality from the Georgians was not surprising, but the Russians, Uzbeks, Jews and many other nationalities expressed great respect and

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warmth to the film crew from Georgia.

“The Uzbek boys even cooked Plov in our honor,” he says.

Tediashvili is still friends with John and Ben Peterson, the American Olympic champion brothers who have repeatedly lost to him in various tournaments.

From his American travels, Teddy recalled the story of a visit to the White House years ago, and a meeting with then President Richard Nixon: “I avoided a large fine while visiting the White House ... for sitting on President Lincoln's chair! I stepped on the restraining tape and sat down on the chair, and was later told that a great crime had been committed. They didn’t take their eyes off me after that, to make sure I wouldn’t cause any more mischief!

“Before we sat down to dinner, the presidential aide carefully warned me that twelve kinds of forks would be brought, each one with its own purpose, and God forbid you mix them up! I put on my meekest smile and inquired whether it would be ok if I were to eat with my hands. He was very upset about it and immediately reported to the Soviet ambassador that Tediashvili was behaving badly!

“When I looked at the offerings on the table, I immediately realized that if I took my regular fill, the rest of our team would go hungry. I told the representative of the security service that if Nixon visited me in Sagarejo, my birthplace, I would kill a calf in his honor and there would be enough meat for everyone. It seems the president heard his name mentioned and asked what I had said. When my words were translated, he smiled. ‘I'm very poor, and Teddy is richer than me and can afford to kill a calf,’ he said.”

Due to the pandemic, Tediashvili wasn’t able to attend the award ceremony, but claims it is an honor that a festival founded by such a great as De Niro had singled him out. Teddy says he was very lucky with his partner actors. The death of the famous Georgian actor Kakhi Kavsadze was heartbreaking, he tells us. “I saw him after e got his diagnosis with coronavirus, and he was brave, hopeful, but ... he died within a week. It breaks my heart that Kakhi could not live to see the success of his last film.”

Levan Tediashvili has a plethora of unique achievements: a multiple winner of the Olympics, World and European championships, and he is also the only wrestler to become a champion in three different weight categories. In addition, in 1973, he first became a world cham-

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