Issue #1301

Issue no: 1301

• JUNE 18 - 24, 2021 • PUBLISHED WEEKLY

FOCUS ON GEORGIA & NATO We spoke to NATO’s James Appathurai on Georgia’s prospects PAGE ahead of the 2021 Summit

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PRICE: GEL 2.50

In this week’s issue...

Coronavirus Update: Concerns Regarding Spread of Indian Variant NEWS PAGE 2

Georgia in the Post-Liberal World Order POLITICS PAGE 5

Let Sculptures Scream!

POLITICS PAGE 5

Veon’s Beeline Signs Agreement with Nokia for a Core Network Modernization BUSINESS PAGE 6

Significant Contribution to Development of Georgian Economy: Carrefour Named among 10 Largest Investors BUSINESS PAGE 7

USAID & PH International’s “Future Generation” Continues to Engage Students in Democratic Practices

BY KATIE RUTH DAVIES

SOCIETY PAGE 9

Welcome RELX to the Georgian Market – A New Brand Is Here SOCIETY PAGE 10 CULTURE PAGE 11

C

ivic engagement helps communities build resilience and enables citizens to participate in Georgia’s development. USAID and PH International’s Momavlis Taoba, or “Future Generation," activity supports civic education and youth engagement in communities across Georgia.

Georgia is home to a vibrant civil society, although many communities lack adequate platforms for civic engagement. Greater youth participation is necessary to further strengthen community resilience and build a more inclusive society. Momavlis Taoba uses civic education, practical skills training, and small grants to enable young people to make a positive difference in underrepresented communities.

Continued on page 11

San Diego State University Georgia Celebrates Graduation of 2nd and 3rd Cohorts while We Meet the SDSU President

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Students from the Kekhijvari State School presenting their civics project

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NEWS

GEORGIA TODAY

JUNE 18 - 24, 2021

Coronavirus Update: Concerns Regarding Spread of Indian Variant

BY ANA DUMBADZE

A

gainst the background of lifted restrictions (apart from the curfew and face masks), the epidemiological situation in Georgia remains concerning and needs constant monitoring.

The country’s capital Tbilisi still records the majority of newly detected cases daily, considering the largest number of population living there, followed by the Imereti and Adjara regions.

During the week, as usual, the lowest number of new COVID cases was reported on Monday largely due to the small number of tests conducted. Georgia reported 311 coronavirus cases, 936 recoveries, and 12 deaths on Monday, with 10,442 tests conducted.

The country reported 1092 coronavirus cases, 775 recoveries, and 23 deaths on Tuesday, with 29,734 tests conducted.

Tbilisi recorded the highest number of 586 Covid-19 cases within the 24 hours.

Georgia reported 811 coronavirus cases, 672 recoveries, and 13 deaths on Wednesday, with 34,668 tests conducted in the 24 hours. Tbilisi again recorded the highest number of 470 Covid-19 cases within the 24 hours.

The country recorded 741 new coronavirus cases, 945 recoveries and 18 deaths on Thursday, with 31,350 tests conducted.

Currently, the daily test-positivity rate stands at 2.36%, down from 2.4% in the last 7 days.

Georgia’s total case tally has reached

356,920, among which 342,720 people recovered and 5114 died.

42 people are in quarantine, 2,926 under supervision in hospitals, and 602 are in COVID hotels.

THE VACCINES 221,156 Georgians have received a coronavirus vaccine so far, while 4302 people are being vaccinated daily.

From June 14, the country resumed registration for both the first and second doses of the Sinovac vaccine. 100,000 doses of the Sinovac vaccine were introduced in Georgia on April 29, the first dosing of which started on May 24. 17,199 citizens have been vaccinated with Sinovac so far.

The second dose of Sinovac is given 14-28 days after the first.

Deputy Minister of Health, Tamar Gabunia, stated on June 15 that Georgia is considered among the countries that will receive vaccines from the member states of the Group of Seven (G7). However, she added, it is unknown at this stage which vaccine or how many doses Georgia will receive.

NCDC Head Amiran Gamkrelidze said 3,600,000 doses of 4 vaccines will be delivered to the country from July.

“We have a guaranteed schedule and contracts from July: 3,600,000 doses of four vaccines will be delivered to the country over four months - July, August, September, October,“ he said.

Gamkrelidze also spoke about the importance of the third, so-called booster dose, noting that most scientists are in favor of the third dose as it prolongs immunity, and this is also being taken into account in Georgia.

Public Defender, Archbishop Iakob to Visit Ninotsminda Orphanage Together

THE DELTA VARIANT Recently, it was announced that unvaccinated people are most at risk from the Indian (or Delta) variant.

“Nearly two-thirds of new cases are people infected with the Delta variant, and more than half of those who have died from it, have not had a Covid vaccine at all, the latest official data suggests,” reported the BBC. The Delta variant, which was first identified in India, is now the dominant variant in the UK - accounting for 90% of cases.

The Delta variant is roughly 60% more

communicable than the Alpha, or Kent, variant. WHO says the Delta variant has now spread to 80 countries and it keeps mutating. The variant now makes up 10% of all new cases in the United States, up from 6% last week. WHO officials said some reports have found that it also causes more severe symptoms, but more research is needed to confirm those conclusions.

The Indian variant has also spread to Georgia. The country reported 18 cases of Delta, the Deputy Head of the National Center for Disease Control Paata Imnadze said on Tuesday.

Georgia reported the first five cases of

the Indian strain on May 27.

Regarding the epidemiological situation in neighboring countries, it remains concerning in Ukraine and Turkey. As of June 17, 1188 new cases and 55 new deaths were reported in Ukraine. The country has recorded 2,227,225 Covid cases so far, among them, 2,145,660 people recovered and 51,902 died.

Based on the latest available data, in Turkey, 6221 new cases and 71 new deaths were reported on June 16. The country has recorded 5,348,249 Covid cases so far, among them, 5,215,654 people recovered and 48,950 died.

Messi Sends Signed T-shirt to Georgian Chess Champion Nona Gaprindashvili

BY KETEVAN SKHIRTLADZE

T

he Georgian Chess Federation reported that Lionel Messi sent an autographed T-shirt to Nona Gapindashvili, five-time world chess champion, on the occasion of her 80th birthday.

Akaki Iashvili, Vice-President of the International Chess Federation, handed the gift to Nona.

Lionel Messi, the 6-time winner of the Golden Ball, sent a T-shirt with a Spanish inscription to the Georgian champion: Nona, happy birthday!

“This gift was very unexpected for me, but here are such words, my name is also

BY ANA DUMBADZE

W

e had a very constructive meeting, Bishop Iakob showed a very positive attitude towards the Public Defender’s institute, – Public Defender Nino Lomjaria said after the meeting with Bishop Iakob of Bodbe, the newly appointed Head of Ninotsminda Boarding School, where alleged crimes against children took place over years.

Lomjaria said that several important issues were discussed at the meeting, including the fact that large orphanages are not good for the best interests of children, and that the Public Defender should be able to monitor processes at the Ninotsminda boarding school.

The Public Defender noted that she and Bishop Iakob will arrive at the boarding school together next weekend so that she’ll be able to get acquainted with the

situation on the spot, while social workers will continue to assess the needs of the remaining children.

“Consequently, the situation will develop in accordance with the needs of the children, in their best interests,” Lomjaria stated.

Regarding the removal of children from the orphanage, she noted that the social workers will continue to assess the needs of the children and relevant decisions will be made.

Health Minister Ekaterine Tikaradze also commented on the issue, saying that all parties are interested in protecting the best interests and rights of each child.

“We will continue working with the Patriarchate to transfer the children to appropriate conditions, which means small groups homes, for which a number of meetings have been held,” said Tikaradze.

An investigation is underway on possible crimes committed against children at St. Nino Boarding School under article 126, part I1, envisaged by the Criminal Code of Georgia.

Source of photo: Georgian Chess Federation

written, Happy Birthday – Leo Messi. In my museum, this T-shirt will take the place of a special exhibit,” said the Georgian champion.

Nona Gaprindashvili has been a fan of

Barcelona and Messi for years. The Argentine football player learned about it from FIDE leaders, and the main initiator of the surprise was FIDE Vice President Akaki Iashvili.

Biden after Meeting with Putin: I Did What I Came to Do

BY ANA DUMBADZE

U

S President Joe Biden said the talks with Vladimir Putin in Geneva were “positive” but warned the US would not tolerate interference in US democracy, the BBC reports.

Putin described his talks with the US president as “constructive”. He said the two sides agreed to return ambassadors after they were withdrawn earlier this year.

A wide range of topics, from cyber attacks to Ukraine, was discussed, but little in the way of concrete deals.

“I did what I came to do,” Biden said.

He said that the US and Russia had agreed to cooperate and “advance our mutual interests”.

“The last thing Putin wants is a new

Source: The BBC

Cold War,” Biden told journalists.

The United States and the Russian Federation have agreed to return ambassadors to Moscow and Washington, Vladimir Putin stated after meeting with Joe Biden.

“We talked about the return of ambassadors to their posts, the return of the

US ambassador to Moscow and the Russian ambassador to Washington, but when exactly this will happen is a technical matter. Our foreign ministries will agree. We talked about diplomatic issues.

I have the impression that both sides are focused on finding a solution,” Putin said.

IWG plc, Level 4, 2 Leonidze str. Tbilisi, Georgia | +995 32 290 039

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POLITICS

GEORGIA TODAY

JUNE 18 - 24, 2021

NATO’s James Appathurai on Georgia’s Prospects this Summit “Georgia is firmly part of our team and I think there’ll be a lot more NATO-Georgia interaction following the Summit.” – James Appathurai.

Image source: Agenda.ge

BY VAZHA TAVBERIDZE

I

n an exclusive interview ahead of this week's Summit, NATO Special Representative to the South Caucasus James Appathurai told us what to expect, claiming that the players are going to make decisions on the future of NATO, called ‘NATO 2030,’ made up of numerous elements.

One of those is seeing what more they can do to further strengthen the open door policy, and also to further strengthen their support to the countries that are working to join NATO. “What I expect is a clear and strong language on the open door in the communique from the summit, restating our commitment to it,” Appathurai tells us.

“I also expect clear and strong language restating that we stand by the Bucharest decisions that Georgia will become a member, as well as all the subsequent decisions that we want to do more with Georgia and for Georgia. Georgia is firmly part of our team and I think there’ll be a lot more NATO-Georgia interaction following the summit, including on open door.”

WHY WERE NEITHER GEORGIA NOR UKRAINE INVITED TO THE SUMMIT? IT CAUSED QUITE A LOT OF CONSTERNATION AND RAISED EYEBROWS, ESPECIALLY IN KYIV. I know there was some disquiet about that. The answer is actually a little bit technical in that we only have three hours for this meeting. President Biden’s schedule obviously determines a lot of what this meeting will do, and he’s on a tour of Europe, heading to the G7 in the United Kingdom, then coming here to have a meeting with all his NATO counterparts, and then there’s a meeting with President Putin. So, we had a limited period of time. There are a number of very substantial decisions that need to be taken, including on Russia, on strategic competition, on China, on new challenges like emerging disruptive technologies. All of that has to be packed in

to these three hours. All the leaders have to speak in that time and we just didn’t have time for any partner to be here.

Even the European Union which always participates in our meetings will not be participating in this one. We will have another summit next year, and I expect that to be a much broader, more normal summit. We will have more partners there, including, of course, Georgia and Ukraine.

IF RUSSIA IS GOING TO BE A MAJOR TALKING POINT, ISN’T IT EVEN MORE IMPORTANT TO GET UKRAINE AND GEORGIA AT THE TABLE? We consult with our Georgian and Ukrainian friends almost on a daily basis on this subject, including at the highest level. You should have no doubt that Ukraine and Georgia’s views and concerns on Russia are well known here and they are regular partners for consultation. I also expect that we will have more high level meetings, not just at the summit but in the months to come on the way towards the December foreign ministerial meeting. So there’ll be plenty of opportunities to consult.

NATO HAS MAINTAINED THAT THAT “OPEN DOOR” IS STILL THERE AND THAT NATO MAINTAINS ITS COMMITMENTS. ARE OTHER GLASS BARRIERS IN FRONT OF THE OPEN DOOR? IS THERE A RUSSIAN DOORMAN, PERHAPS? Russian doorman? That’s well put, I’ll say this first. Russia has opposed every step of NATO enlargement from the beginning until now, until last year, when North Macedonia came in. And when I say opposed, not just opposed politically, but opposed through active measures, as they say. Despite that, NATO has taken in new members on a regular basis. So the door is open.

Further, despite the fact that Russia opposes Georgia’s membership in NATO, and despite the fact that Russia has troops on 20% of Georgia’s territory, the allies consistently repeat publicly, all of them, that we stand by the Bucharest decisions

that Georgia will become a NATO member.

I don’t want to be naive and no one is naive. Of course it is complicated. Russia being so actively opposed and having troops on 20% of Georgia’s territory doesn’t make it easier, but it hasn’t stopped us. And so I think you will see very clear messages again in the communique and following, not just more political engagement, but more NATO in Georgia, more Georgia in NATO. So we are steadily moving the yardsticks even despite Russian opposition.

THE NORTH MACEDONIA EXAMPLE AND MONTENEGRO AS WELL – CAN YOU REALLY COMPARE THOSE TWO CASES WITH GEORGIA? BECAUSE FIRST OF ALL, THEY DON’T SHARE A BORDER WITH RUSSIA AND THEY DON’T HAVE A RUSSIAN MILITARY PRESENCE, WHILE GEORGIA SUFFERS FROM BOTH FACTORS. HOW IS NATO GOING TO MOVE BEYOND THE MESSAGES AND ODES OF COMMITMENT INTO ACTUAL, REAL INTEGRATION? Well, I think we long ago went beyond political statements to practicalities. One of the things we’ve done is put an enduring substantial NATO presence in Georgia. That’s something we don’t have in North Macedonia. In Georgia, we have a joint training and education center, we have annual exercises, we have a big NATO office with a permanent presence, and, of course, non-stop high level military and political visits. And we have increasing cooperation in the context of the Black Sea. We’re helping to build the Georgian Coast Guard. There is clear, substantial progress – when I look in the most basic sense at the Georgian armed forces and compare them to what they were 10 years ago, it is night and day, which is great.

And there have been substantial reforms in key areas that concern NATO. For example, when it comes to the security and intelligence services and the governance So there is substantially more than just words.

We’re supporting all the Georgian reforms that are necessary and we’re supporting them with people, with money, with expertise to help Georgia prepare for membership, so that when the time comes that the political constellation is in place, we don’t have practical barriers. This is what we can control now.

We can’t control the accession process at the political level, but what we can do is help create the conditions so that when the politics are right, all the other elements are right as well.

EVERY NOW AND THEN, NATO HIGH OFFICIALS ASSURE US THAT NATO WILL NEVER ACCEPT THE SPHERES OF INFLUENCE POLICY. IS INFINITELY POSTPONING GEORGIAN AND UKRAINIAN MEMBERSHIP NOT A DE FACTO RECOGNITION OF THAT VERY POLICY? I understand the skepticism and I understand that there is frustration. Again, I’m not trying to blow smoke anywhere. I totally understand that and I hear it regularly when I travel to Georgia, but I would actually push back against the concept that NATO has accepted a sphere of influence. It would be very easy to take the argument of people in the West who say we should just give up on this, let Russia have its sphere of influence, turn off the membership track for Georgia and Ukraine, maybe they should become neutral and then we won’t have any problem with the Russians and we can get on with our lives. But we don’t do it, despite the fact that it is probably the principal irritant between Russia and the West, because we believe in the principle enshrined in the Paris Charter, but also enshrined in the political culture of our countries: that an individual country has the right to choose its own defense and security associations, its own orientation.

It would be very easy to give up and walk away. But we won’t do that because we believe in the principle and also because we recognize that Georgia has made a choice that it is part of this community. There’s a very strong recognition of all of that effort, which is why this

isn’t easy. It’s not easy for Georgia. It’s not easy for NATO either, but we we stick with it just like Georgia sticks with it. Maybe we can do more. And we’re always open to doing more, but Russia does not get a veto and we don’t take Russia’s views into account when it comes to open doors- that’s our business.

WHILE NATO PROMISED THERE WOULD BE MORE NATO IN THE BLACK SEA, WE HAVEN’T YET SEEN ANY GAME-CHANGING MANEUVERS FROM THE ALLIANCE. IN 2016, ROMANIA PROPOSED CREATING A NATO BLACK SEA FLEET. IS THE IDEA OFF THE TABLE? I think you’re right to say there hasn’t been a quantum leap in NATO presence in the Black Sea. But that’s deliberate or has been deliberate. We’ve been going for a steady, incremental increase to try to keep the situation relatively manageable. And that has included more information exchange with Georgia and Ukraine about what’s happening, training for the Coast Guard in the case of Georgia and help for the naval capacities of Ukraine.

We have more exercises in the Black Sea and you can see a lot of Russian complaints about that. So it’s very visible.

We have more participation or more presence by NATO allies under their own flag rather than a NATO flag. And that includes ships. It includes some big ships, it includes American ships, but not only, and also maritime patrol aircraft from a number of countries.

So there has been work, and there’s the question of what more we can do. There are discussions about putting in more substantial NATO infrastructure or NATO affiliated infrastructure into the NATO countries that are that are on the Black Sea. That discussion is continuing. It has certainly not stopped. We’ll see where that goes. We see what the Russians are doing. And if we feel that our freedom of movement to defend our allies and support our partners is substantially under threat, we will ensure that we can do what we need to do, and if that means increasing capability, we will do that too.

POLITICS

GEORGIA TODAY JUNE 18 - 24, 2021

5

Georgia in the PostLiberal World Order ANALYSIS BY EMIL AVDALIANI

T

he purpose of this article is to help start the discussion on Georgia’s foreign policy amid the changing world order.

We live in a post-liberal world order.

Post-liberalism does not mean abandoning liberal values, although the energy and ambitions that have characterized this global project under US leadership since the 1990s are nowadays dwindling significantly. Post-liberalism will lead to great geopolitical shifts. America can no longer be as active in spreading democracy and liberal values as it used to do.

This ushers in the age of more constrained US involvement in various parts of Eurasia.

There are many reasons for this. The first is probably that the unipolar world order is finally coming to an end, which means the gradual emergence of several geopolitical and geo-economic poles in the world. China, Russia, India, and relatively small and ambitious states such as Iran and Turkey – these aim at re-organizing their immediate neighborhoods. The re-emergence of spheres of influence also involves the rejection of liberal values, and the introduction of a multipolar world order. Multipolarity also means the end of the liberal world order because it is impossible to be a supporter of liberal internationalism, limit your ambitions to certain regions, and avoid spreading liberalism all over the world. Liberalism, a kind of revolutionary movement that cannot be stopped, is either everywhere or nowhere.

To this changing geopolitical landscape must also be added America’s growing rivalry with China. In the coming years, much of the US’ economic or military resources will be focused on opposing China. All of this, in the long run, reduces Washington's willingness to pursue as active a foreign policy in Eastern Europe, the South Caucasus, or the Middle East as it did in the 2000s. From now on, all

American attention will be shifted to the Indo-Pacific region. As a concrete example, the Biden-Putin summit held in Geneva avoided issues such as Ukraine and Georgia, as NATO enlargement will cause troubles with Russia.

WHERE IS GEORGIA? A multipolar world order affects all countries. Some will be more fortunate because they have a friendly and close political-economic relationship with a major power of this or that region. Others have a better geographical position since they are located in Europe and easily remain a part of Western institutions. The case of Georgia is much more difficult. The country has been trying since the 1990s to move closer to the West at the institutional level. A lot of success was achieved on this path during Eduard Shevardnadze’s presidency and subsequent Georgian governments.

The balance of geopolitical forces in the world in the 2000s gave Tbilisi a legitimate expectation that the Western geopolitical power in the South Caucasus would inevitably succeed. Indeed, America was building a liberal world order, and the spread of democracy throughout Eurasia, as it was then believed, should have been a matter of time.

Georgia had decades to become an institutional part of the West. This failed to materialize, and today, when illiberal forces have grown stronger and are in fact forming a strong anti-liberal movement, Georgia's chances of joining Western economic, political, and military institutions are much lower.

IN SEARCH OF A NEW FOREIGN POLICY VISION What then can Georgia do to achieve its foreign policy goals and strengthen its security amid the changing global order and the less active America? Formulating a multi-vector foreign policy could be one solution. This does not mean that Georgia reneges on joining the Western institutions – NATO and the EU will remain the focus of Georgia’s external policy. However, doing so in parallel with

a multi-vector foreign policy may prove more effective. Multi-vectoralism will be based on political realism, very similar to what the neighboring states have been pursuing of late. Official Tbilisi could consider establishing more intensive political ties with major players in the region, as well as Eurasia. Though Georgia has tried to pursue a similar policy before, the need for it in the postliberal world order will greatly increase.

The multi-vector foreign policy may also be driven by another important trend. Eurasia is slowly splitting into spheres of influence. Russia, China, India, in part, and a few powers smaller than them, are slowly creating exclusive spaces where their political and economic influence will play a leading role. Georgia, to avoid falling under the influence of an undesirable power, could regard the active pursuit of a multipolar foreign

policy as a solution. This means engaging all neighbors in a rather intense political-economic dialogue. It also means developing closer ties with China and India, and strengthening military contacts with Turkey and Azerbaijan, etc.

GEORGIA’S OBSTRUCTIVE GEOGRAPHY Georgia's foreign policy dilemma revolves around its fixation on the West. Though profitable in many ways, is also serves as an impediment. But multipolar foreign policy too will face significant obstacles.

For example, strengthening relations with Iran and China could damage Georgia’s ties with the West. Furthermore, the illegal control of Georgian lands by Russia limits the possibility of a dialogue with Moscow.

In a way, geography makes Georgia destined to be fixed on the West even if

it ends up damaging it. But Georgia’s troubles are also compounded by the fact that a conditional border between the West and the anti-liberal powers will be transiting through the Black Sea and the South Caucasus. Much will depend on the West: was its support for Georgia merely an expression of the spread of liberal values, or a result of concrete geopolitical calculations? If the West is driven by geopolitical interests in Georgia, it can be assumed that the country will be in the camp of liberal democracies. Otherwise, the historic opportunity that Georgia had to join the Euro-Atlantic institutions during the heyday of the liberal world order could be lost for a long time to come. *Emil Avdaliani is a professor at European University and the Director of Middle East Studies at Georgian think-tank, Geocase.

Let Sculptures Scream!

OP-ED BY NUGZAR B. RUHADZE

O

ne of the most noticeable paradoxes of our time is that the world seems to be both united and separated; united because the world

today has become so small that the nations are compelled to be in the closest possible economic touch with each other, and separated because the concept of geopolitical individualism with strongly protected borders is more important to any nation today than the notorious international integration of even the highest sophistication.

Look, for example, at the G-7, a celebrated bunch of the world’s biggest economies! They coexist, they interact, they cooperate, and still, they are detached from each other, their national interests being miles apart, and their respective cultures totally removed from the commonness of both their form and content.

The kinks and tricks administered by various countries against one another makes them momentarily vulnerable if the behavior of one triggers doubts in terms of the seemingly compulsory international law, or the nowadays accepted rules of geopolitical games.

The G-7 used to be the G-8 before the Crimean annexation perpetrated by Russia. As a result, the question pops up: which model of the Great Group protects the world better – 7 or 8? Ask any of the G-7 leaders and we will not see anything more than shrugged shoulders. Their last summit took place a little less than a week ago in Carbis Bay, St. Ives, Cornwall, Great Britain, to discuss issues like the Covid-19 pandemic, climate change, world trade, world peace, international co-ordination on economic policies, regulation of digital currencies, unlocking of travel restrictions, protection of

humanity from all future pandemics, and what not, all of them being extremely hot and topical at any point in time, but what matters most is how quick and effective might the great meeting’s outcome be on individual lives globally.

Almost impossible to say!

It is curiosity-triggering that not all of it was put on the camera for the widely open public eye to watch, with some of the meetings and discussions held behind closed doors. Hopefully, this was done for a good reason, and not to the detriment of the affordable transparency of information.

It is also interesting that the summitconnected spending was so high. For instance, the price-tag on the policing operations for the meeting alone was up to a hundred million dollars, saying nothing about the rest of the expenditures.

Not many protests and manifestations were spotted during the summit, probably thanks to the extant medical situation. We happen to be aware that the perfidious pandemic kills the joy of all of it. And still, the local public, especially those in the arts, had their misgivings and second thoughts about the summit, which they expressed in their artwork.

The visitors’ eyes in Cornwall were stuck on an extremely large sculpture of the participating world leaders which was inspired by Mount Rushmore of the United States, reflecting the images of four beloved American presidents. The difference between the two is that Rushmore is built from granite, and this one is made using trashed electronic appliances and scrap metal, and showing the faces of attending political leaders. The author of the sculpture, which is named Mount Recyclemore, is artist Joe Rush, who made a strong and impressive attempt to raise awareness of the issue of the impact of electronic waste on nature.

I wish every problem that was discussed within the frames of the summit was just as well reflected in other expressive sculptures like this, bringing surprise, and full of mockery and irony, so that the world’s decision makers think more and better, encouraged to pursue a stronger mutual cooperation in the undelayed killing of egregious problems which make the planet a sick place to live in.

You know, art always speaks the word we all need to hear and cherish. And I definitely hear the scream!

6

POLITICS

GEORGIA TODAY

JUNE 18 - 24, 2021

A MACV-SOG for Georgia?

Photo by unknown author

OP-ED BY MICHAEL GODWIN

T

heorganizationintheUnited States military formerly known as Military Assistance Command, Vietnam – Studies and Observations Group, or more commonly as MACVSOG, was a secret and shadowy special operations group. This group operated outside the bounds of the conventional military rules and constraints. In addition to working outside of Vietnam’s national borders, they also worked with local resistance and guerilla groups to fight the VietCong on their unconventional terms, and in their unconventional ways.

Georgia, facing an impending occupation, and indeed their own sovereign territory being held by a foreign force, could learn an interesting tactic from this group. The implementation of a “black” operations force aimed at destabilization of the occupation authority could be the lever to turn the tide in the nation’s favor. Organizing a small, agile,

and shadowy force could equally shift the balance of power in the occupied regions, forcing Russian soldiers to rethink their nation's commitment to such lands.

First, who was the MACV-SOG that seemingly ran amok in the mountains, villages, and jungles of Southeast Asia?

This organization was a conglomeration of multiple teams aimed at disruption and terror on the infamous Ho Chi Minh Trail, the supply route of the VietCong and North Vietnamese Army (NVA).

This trail extended out of North Vietnam into Laos and Cambodia and back into South Vietnam. Interrupting this would cripple the insurgent’s effort against the South Vietnamese and American forces.

Operating in the literal and figurative dark, these small teams, ranging from 1 to 4 US soldiers, would pair with 5 to 30 local fighters and wreak havoc on the supply and reinforcement chain of the enemy.

This top secret organization operated in virtual non-existence as far as the populace and media was concerned.

News, foreign elements, and public organizations were told nothing about

the existence of their organization. The explicit requirement of the prospective members was that they must have a background in special operations, thus qualifying them for the secrecy of the organization. The unit was focused on special reconnaissance and in certain instances on ambush or Direct Action (DA). Throughout the war, these teams operated in shadowed excellence against the communist threat from the north.

With approximately 20% of the nation's land being occupied and restricted by Russian forces, a force of similar operational scope could be exceptionally effective in Georgia. Operating in a deniable capacity using asymmetric and unconventional tactics could give Tbilisi more leverage in their Ergneti talks, while leaving room to deny such actions as simple partisan activity or rowdy locals acting out. All the while, these shadow operators would be slowly chiseling away at Russian stability in the region.

This new Georgian organization would have to be masked to be hidden from bureaucratic nonsense and corruption or infiltration by Russian elements already operating in the nation’s administration.

A policy of restricted knowledge of such an organization would have to be implemented so as to contain even the very idea of such an organization. All but the most essential people would be clueless as to the very existence of a Georgian “black operations” element.

One key element of their training would be cross-training with friendly intelligence organizations familiar with the type of operations they will be tasked with, the United States Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), United Kingdom’s Special Intelligence Service (more commonly known as MI6), France’s General Directorate for External Security (or in the French acronym DGSE), and Israel’s now-famous Mossad would be essential partners in the establishment of such an organization.

Their ability to blend into the social fabric in Abkhazia and South Ossetia would be critical. Language and cultural skills, ability to adapt to special weapons,

and anonymity would be crucial for the prospective individuals. There can be no way to trace them to Tbilisi, and the candidates would need to be willing to be disavowed upon apprehension, possibly leading to their death. Their overall objective being the sowing of fear and discontent among the occupation forces. This is not just patriotic, but necessary as a nation defending its own.

Duty in this “Studies and Observations Group” would be completely voluntary and of the utmost confidentiality. Their name, rank, personal identification number, and other personal factors would be virtually erased. Any weapon or equipment assigned to them would have manufacturing and serial identifiers removed completely, as well as any additional gear similarly scrubbed. Their new identity would be created to blend in perfectly to their environment; livestock herder, market employee, farmer, etc.

Upon deployment, these individuals would begin the slow and arduous task of raising a band of partisan militia.

Through effective information and psychological operations, the local populace would be angled against the occupation forces. The original MACV-SOG would

be paired with sympathetic local fighters to combat the enemy, and so would the Georgian operators. Operating completely unaccounted for by the government, they would be responsible for all activity by themselves and their contingent of resistance personnel.

Of course, the legality and international approval of such an organization would come into question. However, it is not the only shadowy element operating in the fringes of diplomacy. Russia has been doing this since the collapse of their last venture, the Soviet Union. Even now, they continue to spread their influence through proxies and covert units, as revealed in various press releases. Why should Georgia abstain from such activity?

Georgia cannot afford to let Russian elements continue the indoctrination of their own people. They will slowly invade the homes and minds of Georgians if left unchecked. Sending their own subtle elements will allow Georgia to keep a firm grip on their own territory, as well as beat back the Moscow-driven threat.

Tbilisi needs to support their occupied territories by countering the aggressions and supporting the people as a force for good and giving them confidence that they are not forgotten.

Photo by 1LT Robert Kunzig/USNavy

BUSINESS

Veon’s Beeline Signs Agreement with Nokia for a Core Network Modernization

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eeline, part of the international Veon Group, on June 15 took an important step toward modernizing its core network throughout the country by signing a $10 million contract with Nokia, the world's leading corporation.

The company will soon be introducing the latest generation of Nokia technologies that will improve customer service, increase network productivity and security and provide readiness for the introduction of 5G technology.

As part of the deal, Beeline Georgia also chose Nokia’s Home Location Register (HLR), making Nokia the sole network vendor for VEON in Georgia. HLR is a critical core component, given its role as the repository for storing subscriber data.

In addition to HLR, Beeline acquires Nokia’s cloud-native Cloud Mobile Gateway (CMG) and Cloud Mobility Manager (CMM) appliance solutions, which provides Beeline the capability to rapidly launch 5G services in the future without making significant changes to the network.

Upgrading the core network through near-zero touch automation and increased operational efficiencies will enable Beeline to meet rising customer demand for much greater bandwidth capacity, service quality and reliability, and enhanced product innovation and services. The upgrade will also help future-proof Beeline’s 4G network, which currently serves

63% of Beeline Georgia’s customers and reaches 90% of the nation’s population.

Deployment of the core network modernization is expected to start in the 3rd quarter of 2021.

The contract signing ceremony took place at Radisson Blu Iveria Hotel in Tbilisi. Kaan Terzioglu, VEON Group CEO, and Mikko Lavanti, Vice President, Head of Central Europe & Central Asia at Nokia, arrived in Georgia to announce the signing of the contract and speak at the press conference together with Lasha Tabidze, Beeline CEO. At the press conference, the sides pointed out that this new partnership and preparing ground for 5G services in the country will be beneficial not only in terms of introducing latest technologies but for achieving better education

opportunities among the society, for business and enterprises and the Georgian economy as a whole.

While working on introducing new opportunities through this partnership, Beeline was traditionally focused on the safety of its customers, which is also one of the priorities of the local government.

As a result, they noted the Georgian population will be provided with the fastest and safest services, with their privacy and personal data well protected.

Naturally, 5G services will be available only for a small part of the population in the nearest future, however, this new deal is expected to significantly improve and enhance the already available 4G network performance and other features offered by Beeline.

“This is a milestone accomplishment

for Beeline, which will bring our subscribers a reliable, steady network, seamless customer experience and services,” says Lasha Tabidze, Beeline CEO. “We are very pleased to have chosen the bestin-class Nokia Corporation as our partner. The solutions from Nokia will provide Beeline with the necessary adaptability, preparedness and potency to meet the demand for enhanced mobile broadband, the Internet of Things and advanced 4G services while enabling 5G capabilities of the future. Most importantly, this new partnership will allow us to offer our loyal customers even more diverse digital services and create more comfort for them in a safe way.

“Regarding our 4G network, which currently covers 90% of Georgia’s population, with the upcoming update through collaboration with Nokia, this service will become of even better quality, while still existing certain weaknesses will be eliminated.”

“We’ve all seen the difficult times due to the pandemic, while mobile internet actually helped us to stay connected and work together during this challenging period,” notes Kaan Terzioglu, VEON Group CEO. “Today, we’re announcing an increased capacity of mobile internet, almost double, and making it ready for 5G. This is the first 5G-ready network in compliance with globally recognized security policies in Georgia.

“I believe that we have a responsibility

to bring 4G for every single citizen of Georgia, rather than focusing on 5G for a few,” Terzioglu adds. “But the infrastructure we’ll be deploying in partnership with Nokia, will make Georgia one of those countries which are on the pioneering level in terms of their readiness for 5G deployment. Our customers in Georgia have an increasing demand for a wider range of experiences built on connectivity and digital services; and this important upgrade to our infrastructure allows us to serve them better, and with a greater internal efficiency.”

Mikko Lavanti, Vice President, Head of Central Europe & Central Asia, Nokia, said: “We’re very pleased to help Beeline with this important step in its digital transformation. During the pandemic, we’ve all learned the importance of telecom. At that time, Nokia started creating technologies that help people globally to respond the new challenges. Today, by announcing this partnership, we’re bringing the latest technologies offered

by Nokia to Georgia, which will support Beeline to modernize its network, including its applications, and other services, and bring even more benefits to the local society and the country’s economy.”

As deployment of the core network modernization is expected to start soon, it can be said that Beeline customers (and not only) will experience the benefits of the newly announced partnership themselves in the near future.

BUSINESS

GEORGIA TODAY JUNE 18 - 24, 2021

7

Significant Contribution to Development of Georgian Economy: Carrefour Named among 10 Largest Investors

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arrefour, owned and operated by Majid Al Futtaim in Georgia, has been named one of the ten largest investors in Georgia, due to the rapid physical and digital development of the brand. Carrefour has created employment opportunities for the local population, supported local producers and suppliers, and conducted a variety of charitable and environmental initiatives.

The National Statistics Office listed Majid Al Futtaim as one of the top ten largest companies to invest in Georgia, along with the likes of IDS Borjomi Georgia, Tbilisi Energy Ltd, JSC Energopro Georgia, JSC Corporation Poti Seaport, Toyota Caucasus Ltd, Adjara Energy Ltd-2007, CBD Development Ltd, SC Georgian Healthcare Group and JSC BGEO Group. These companies were the largest investors in the country during the first quarter of this year.

According to Geostat, the contribution of foreign investors, such as Majid Al Futtaim, has become vital to the development and progress of the country's economy.

Carrefour's name among the country's largest investors was largely due to the brand's impressive contribution to the development of the Georgian economy and modern trade. Since its establishment, the brand has brought a completely new, unbeatable trading experience to the country.

The brand's active investment efforts are also reflected quantitatively. After entering the country, Carrefour has invested about $150 million and plans to invest another $120 million over the next 2-3 years.

Carrefour currently employs 2,500 people in Georgia and plans to hire another 1,200 employees over the next 2-3 years, which will bring more benefits to suppliers, farmers, and consequently strengthen Georgia’s agricultural sector.

Over the years, the brand has strengthened and developed relationships with many suppliers through its activities.

After entering the Georgian market, Car-

refour worked with more than 800 suppliers, assisted Georgian farmers, and contributed to the development of agriculture. 60% of its business comes from

Georgian farmers.

As a responsible, long-term investor, protecting customers’ purchasing power is one of Carrefour’s fundamental values.

The brand’s unrelenting work to improve the economy, increase employment rates, help the vulnerable across the country and care for the environment is reflected

in the above data and economic analysis, as well as in the unwavering consumer confidence and high reputation of the Carrefour network.

Efes Georgia Implements Campaign to Support Gender Equality

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am delighted to be a member of the Anadolu Efes team, which follows the UN 5th Sustainable Development Goal - Gender Equality!

- said Anadolu Efes team members from all over the world, kicking off a challenge campaign in internal social media.

In the frames of the campaign, which aimed to raise awareness of gender equality challenges, Efes Georgia also supported local women’s NGOs: ‘For a Better Future’ and the ‘Mtskheta-Mtianeti Committee of the National Network for Protection from Violence,’ both of which successfully work on the development and empowerment of women in Mtskheta Municipality.

Efes Georgia assisted these organizations in setting up a day center, and purchasing essential inventory and equipment. The company also helped Ikorta, a cloisonne enamel workshop, a subsidiary of ’For a Better Future,’ in the acquisition of items and materials to further

Efes Georgia Celebrates World Environment Day

T expand the work and increase its diversity of products.

Efes Georgia is a member of the UN Global Compact, the largest corporate

sustainability initiative in the world, which promotes a sustainable and inclusive global economy for its people, society and market.

o celebrate World Environment Day, Efes Georgia, with the partnership of the local NGO: The Union for Sustainable Development – EcoVision, organized a tree planting event in the yard of the brewery. Efes Georgia employees participated in the event and planted different types of trees suitable for the territory. The trees were selected in

consultation with Ecovision. The planting process was led by the representatives of the NGO. Efes Georgia actively works to achieve the following sustainable development goals to protect the environment: 6th goal – Clean water and sanitation 7th goal – Affordable and clean energy 12th goal – Responsible consumption and production 13th goal – Climate Action

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BUSINESS

GEORGIA TODAY

JUNE 18 - 24, 2021

Vaccination Trends in Key Source Markets for Tourism in Georgia Graph 1 Top visitor countries in 2019 by their share in total visitors, and % of vaccinated people in population as of May 23rd, 2021.

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n April 2021, the number of international visitors in Georgia reached its highest level since the start of the pandemic. Furthermore, since April, the fol-

lowing factors have given rise to more optimistic expectations than before: the curfew restricting outdoor movement after 9pm has been pushed back to 11pm, a special vaccination program for tour-

ism sector workers has commenced, restaurants are now allowed to operate on weekends, various old and new air routes have been (re)introduced and, finally, land borders were re-opened on

Table 1: Percentage change of prices in May 2021 over April 2021 and over May 2019.

Table 2: Basic economic indicators

June 1. Thus, the overall expectations for tourism’s recovery in 2021 have shifted upwards. However, as entry requirements include either vaccination or a negative PCR test result, recapturing even half of the pre-pandemic scale of tourism is unlikely this year. In this issue, we examine the prospects regarding the number of visitors in 2021 by looking at the percentage of vaccinated people in Georgia's key source markets.

In 2019, 71% of all visitors to Georgia came from its four immediate neighbors: Azerbaijan (19.8%), Russia (19.0%), Armenia (17.7%), and Turkey (15.0%).

As of May 23*, none of these four countries had vaccinated more than 20% of their population, with Turkey being the closest at 19%. In fact, the key source countries for Georgia to have vaccinated more than 20% of their population accounted for just 10.5% of visitors in 2019.

Countries that stand out in terms of vaccination performance among the top source markets include Israel (63% of people vaccinated), the United Kingdom (56%), and the United States (49%), followed by Germany (40%) and Poland (34%). Most other EU countries, while not having a significant share in visitors to Georgia, have vaccinated around

30-40% of their populations as well.

Looking at the breakdown of visitors to Georgia in April 2021, 12.2% of visitors were from Israel, while in 2019 this corresponding figure was only 2.7%. In fact, the number of visitors from Israel in April 2021 declined by just 29.6% compared to April 2019. It is expected that Israel will continue to rank fairly high in terms of share in visitors, at least over the course of 2021.

Some other countries that stand out in terms of their high vaccination rates, and that could be worth targeting at least in the short term, include the United Arab Emirates (61%**), Hungary (52%), Bahrain (52%), Finland (41%), and Cyprus (41%). * For some countries data were not available for May 23, so data from May 22, 21, or 20 were taken ** For some countries (indicated by a star on the graph) the number was estimated based on total vaccinations

HOTEL PRICE INDEX In May 2021, in Georgia, the hotel price index increased by 6.8% compared to April 2021. The 3-star, 4-star and 5-star hotel price index increased by 6.4%, while for guesthouses, the price index increased by 9.0%.

In May 2021, compared to May 2019, hotel prices in Georgia decreased by 2.3%. The prices of 3*, 4*, 5* hotels decreased by 1.8%, while the prices of guesthouses decreased by 5.5%.

AVERAGE HOTEL PRICES In Georgia, the average cost of a room in a 3-star hotel was 132 GEL per night in May 2021, while the average cost of a room in a 4-star hotel in Georgia was 246 GEL per night and the average cost of a room in a guesthouse3 was 82 GEL per night.

The average cost of a room in a 5-star hotel in Georgia in May 2021 was 402 GEL per night. In Guria, the average price was 600 GEL, followed by Tbilisi - 509 GEL, Kakheti - 432 GEL and Adjara – 391 GEL.

Graph 2: In the graph, average prices for standard double rooms in 3 and 4-star hotels and guesthouses are given by region. 5-star hotel prices are provided above.

SOCIETY

GEORGIA TODAY JUNE 18 - 24, 2021

9

San Diego State University Georgia Celebrates Graduation of 2nd and 3rd Cohorts while We Meet the SDSU President

INTERVIEW BY KATIE RUTH DAVIES

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an Diego State University, through funding from the US Government’s Millennium Challenge Corporation and the Georgian Government, offers internationally accredited Bachelor of Science programs in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) in Georgia.

This year they celebrated “Commencement” on June 8, a traditional annual graduation ceremony. SDSU Georgia held its first Commencement in 2019, when 55 students graduated in three programs. There will be 109 students graduating this year, among them the first Civil and Construction Engineering program graduates in Georgia, who will go on to address a critical need within the Georgian economy, in a variety of different roles.

The event was attended by approximately 155 students, and 100 guests, including the academic delegation from SDSU, headed by the 9th permanent President of SDSU, Dr. Adela de la Torre, representatives of the Government of Georgia, US Embassy, and Millennium Foundation, rectors and deans of the three partner universities (Tbilisi State University, Ilia State University, Georgian Technical University), Advisory Board members of SDSU Georgia, Public Private Partnership Fund (PPPF) donors, and other partners of SDSU Georgia.

As part of the ceremony, an MOU between SDSU and the Ministry of Education and Science of Georgia was signed.

GEORGIA TODAY was lucky to grab a sit-down interview with Dr. Adela de la Torre prior to the Commencement to get her view on Georgia’s progress in the past seven years, how self-sustainable the project is, and SDSU’s plans for further collaboration in future.

“I wasn’t president when the call for applications came through the Millennium Corporation [Georgia],” Dr da la Torre tells us “[Our desire to get involved came from] the idea of sharing expertise and creating a partnership in a region where it would create the right kind of synergies of interest. They discovered Georgia could be a very important niche that would enable synergies of faculty from SDSU and local institutions, but more importantly, that here they would be able to create a longer term relationship with San Diego State, which is

critical in global partnerships, as you want to have something seeded that will grow. Georgia appeared to have those elements and now you can see that there are deep roots here.

Dr. Adela de la Torre is here in Georgia on her third visit, and she professes a love for the country, particularly its nature and cuisine. She says she can see the potential here, which is what fuels her work here through San Diego State.

“We’re here this week [not only for the graduation ceremony, but], to look at sustainability,” she says. “The local universities have been very important for us in helping the Republic of Georgia develop the workforce needed to create the kind of economic development critical for its own success. And we’ve been very successful. We already have 250 graduates (and will have up to 500 in total), many of whom go on to get advanced degrees, with the idea of them coming back [to ultimately benefit Georgia], having studied Chemistry, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Construction, or Civil or Electrical Engineering, all of which are backbones for any country that aspires to greatness.”

is vital to ensure you are at the top of the game in your field.

What is notable is not just that we brought our faculty to work with the faculty here, and recruit students, but we also have been key in providing a pathway for engineering and chemistry via better accreditation. This has allowed us to cross-train faculty, encourage the hiring of new faculty, and create programs in Tbilisi State University [TSU], for example.

This year, TSU had an application for one of their Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) accredited programs and got over 2200 students applying for 120 spots. What we’re seeing is that quality attracts students to STEM. Quality implies opportunities with employers who see students who can help accelerate their own capacity to grow. And it also attracts other institutions across the globe who want to have Georgian students in their doctoral or graduate programs. All these are very important success metrics.

TELL US ABOUT THE STUDENTS HERE AND HOW THE SDSU PROGRAMS BENEFIT THEM. WE UNDERSTAND ON A PRIOR VISIT, YOU WENT TO THE REGIONS TO VISIT SCHOOLS AND STUDENTS.

Applications have increased in the programs that have just become accredited in the local institutions. The goal was to transfer the knowledge and skills [from SDSU] so that the local faculty could

The students are from all over Georgia, and from different economic backgrounds. One of the areas we’ve been tackling is trying to create opportunity and access for students independent of their income, and have developed programs with the private sector to provide scholarships. Within the US, the custom is to pay tuition, but that model is unfamiliar here in Georgia. We had to construct something to create broad access and find funding mechanisms to support the students. We developed that successfully through public-private partnerships. But, more importantly, we began to create a very important brand of excellence, so that students understood that once they entered these programs, they could really develop a career pathway that allows them to become experts in STEM fields.

It wasn’t that these fields didn’t exist before we came along, but they weren’t at a level of quality to allow for that area of expertise. In the US and Europe, you have accredited programs. Accreditation

HOW WOULD YOU RATE THE SUSTAINABILITY OF THE PROJECT? WHAT IS BEING DONE TO ENSURE THIS?

then teach the curriculum [without us].

For the first few years, the faculty at SDSU were largely the key areas of translation of information, because the programs are accredited at SDSU. Since those first few years, this transferred knowledge and these relationships have created opportunities for trust so that now the faculty at San Diego State feel very confident that they want to continue the relationship.

All these programs really require the faculty and the deans to be in support in order for them to be sustainable. And because this has been ongoing successfully for several years, the faculty are very positive about it.

Sustainability is no easy proposition because you really have to have “buy-in” at the local level. This program does.

That’s why it will be successful.

We are at the stage now where we can become equal partners [with Georgian universities] because they have the facilities and staff and the knowledge to work with us and to determine where we could have joint degrees. Joint degrees are where a student is able to get a degree from SDSU as well as one of the sister institutions here. They allow us to partner in areas of interest to both institutions, as well as to develop a sustainable financial model, because it has to be self-supporting. Currently, we are trying to "graduate" the current model, which was largely supported through state department funding, towards a more self-sustainable version. This will build on the partnerships and resources we've been molding over the past seven years, and will allow us to amplify the project's influence.

It’s going to start funding itself from 2023, and we’re beginning to transition now, so it gives us some running room to develop this sustainable financial model. We’ll be looking at external funding mechanisms and synergies.

In terms of recruiting, students are contacted in their schools throughout the regions, but are largely attracted themselves to the San Diego brand and all the opportunities it offers. And now we also have alumni who can [share their experiences and] help recruit. But more importantly, many parents see the direct benefits, particularly of the joint degrees.

WE UNDERSTAND YOU ARE DIVERSIFYING ACTIVITIES IN GEORGIA. TELL US ABOUT SAN DIEGO’S NEW DIRECTIONS/PROGRAMS. One of the areas we’re looking at are other programs that might come up, such as a college of education- there’s a great

interest in teacher education. SDSU has one of the best colleges of education in the US, and a wealth of knowledge in the field, so there are opportunities there to work with the US systems and develop more optimal ways to encourage teacher competency areas in Georgia, particularly in STEM education.

Other areas are in the social sciences, digital humanities, and public health.

These are the conversations we can have [with the Georgian side] based on the successful programs in STEM. We’re working with TSU, Iliauni, the Technical University, and we’ll be working with Kutaisi International University (KIU) too.

Any program that’s developed with San Diego State, you have to have faculty who are interested in being committed to that relationship so that it can be sustainable.

We hope to be able to expand in some programs- the current ones are very important and viable, and have a better footing because they’ve been developed and the relationships established. Newer ones will take a little more time.

AND WE HEAR YOU’LL BE SIGNING A MEMORANDUM WITH THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION? Yes, that will hopefully solidify the relationship with San Diego State so that we can be committed to working in a collaborative manner to enhance higher education in Georgia, as we have in the past, most likely through our joint degree process.

What we would like to have is an opportunity for students to travel [to SDSU], because that is also a very important educational process. We have exchange programs, but there’s a competitive process for the funding of exchanges, so not all the students get a chance. Right now, the programs are done virtually. And we have faculty that come teach here. But we’re going to be exploring different options of pedagogical delivery.

SO, YOU ARE CONFIDENT IN GEORGIA’S EDUCATIONAL POTENTIAL? The thing about Georgia is that you have a wonderful community with tremendous opportunities, and it is so important from a geopolitical sense that this country become exceptional. The key to any diplomatic strategy is education diplomacy. And that means advancing the opportunities for young people.

For Georgia to achieve success, it has to invest in its youth. Education is the key.

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SOCIETY

GEORGIA TODAY

JUNE 18 - 24, 2021

From Seeds to This: Etseri, Svaneti BLOG BY TONY HANMER

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he seedlings for apples, cherries and pears kindly given to us by a friend in Agara a few years ago have now outgrown their cowprotection cages of hollow steel bars and barbed wire. Without these, a single bovine incursion could have seen them decimated, eaten down to stumps which, if they survived at all, would then take a year or more to regrow to their previous healthy state. And the cows will go straight for them, given the chance and not knowing any better! (Although any cow which does enter my land unlawfully I do my best to teach pain, getting in one or two good thwacks on their hide with a stout stick before they run out again. No actual injury, just the murder in my eyes). So, even with land all fenced in, you guard the seedlings as best you can until they are too tall for the cows to destroy.

Time now to replace these cages with something bigger and higher to suit this new seedling size. I bought new 3m bars some months ago in Zugdidi, the nearest source for such things. The old ones I have taken out, along with the troublesome barbed wire coils which perversely catch on everything they can—skin, clothing, each other, the ground itself.

The alternative style to all this metal is mostly wood: pointy-ended posts of tough and long-lasting oak, though not the huge thick ones used for long fences, and slats either nailed horizontally to them or fixed vertically between them with two double strands of wire, near top and bottom of the slats. I have chosen my way because it’s much easier for

a single person to do.

Timing is important too. You need to avoid both the winter (ground frozen solid) and summer-fall (ground baked hard by the sun). Spring, when rain is still frequent and the clayey ground softer for making holes in, is ideal.

I use a solid straight steel bar about as tall as I am, end pointed, for the holes, plunging it into the ground and pulling it back and forth and in circles to make a cone shape in the ground. If I encounter a rock, which is a common thing here, I have to make a new hole nearby and

hope for the best, unable to see how big the rock might be. I have cut the fencebars to the right length with my rotary disc cutter. Then I set up a small stepladder and, using my axe head, pound each bar into the ground.

Next, I fill the rest of the hole with some dirt, adding a bit of water to soften it further, and pound this as hard as I can with an old axe handle. It will soon dry hard and help the bars to stay in place. I bend each bar slightly outwards for the shape of the tree. Then I’ll wait at least a day, depending on the weather

(raining again as I wrote this, but sun forecast soon) for everything to set before replacing the barbed wire. I add twists to the wire in places with my pliers to tighten it up, and now we have a nice environment inside which each tree can continue its growth.

Some of the seedlings are now taller than I am, and already flowered this year, so we’ll see a bit of fruit from them. But it’s really a years-long project. Eventually that fruit-bearing season in their lives will start, and we’ll have plenty to make things from: liqueurs, jams, chut-

neys, compotes, dried fruit and more, to get us through the winters. That’s what this is all for.

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

Welcome RELX to the Georgian Market – A New Brand Is Here table summer memories. And Menthol+ will refresh customers with the light, cool impression of mountain air. As for the Classic Tobacco, it is ideal for those who cannot resist the taste and aroma of tobacco, for those who quench their thirst on tobacco.

RELX will be available throughout the city, in 5 major malls: Saburtalo and Gldani City Malls; Axis Towers on Chavchavadze Avenue; Home Mart and Tbilisi Mall, also in every market of Europroduct.

The secret to RELX’s success lies in a recipe created using modern technologies that offer customers a smooth taste.

Through 76 sensory tests performed on RELX Super Smooth and repeated changes of parameters, RELX scientists have discovered the secret to a smooth taste.

At all stages of production, from the selection of ingredients to the final product, RELX adheres to high quality standards. Each year, approximately 2 million

I

n the modern world, where technology has become an integral part of life, even tobacco consumption has entered a whole new phase. It is said that e-cigarettes are the technology of the future that will completely replace the classical understanding of tobacco. Around the world, every year lots of people give up smoking and switch to e-cigarettes. The explanation for this consumer behavior is simple: vapes are a better alternative to cigarettes. Research by international public health institutes confirms that e-cigarette consumption is 95% less harmful than tobacco. This is due to the fact that unlike cigarettes, vapes do not

contain large amounts of harmful chemicals.

Georgian consumers are already familiar with e-cigarettes. In recent years, several different options have appeared on the market. A new brand, RELX, is entering the Georgian market for adult smokers and e-cigarette users. The company is well known all over the world.

RELX products are available in many regions – all over Asia, Oceania, North and Latin America and Europe. And now it is the turn of the Caucasus.

Using modern manufacturing technology, RELX offers customers innovative equipment, vape liquids and accessories.

The products combine an elegant, mod-

ern design and the latest technologies.

As a result, the best e-cigarettes and liquids are created for the consumer.

At the first stage, in Georgia the brand will be presented in 4 flavors, which have been specially selected for local consumers. These are: Dark Sparkle, Fresh Red, Menthol+ and Classic Tobacco. Each flavor contains 18 ml. nicotine. It is also important that soon, 0 Nicotine products will appear on the market.

Dark Sparkle is characterized by a wellknown, sparkling cola flavor. It will perfectly refresh your day and fill your mood with the impression of icy cold cola.

Fresh Red, with its intense, sweet watermelon flavor, will bring back unforget-

products are subjected to rigorous sampling and quality control testing for reliability testing.

From now on, the next generation of RELX technologies is available in Georgia. See more on http://ge.relxnow.com

SOCIETY

GEORGIA TODAY JUNE 18 - 24, 2021

11

USAID & PH International’s “Future Generation” Continues to Engage Students in Democratic Practices Continued from page 1 Through the program, USAID partners with the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sport of Georgia, local schools, and civil society organizations to institutionalize civic education as a key component of Georgia’s public-school curriculum. Key activities include enhanced teacher training and civic curricula, practical civic education projects, and support for student-led civics clubs.

Civics clubs receive small grants enabling them to plan, manage, and implement their own community activities.

These activities are designed to institutionalize civic education in Georgia’s school system, providing Georgian society with the capacity to ensure that young people have knowledge, skills, and opportunities to engage on important social issues. An impact assessment conducted

by USAID in 2018 found that students at participating schools demonstrated significantly higher levels of voluntary civic engagement than those at nonparticipating schools.

On June 10, GEORGIA TODAY was lucky to be invited to an exhibition of projects implemented by civics club school pupils in the Shida Kartli region.

The Kekhijvari State School hosted seven club presentations, though we were made aware that there were some 30 schools participating in 2020-2021.

Overall, the project has worked with 60% of schools in Georgia in its 11 years, giving around three years to each school.

With 314 students attending the school, six of whom have special needs and three of whom are challenged with mobility issues, it seemed only natural for the Kekhijvari school to choose integration as its theme, aiming to raise awareness of and somehow normalize the participation of those with disabilities in a society which just a few years ago would see families hiding away disabled relatives in shame. To achieve their aim, grades 8-11 united with the special needs students to collaborate in arts and craft activities, in a final exhibition demonstrating to the wider community that people from every background and ability can create something beautiful. The classes also enabled carers to monitor and improve disadvantaged students’ fine motor skills.

Other schools chose even tougher issues, like Kvemo Gomi, which focused on gender-based violence by carrying out door-to-door surveys in their village to ascertain people’s perception of gender roles in Georgian society, then held a community meeting to discuss their findings and raise awareness. Other topics chosen were bullying and violence in schools, as well as broader community issues, like protecting the environment and climate change- things that are topical not just in Georgia, but worldwide.

The civics club of the state school in Daba Surami decided to clean up and spice up local parkland for use by their friends and neighbors. They did so by applying not only to the local govern-

USAID's Peter Wiebler meets the Shida Kartli civics club students

ment for funding, but also to company Energo-pro. With local volunteers, they were able to clean the area and rehabilitate wooden pallets into furniture, which the children painted in bright donated colors. Next, they are looking into encouraging both the local government and their community to make their good work sustainable with regular cleaning and care for the park.

“We ask schools submitting projects to contribute to their projects in resources, be it monetary or non-monetary, some percentage of the total budget, to show us what they can do,” says Marina Ushveridze from PH International. “Through training, they learn to look locally for supporters and soon come to realize that their projects often need less money than they initially thought to ask for: the local government gives something, a local farmer will donate something else, a parent will drive the students where they need to go. Simply put, the school civics clubs we work with learn to mobilize to find resources and then to bring those resources together. And this is really a positive tendency.”

Also present at the Kekhijvari exhibition was recently sworn-in Shida Kartli Governor Valerian Mchedlidze, who came to the post from a very useful background in donor-relations with the Agency of Protected Areas of Georgia.

“I was proud to see the projects these extremely active, motivated and welltrained students have implemented over the past year," he told us. "The Shida Kartli region is very strong in the direction of education and sport. The biggest challenge we face is financing, and understanding and applying new technologies, new education tracks and new directions.

As such, the work of ‘Momavlis Taoba’ is not yet sustainable. This region is very poor, but I have contacts and experience in attracting funds, so I hope to be able to work with future civics clubs here to

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improve our communities. These children are the future, and it is their job to change me and my generation [for the better]. I will work with them with pleasure.”

USAID funding for the Momavlis Taoba project is over as of June, but they are still committed to supporting civic education and will be announcing a new call for proposals soon. We asked Peter A. Wiebler, Mission Director of USAID/ Georgia, how he felt seeing the students’ achievements.

“My reaction to these projects is always ‘wow’. It’s so inspiring. Georgia’s young people are really its biggest resource. In the broader education curriculum, there’s a lot of room not just for the staples of basic education and reformation- which the government has been putting a lot of emphasis on, and USAID has been supporting- but for a part about civics, about their role as citizens, their rights and responsibilities. That’s what I’ve seen throughout the years here: If you give them the tools, give them the support in their communities, help them make change, then Georgia’s young people are willing to take on those responsibilities.

“To me, there’s obvious progress being made and there’s a lot of hope for Georgia and its young people. We at USAID want to continue to work with the ministry and government to try to include and institutionalize the civics component into the curriculum, including in high schools. And we have willing partners in the ministry, all of them leaders who want to go in the same direction as us, as do Georgia’s youth. We’ll continue our support, and we’re going to build in more of a private sector angle: at the local level, there are companies and small businesses that want to see their communities grow, and the young people to stay in those communities and actually contribute, as opposed to going to Tbilisi for work, or leaving the country, which is a problem

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Georgia is facing. It’s not just about private sector money, it’s about private sector involvement and engagement: creating opportunities for young people, internships, getting young people exposed to how business works here. Overall, I feel very optimistic. I was nowhere close to where these kids are when I was their age, so I’m very impressed.”

“We’ve worked a lot on private sector engagement, and on our website initiatives.ge, we have a category [drop-down list] of donors, which demonstrates that school projects have been able to get funding from sources beyond USAID,” PH International’s Marina says. “This took some years to develop, but it happened. Schools come up with ideas, then we mediate between them and the companies. Schools need help formulating and presenting their project ideas concisely, and companies need help evaluating those ideas, having often not worked with schools before.

“Civic education has definitely become much more popular in schools among students, but also among parents,” she notes. “And school administrators are more supportive of this discipline because they have seen the benefits it brings to the school and community, and in the personal development of students.”

Naturally, support from school administrators is vital in further improving the quality of school-based civic education, as is their setting an example of how a true democracy works- with the students (as the constituents) knowing that their voices are heard and ideas and wishes taken into account.

“So much depends on the perception of the students themselves- if they feel that what they have to say has value, if they feel confidence,” Marina says. “Their involvement in civics projects demonstrates that they took the initiative to change things in their schools and communities. This affects students’ self-

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confidence, and develops in them skills of civic participation, skills of dialogue with decision-makers.

“Students come to see the school as a model of a mini-state, and if they are able to design the rules at school with their teachers and school administrators, they are more likely to respect those rules. Practicing democracy in such projects and then taking it into real life and finding solutions to real-life problems with the skills they develop in civics class, will ultimately positively contribute to the democratic culture in schools.”

During the exhibition on June 10, on behalf of PH International, Marina presented the Ministry of Education with the manual ‘Project Development and Management’ a step-by-step, 20+ page guide to civics project implementation.

Based on the example of one illustrated project, it explains how to formulate a project idea, how to make school needs assessments, how to create a budget, whom to apply to, how to ask for funding, and so on. Each public school in Georgia also has a copy.

While Marina notes the goals PH International had for this timeframe have been achieved, she highlights that Georgian democracy is still fragile, and if support to civic education stops now, including external support from the donor community and other actors, the results achieved may end up slipping backward.

“Civics needs continued support from the donor and international community,” she says. “And also from other actors in the civics support ecosystem, which I see as the local business sector, local government bodies, and communities represented by parents.”

“The project being sustainable without the above-mentioned support, by which we mean the Ministry and schools running it, also depends much on the level of democracy in the country,” Marina tells us.

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