The Minister
of Economic Development, Giorgi Arveladze, recently announced
that Georgia's economy is doing just fine without selling its
goods on the Russian market.
"Reopening the Russian market would be good for Georgia,
but our government isn't going to address the issue by any special
means," he said.
Do Georgian businesses need the Russian market? Should Georgia
make concessions to get Moscow to lift the embargo? (view
responses)
US Dollar - 1.6680
Euro - 2.2767
Pound Sterling - 3.3739
Swiss Franc - 1.3899 Thursday, August 2
Day - Partly Cloudy.
High: 86° F. / 30° C.
Night - Scattered Clouds.
Low: 62° F. / 17° C.
Friday, August 3
Day - Chance of Rain.
High: 86° F. / 30° C.
Night - Partly Cloudy.
Low: 57° F. / 14° C. Saturday,
August 4 Day
- Scattered Clouds.
High: 84° F. / 29° C.
Night - Scattered Clouds.
Low: 55° F. / 13° C.
Just as Georgia is a land of questions, comments and occasional
criticism, so too is our paper. The
Messenger welcomes your comments, letters to the editor and any other feedback
on ways we can better serve our readers online and in print. Please
write us at gtze@messenger.com.ge In your correspondence please include
your full name, your location and information on how we can contact you. Thank
you for helping us to make The Messenger a better paper.
Russian
negotiator to help arrange JCC session in Tbilisi
On July 31, Russian chief negotiator on South Ossetia Yuri Popov
said he'll work to support a Tbilisi session of the Joint Control
Commission. (more) USAID project
to study, boost Georgian tourism industry
On July 31, USAID's SME Support Project hosted a presentation
of the Tourism Inventory Assessment Project at the Courtyard Marriott.
Initiated in 2005, the Tourism Inventory Assessment Project was
developed to support small and medium businesses by providing
an assessment of the current situation of Georgia's tourism industry.
(more) Tbilisi can't
stop foreign investment in Abkhazia, say separatist officials
On July 30, Abkhazian de facto authorities declared that Georgia
does not have sufficient political leverage to influence continued
economic investment in the breakaway region. The statement was
a direct response to a warning from Tbilisi about "null and
void" foreign investments in the secessionist zones of Abkhazia
and South Ossetia, issued earlier the same day. (more) News
in Brief Sochi
2014 Winter Olympics could bring conflict, but also change
Georgia earnestly supported Russia's bid for the 2014 Winter Olympics.
Tbilisi may now be regretting that. It looks as if Russia is using
the Olympics as cover to snake its economic limbs into Abkhazia.
Moscow officials suggest that successful Games in adjacent Sochi
will require some preparatory cooperation from Abkhazia.
(more) Azerbaijani
company repairing Georgia's North-South gas pipeline
The Georgian Oil and Gas Corporation contracted with Khazardenizneftegaztikint,
an Azerbaijani company, to repair the 30-kilometer Gardabani-Navtlughi
section of the North-South natural gas pipeline. The pipeline
was heavily damaged by explosions in January 2006, cutting off
gas supplies to the country. (more) Georgian
foreign debt stands at USD 1.7 billion
Figures released on June 30 show Georgia's foreign debt at USD
1.7 billion, according to the news agency Regnum. Georgia has
a debt of USD 533 million to its 15 creditor countries, plus debts
to international organizations totaling USD 1.1 billion (see charts
below). In July 2004 Tbilisi reached an agreement with the Paris
Club to reschedule its foreign debt repayment. (more) Press scanner Today
in history Birthdays Georgian
words of the day
Thursday,
August 2, 2007, #146 (1413)
