Issue #1291

Issue no: 1291

• APRIL 9 - 15, 2021 • PUBLISHED WEEKLY

PRICE: GEL 2.50

In this week’s issue...

Ambassador of Greece Expresses Readiness to Sign MoC in Culture NEWS PAGE 2

Georgia and Its Main Strategic Partner: Marking New Principles in Relations? Part 2 POLITICS PAGE 4

Citizen-Soldiers: Should Georgia Revive the Home Guard Model?

POLITICS PAGE 6

FOCUS

ON RUSSIA

Leonid Volkov on Navalny’s Russia and bringing down Putin

PAGE 7

Carrefour Named Partner and Sponsor of New MasterChef Season BUSINESS PAGE 8

With EU Support, CENN Introduces a Green Component to Ilia State University's Social Entrepreneurship Bachelor Course BUSINESS PAGE 9

Corona Updates: Georgia Is Entering the Third Wave

BY TEAM GT

T

he country is in the early stages of the third wave of coronavirus spread, - the director of National Center for Disease Control, Amiran Gamkrelidze, stated Tuesday.

“We had this type of growth around the end of September last year. Today’s situation is very similar to when we entered the intense second wave,” he explained.

He added that since the country gained experience during the first and second waves, the NCDC does not want the country to suffer in the same way again.

“The only solution is very strong self-discipline, very good observance of all recommendations: face masks, distancing, sanitary order, avoiding large gatherings, and intensive vaccination,” Gamkrelidze stated.

Continued on page 2

Global Water Crisis, Climate Change, and Coronavirus – from Disaster to Opportunity SOCIETY PAGE 10

Mortuli: Bringing Ancient Georgia into Everyday Wear CULTURE PAGE 11 CULTURE PAGE 11 Prepared for Georgia Today Business by

Markets As of 05ͲAprͲ2021

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105.94 (YTM 2.91%)

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62,15

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4 077,91

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2

NEWS

GEORGIA TODAY

APRIL 9 - 15, 2021

Ambassador of Greece Expresses Readiness to Sign MoC in Culture

BY KETEVAN SKHIRTLADZE

Source of photo: report.ge

City Hall Installs Underground Garbage Containers on Kipshidze Street

BY KETEVAN SKHIRTLADZE

A

fter Chavchavadze Avenue, Tbilisi City Hall, as part of a pilot project, has installed underground garbage containers on Kipshidze Street.

Underground garbage containers are waterproof, and consist of a concrete hopper and a safety platform. The container is also equipped with a lid for pedestrians

and a filling sensor, which ensures the avoidance of a harmful impact on the environment and health during operation.

The locations for the installation of the containers were selected while taking into account the location of trees and other green areas in a particular area, as well as the perimeter required for the movement of special garbage removal trucks, and the location of existing and future infrastructure (private and municipal transport carriageways, pedestrian and bicycle lanes, landing sites, parking lots).

MFA: Russia Bears Full Responsibility for Death of Georgian Citizens while Crossing Enguri

Image source: IPN

BY ANA DUMBADZE

T

he Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia has issued a statement regarding the death of Georgian citizens living in the occupied territories, while crossing the Enguri River.

“MFA Georgia expresses its deep concern over the death of Georgian citizens living in the occupied Gali district while trying to cross the Enguri River.

“Four Georgian citizens tried to cross into the territory controlled by the Georgian government in order to avoid illegal detention due to discriminatory measures imposed by the Russian occupation regime and restriction of free movement along the occupation line.

“This is another serious human cost of the illegal occupation of Russia, and clearly shows the unbearable living conditions of the population of the regions of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali and the difficult security and humanitarian situation on the ground.

“The Russian Federation, as a force of effective control on the ground, bears full responsibility for this tragedy, and

for violations of fundamental human rights and freedoms in the occupied territories, as reaffirmed by the European Court of Human Rights in its judgment of 21 January.

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has activated all the diplomatic levers at its disposal to raise the issue at the highest level in all relevant international formats.

The tragic fact has already been discussed at the Minister’s meeting with the EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus and the Crisis in Georgia.

“Georgia is making every effort to end the illegal occupation on the ground, end human rights abuses in the occupied territories and allow the local population to move freely,” reads the statement.

Four citizens of Georgia, residents of the occupied Gali region, were trying to cross the occupation line in the vicinities of village Shamgona and Tagiloni village via the River Enguri, into the territory controlled by the Central Government of Georgia in order to avoid unlawful detentions established by the Russian occupation regime. All four of them died in the water.

Georgian rescuers recovered all four bodies reported missing.

T

heMinisterofCulture,Sports, and Youth Affairs of Georgia, Tea Tsulukiani, met with the Ambassador of Greece, Dimitrios Karabalis on April 6. They discussed the possibility of signing a cooperation document in the field of culture, sports, and youth.

Tsulukiani expressed her gratitude towards Karabalis for supporting cultural projects. The Minister noted that the involvement of Greek experts in the field of cultural heritage and sharing their experience in museum activities with Georgian colleagues will significantly contribute to the development of the main areas that are currently relevant for the Ministry.

The Greek Ambassador introduced his vision of cooperation to Tsulukiani in the field of culture, sports, and youth and expressed readiness to facilitate the signing of a cooperation document in the given fields.

Ambassador of Greece Expresses Readiness to Sign MoC in Culture

Corona Updates: Georgia Is Entering the Third Wave Continued from page 1

CELEBRITY CASES This week, Prime Minister of Georgia Irakli Garibashvili tested positive for coronavirus as a result of planned testing. He is reported to be feeling well, and is working remotely, in self-isolation.

Having been in contact with the PM, President Salome Zurabishvili also moved into self-isolation this week.

Even though she has already been vaccinated with the first dose of the Covid19 vaccine, she decided to self-isolate for additional risk prevention.

“In parallel with this process, the President is having a PCR test done, in accordance with the existing protocol,” the President's Administration noted.

Mamuka Mdinaradze, the Executive Secretary of the Georgian Dream, also tested positive for coronavirus.

“Friends, I was just notified that my test result for COVID-19 is positive,” Mdinaradze wrote on social media. “This comes from a single mistake I made.

When talking to someone, don’t take off your face mask for even a minute, not for a minute! This is my advice, based on personal experience.

“There have been many cases of coronavirus reported in recent days, the risks have increased a lot. We ask everyone to obey the regulations carefully, wear a face mask everywhere, which, in addition to the country's economy, will save the lives of our citizens,” he added.

THE VACCINES NCDC Head Amiran Gamkrelidze says

that the Chinese government is providing the Sinovac vaccine to Georgia free of charge.

“China currently has about five vaccines, two of which are used internationally: Sinovac and Sinopharm. The Chinese government is providing the Sinovac vaccine to Georgia free of charge, which is widely used in neighboring countries, such as Turkey, where about 15 million doses have already been given, and Azerbaijan, where about half a million doses have been used. Both vaccines have been submitted to the World Health Organization for authorization, which will most likely be received mid-April,” Gamkrelidze said.

Georgia received 100,000 doses of the Chinese-made Sinopharm vaccine, Georgia bought 100,000 doses of Sinopharm, and 100,000 doses of another Chinesemade Sinovac vaccine were donated by China.

“Additional studies need to be conducted and more data gathered on Sinovac and Sinopharm among sub-groups, including the elderly and those with underlying medical conditions,” the Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization (SAGE), part of the United Nations' health agency that advises the WHO on immunization policies, said this week.

Sinovac and Sinopharm are so far approved by the Chinese regulator, have been exported to more than 70 countries, and have received emergency use approval in Hungary and Serbia.

The China National Pharmaceutical Group Co., Ltd. (Sinopharm) announced on Saturday that its COVID-19 vaccine has

acquired the GMP certificate issued by the Hungarian National Institute of Pharmacy and Nutrition (OGYEI), becoming the first Chinese COVID-19 vaccine to receive such a certificate, CGTN reported.

THE STATISTICS Georgia recorded 761 coronavirus cases, 537 recoveries, and 9 deaths on Thursday, the official figures show. 34,201 tests were performed in the 24 hours prior to these statistics being released. Georgian capital Tbilisi recorded the highest number of new cases, followed by the Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti and Imereti regions.

The daily test-positivity rate stands at 2.23%, while it was 2.42% over the past 7 days. The total number of confirmed cases detected since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has reached 286,406.

Among them, 276,084 people have recovered and 3849 have died.

THE RECOVERY Based on the decision of the Georgian Government, and on the initiative of Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili, the ‘Interagency Council for Development and Reform’ was established this week, which will develop a 10-year development plan for the country.

The Governmental Administration reports that the Interagency Council was set up to effectively respond to the challenges facing the country and will be headed by the head of the Georgian Government.

Reportedly, the members of the Development and Reform Council will be ministers, MPs and other officials.

“The Development and Reform Council is authorized to set up working groups and subgroups, and, if necessary, to invite representatives of other agencies or specialists in the relevant field, experts and representatives of the private sector.

“The goal of the Council is to submit the initial document of the 10-year development plan of the country to the Government of Georgia no later than May 31, 2021,” the government administration said in a statement.

Keep up-to-date on georgiatoday.ge.

4

POLITICS

GEORGIA TODAY

APRIL 9 - 15, 2021

Georgia and Its Main Strategic Partner: Marking New Principles in Relations? Part 2 ANALYSIS BY VICTOR KIPIANI, CHAIRMAN, GEOCASE

T

he existing connection of the foreign policy with domestic at the level of declaration was still evident during the Obama Administration, when the Administration at that time pointed to the "undoing" of countries with "peripheral interests".

However, a serious attempt to turn this line into official policy took place during the Trump era. At the time, this attempt was not entirely successful due to the close interdependence that characterizes the global supply chain system. Dissatisfied with Trump's policies, Biden's team seemed to be the one to put an end to this Obama-Trump "legacy", but it has not happened so. Even at the time of the pre-election campaign, both the presidential candidate and his team spoke explicitly about determining the effectiveness of foreign policy through the outcomes of domestic political life.

Moreover, the Democrat candidate called for U.S. efforts abroad to focus primarily on the welfare of the American middle class, and the American family has become one of the cornerstones of the conceptual documents already discussed in this article.

Such a relationship between domestic and foreign policy is perfectly appropriate and justified. Furthermore, we think, there is another circumstance that prompted the US executive to demonstrate this relationship – the skepticism of American voters about the virtually indefinite expansion of recent foreign policy activities. This, coupled with the disproportionate expenditure of such precious military-political and economic resources, has again and again shaken the legitimacy of American foreign policy in the eyes of its own people. As a result, due to global and national considerations, the country has stepped up to streamline and optimize the country’s foreign vector.

The proposed approach reminds Georgians many times that foreign policy is a natural continuation of domestic policy and when the country is unsuccessful within its borders, it is impossible to be successful in the foreign arena. It is also futile to use resources for state functions abroad, if it does not, first of all, concern the daily life of your citizens and the tangible improvement of their well-being. This is one of the big issues that is talked about a lot and which, as we mentioned in the previous publication, is related to the fundamental reorganization of the Georgian public and official system.

At the same time, there is another, very important and thought-provoking factor: How much the implementation of the proposed American political handwriting will affect the quality of attention and support for the Black Sea region and our country. This question will be even more relevant if we remind the reader of the need for such support and a qualitative increase in resources due to the

complicated regional context. We agree that the current situation does not fully respond to the challenges posed, and Washington and Tbilisi have not yet clearly stated their readiness to modernize the Georgian-American partnership, and so a question arises: Will our region remain in the center of American geopolitical attention just as it has already been openly declared by Washington in connection to some critical regions? And if geopolitical and security "coverage" by our strategic partner does not cover the entire region equally, to what extent and to what degree will the US retain one of its strongest partners in the Black and Caspian macro-region? Even in the most conservative scenario, we believe that the socio-political model of the Georgian state and its defense system, as well as the path taken by the Georgian nation towards Euro-Atlantic integration, absolutely justify such selectivity.

And, in case of reconciling an issue with a political component with its main strategic partner, another task is to practically execute such in an optimal period.

Certain passages of the above-mentioned documents answer this "dilemma", but in the prism of Georgian interests, probably only partially. In the meantime, the issue needs to be "broken down" more and better.

ALLIANCES, PARTNERSHIPS...

In the context of US foreign and security policy, the importance of alliances and partnerships is constantly discussed.

Clearly, the March documents did not make an exception to bypass either of these highly key areas. It is hopeful for us that we are talking about a non-partisan approach to the issue by the United States, which is a kind of precondition for consistent policy. It is also important to note that appropriate decisions must be made with the "informed consent" of the American people.

The focus on a people’s "informed consent" is more of a political reverence.

Essentially, we want to read the following behind these words – foreign policy and security decisions should be made on the basis of qualified expert assessments. In reality, there is nothing alien in this approach, if we do not recall the highly original and personified management style of the previous White House Administration. Accordingly, the return of the governing handwriting to the "old beginnings" should form the basis of a real result-oriented policy for both our allies and us.

At the same time, the feeling that the Georgian topic has not yet found a proper place in the American public space of the relevant profile does not abandon us, and this is at a time when the issue of occupation and annexation of Ukraine is much more pronounced in the American narrative.

Furthermore, in our view, neither does the Black Sea region receive the attention it deserves for its importance in terms of the balance of geopolitical forces in Eurasia. This shortcoming is observed not only in the political documents of the United States, but also in the North Atlantic Alliance, and we find it impos-

Image source: creativeinferno.com

sible to ignore this in this publication (like previous publications).

Of course, we are fully aware of the role of other critical regions in global security, especially since we quite well understand that the old model of security can no longer respond to the existing challenges, and the outline of the new model is not yet complete. However, given the specifics of this transitional phase in the world, it is necessary for the Black Sea region to play an extraordinary role in general Western policy, and Georgia, as a pillar of Western security on the Black Sea, should gain a special niche and regard. This is a necessary requirement of what is geopolitically and geoeconomically known as a "twoway street". If this is not realized timely, then the West will face a real threat of weakening its grip on the region, and Georgia will lose an active supporter on the path to the further development of its statehood.

In order to avoid this undesired outcome, along with Western and American efforts, it is necessary to activate an official Tbilisi. We need to do our best to get our voice heard in Washington – that the time has come for the strategic partnership with the United States to shift to a full-fledged strategic alliance. This will serve our mutual interests. Besides, primarily, it is the duty of the Georgian side to finally make the Europeans understand that the determinant of security of their capitals also includes the security of the capital of Georgia. We must explain to Berlin or Paris that our country is on the southern flank of the common European security (under NATO's "umbrella" or "European autonomy") as not merely the end point but an essentially organic part of European political unity.

A “NEW VISION” OF FOREIGN POLICY This is one of the main implications of the March 3 documents and we will draw on this pathos in the concluding section of this article. We also note that we have talked about the necessity of realignment of Georgian foreign policy and its separate aspects in many publications. We shall now confine ourselves to conveying

only a few additional views, where, in part, there will be both the spirit of what has already been said and new facets.

Clearly it is difficult to fully assess Georgian foreign policy in a short article.

As this topic is so wide and pressing, developing such an analysis and recommendations would be possible only within a well-organized, cohesive team of merited prominent practitioners and genuinely scholarly specialists. We would like to emphasize that the emphasis on "merited prominent practitioners” and “genuinely scholarly" has not been chosen by chance, and the audience will understand the basis of special emphasis on the case.

Likewise, a necessary condition for work like this should be of a sincere interest to our state in its results with a selfless readiness to apply the relevant recommendations into practice. Without all this, the expectations created will be futile, and the process will be false and hypocritical. We’ve already seen such precedent in recent history and unfortunately it does not “indulge” us with a praiseworthy experience.

Here, we should remind ourselves that with the change in the essence of foreign policy (which in present days completely absorbs domestic political elements and practically is inseparable from them), the perception of national security has changed. Through a contemporary view this is no longer just the readiness of the defense system or the inviolability of borders, but equally includes the economy, education, technology, medicine, and all other layers that are linked to the resilience of a national state system and the skills necessary to overcome any challenges. At the given historical stage, it is completely correct: The modern state is no longer a structure divided into different agencies or redistributed powers. It is a collective national melding of physical, logistical, or moral-psychological resources.

The above-mentioned condition should be clearly reflected in the approach of the Georgian Foreign Service and should be seen in its decisions or actions. It is inconceivable that the function of the "Foreign Office" of Georgia is limited to responding to crises, which we are witnessing today. The times demand it to act in line with strategic national goals, offering new solutions and conceptual

US Asks Russia to Explain ‘Provocations’ on Ukraine Border

BY ANA DUMBADZE

T

he United States, finding reports of Russian military movements on Ukraine’s border credible, has asked Moscow to explain the “provocations,” and is ready to engage in the situation, the US State Department said Monday.

The Department of State called on Russia to refrain from escalating the situation.

“The reported Russian troop buildup and movements bordering eastern Ukraine have become the latest point of tension in icy US-Russian relations less than three

months after US President Joe Biden took office,” reports Voanews.

State Department spokesman Ned Price told the press that the United States would be concerned by any effort by Moscow to intimidate Ukraine, whether it occurred on Russian territory or within Ukraine.

“We call on Russia to refrain from escalatory actions,” the spokesperson said.

Earlier on Friday, in a phone call with Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky, US President Joe Biden affirmed the United States’ unwavering support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity in the face of Russia’s ongoing aggression in the Donbas and Crimea.

Russia on Monday denied that Russian military movements posed a threat to Ukraine and dismissed fears of a buildup, even as it warned that it would respond to new Ukrainian sanctions against Russian companies.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters that “recent escalations of Russian aggression and escalation in eastern Ukraine” are “something we’re watching closely.”

Biden’s call with Zelensky came after the transatlantic military alliance NATO voiced concern over Russian troop movements near the eastern Donbas region where Ukrainian troops are in conflict with Russian-backed forces.

Source: Voanews

offers to Georgian and external audiences. After all, this excludes the Foreign Service from being politicized or partisan. It should be noted that parting with such vicious "experience" would not harm many "ill" agencies, but in this article we are talking mostly about Georgian diplomacy. It should be the order of the society to take this most important direction to the highest level, through the ascent of its creative thinking. It is crucial to instigate further the Georgian Foreign Ministry's sense of connection with the "average" citizen of Georgia and to make their work practically valued in order to solve the objectives standing before the country. Appreciating the path taken by generations of Georgian diplomats will vastly facilitate the growth of the reputation of the Service, which will be a precondition for tangible or intangible support to future generations.

AND FINALLY, ONE BRIEF BUT ESSENTIAL POINT Today’s world has become so "unconventional" that it is so unusual to do things in a conventional, standard, stereotypical way, which is mundane for friends and at the time easily predictable for opponents. This reminder equally applies to the foreign policy of the Georgian state, where the pursuit of "new ideas" by "old means" is in dissonance with time and expectations. The so-called age of normal foreign policy is a thing of the past, and real results in the current and subsequent stages of the process can be achieved by combining ordinary (conventional) and unordinary (unconventional) methods. Such an approach is furthermore increasingly relevant when the system of international relations is going through another stage of fragmentation, which on the one hand is characterized by the proliferation of regional geopolitical centers and on the other hand by the rise of irregular nationalism in relations. These and other factors make the rapid modernization and rationalization of the Georgian publiccivil service system and at the same time foreign policy even more topical and urgent.

The world around us is approaching new realities, and this will lead to a timely and high-quality implementation of changes from the Georgian nation at the appropriate time. As a nation, we must acquire the necessary competitiveness in a complete world and avoid the unfavorable role of an outsider.

POLITICS

GEORGIA TODAY APRIL 9 - 15, 2021

5

There Is Something Wrong in the Air OP-ED BY NUGZAR B. RUHADZE

T

he world will never forget the incumbent American President’s recently coined loud and straightforward epithet, describing the current Russian President as a ‘killer’. No more, no less – a killer! The word has forever been embossed in the annals, and if it is taken seriously, it might eventually play out as enough reason for a third world war to kick off. The Russian boss has taken it in his stride, at least ostensibly, and I think his reaction was quite sensible at that point in time, otherwise, a global conflagration could have followed.

My curiosity does not go beyond a simplistic attitude towards this verbal excess on a summit level. I just want to know if the world leaders should be communicating with this style and content. This question was raised throughout the global media many times, but the answers were scarce and flimsy. One of the problems of our national reality is the way we react to the world's political incidents, because the inadequate feedback always ends up in unexpected drawbacks for the country, including economic ones. In the last thirty years, we have made plenty of emotional but not very intelligent moves that have cost us lives, territory and money. The reaction to Biden’s name-calling against Putin has to be relevant on our part. We should probably stay neutral, or just keep mum.

Image source: Fred Tanneau/GETTY IMAGES

Gloating over the Russian leader’s shattered image will not give us anything except a vain joy of sneering at the famous ill-wisher. Our recent journalistic assault on the Russian leader, expressed in the nastiest ever diatribe, was not given a solid evaluation from the standpoint of political philosophy, as if nothing much had happened. Meanwhile, the oversensitive Russian national mind, which happens to be under a permanent global

attack, recorded the mentioned assault with sharp pain and vulnerability. A calculated response from Russians always pops up to surprise at some unexpected point. Nothing will be forgotten!

Time passed and there came another incident: the so called “Gavrilov Night”.

Again, a worldwide narrative was created out of the incident in Georgia’s parliament, where a Russian legislator, accidentally or deliberately, was found

ensconced in the Georgian Speaker’s chair. The entire nation reared up as a result. Further development of the incident only deteriorated Russian-Georgian relations further, and yet, again, nobody came up with a deep philosophical analysis of this weird episode in the RussianGeorgian divorce saga.

Life continued and an even more delicate experience was thrown into our national story basket. I could hardly

imagine that the well-known Russian journalist Vladimir Pozner would ever wish to celebrate his birthday in Tbilisi, but no! The man, who is only three years shy of his nonagenarian jubilee, managed to put together a party of 50 to rent a charter flight to Tbilisi and celebrate his birthday here. No sooner had the group landed in Tbilisi than they were compelled to dash back to the airport, having been kicked out from their choice venue of divertissement.

Many would say that Pozner deserved the kick! Why? For the simple reason that he loves to tuck out in the company of his pals in Georgia, but has no desire to recognize Georgia’s territorial integrity, having stated that Abkhazia and South Ossetia will never be part of Georgia again. Imagine the effect of this statement on our Georgian minds, exacerbated to the hilt by Russia’s role in Georgia’s territorial calamity. And again, there came an egregious overreaction to the fact of a bad guy’s stay in our domicile: he and his entourage were bathed in egg whites and yellows so much that umbrellas would have been a huge relief if provided.

Question: was it worth? Answer – no!

No because the move was once again badly designed. And we will see the consequences very soon. When fighting the adversary, a wise strategist comes up with a logarithm of guaranteed victory, and a smart tactician uses the available resources to produce an immediate effect, aimed at the annihilation of the enemy, not its reinforcement. Any challengers of this thought around?

Taking Stock of Recent Developments in the South Caucasus. Part 3 ANALYSIS BY EMIL AVDALIANI

A

n important change that concerns Georgia is the emergence of new trade routes in the South Caucasus. Today, there is talk of reviving the Soviet-era railways from Russia to Azerbaijan to Armenia, and from Armenia to Nakhichevan. This will potentially allow Iran to connect directly with Russia.

In addition, Iran is interested in alternative routes. One could be a railway line from Iran to Azerbaijan via Russia, which is still under development. A second option is the potential restoration of the Abkhazian railway section from Armenia through Georgia. However, the economic viability of this project is under question. At the same time, there are mixed messages from Russia as to whether Moscow is indeed interested in restoring the railway through Georgia.

Indicative of these connectivity changes is how Abkhaz politicians tried to get involved in the overall "railway geopolitics" initiated by Moscow.

Sukhumi is interested in the potential economic benefits because of the difficult economic situation in the breakaway region caused by the pandemic and the delay in Russian financial aid.

De-facto President Aslan Bzhania and several other Abkhaz politicians, including Sergei Shamba, have openly supported normalization of economic relations with Tbilisi. It seems that Abkhazia thinks that the renewed rail traffic will partly alleviate the region's economic difficulties.

Let us return to Russia, which understands well that rail traffic to Armenia through the territory of Azerbaijan cannot be safe because of the unbaiting antagonism between Yerevan and Baku.

Therefore, Moscow should be actively

interested in the restoration of the Abkhazian railway.

In general, the steps taken by Russia after the Second Karabakh War indicate that there is a struggle between the East-West and North-South rail directions in the South Caucasus. The eastwest directions are supported by the collective West and Turkey, and the north-south directions by Russia. Iran supports both directions insofar as they are in Tehran's long-term economic interests.

Tbilisi's position here is also interesting. In general, transit through Georgia is important and welcome. However, the development of the Abkhazian railway is connected with many, so to speak, legal issues. Most likely, Tbilisi's position on the resumption of the Abkhazian railway section will remain unchanged and the issue of its revival will be raised only if all Georgian regulations are observed control of trains, necessary documents carrying Georgian state attributes, etc.

Another recent development for Georgia is its relationship with the United States and America's fluid geopolitical position in the South Caucasus. In the form of Georgia, the US has an important partner in the region. This is not only explained by Tbilisi's pro-Western policies, but also by the fact that Georgia's location allows America to directly influence the transportation and energy corridor to the Caspian Sea. In other words, Washington understands that without Georgia, it will practically lose its ability to penetrate into the heart of Eurasia. We should bear in mind this very fact when we talk about geopolitical scenarios where the US is believed to stop supporting Georgia because of issues in bilateral relations. The reality is very different. Infrastructure is so important to the US that, due to dissatisfaction with the Georgian government, Washington will not spoil relations with Tbilisi at the risk of losing

Abkhazia. Image source: informnapalm.org

transit to the Caspian basin and Central Asia. At the same time, it should be noted that Georgia's role in US foreign policy has not yet been singled out as a top priority. There is a lot of work to be done in this regard, both in Tbilisi and in Washington.

The political messages coming from Washington at the moment are different from what we had during Trump's presidency - in the coming years, Georgia will be mentioned more often in the

common geopolitical game between Russia and the United States.

Biden's government will be much more principled towards Russia. This will be expressed primarily by oftentimes raising the issue of the liberation of the occupied territories of Georgia. Attempts to establish closer military and economic contacts may also be seen.

However, to avoid false expectations, it must be also said that, similar to what took place under Trump, Biden's foreign

policy will be focused on China. Russia's role in this global conflict will be significant since both powers, China and the United States, will try to keep Moscow from falling into the rival camp.

It is in this Eurasia-wide geopolitical context that Georgia's place should be considered.

Emil Avdaliani is professor at European University and the director of Middle East Studies at Georgian think tank, Geocase.

6

POLITICS

GEORGIA TODAY

APRIL 9 - 15, 2021

Citizen-Soldiers: Should Georgia Revive the Home Guard Model?

ANALYSIS BY MICHAEL GODWIN

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here once was a time and place that having a united man, woman, and child was sacred to the defense and protection of their neighborhood, the city, and ultimately the state. Hand-to-hand combat and combatives, crowd control, medical, homemade explosives, classic Spanish-style guerilla warfare, and even counter-intelligence were taught to the adult and junior population, just as arithmetic and chemistry is taught today.

That place was Great Britain. These patriotic souls filled themselves with the vigor needed to not just firmly defend, but forcefully defy a foreign usurper.

This was the British Home Guard, active from May of 1940 to the end of 1944, and they trained and prepared to defend home, hearth, and Crown, until their end. Georgia could perhaps take a page from this lesson.

After the massive retreat of British, French, and other allied forces from Dunkirk in June of 1940, coupled with the surrender of France, Great Britain found itself in a terrifying position. An immense amount of arms and vehicles had been left to the advancing German army, leaving the island nation to defend its own shores on what was seen as an impending German invasion of England.

At the time, the threat of invasion was real. The German High Command had even begun planning an amphibious assault titled ‘Operation Sea Lion.’ The Home Guard held multiple responsibilities should the Whermacht come ashore, many of which Georgia should consider with the inevitability of further Russian aggression.

One of the first duties of the Home Guard was the defense of key points and infrastructure in Great Britain. By assigning area defense units, manning antiaircraft and coastal artillery, and assisting in the construction of defensive structures, the Home Guard alleviated the regular armed forces from these duties and acted as a force-multiplier.

Georgian Home Guard units would oper-

ate in a similar fashion.

One of Russia’s common invasion tactics is the infiltration of the combat zone by both special operations and paratrooper units, as well as specialist mercenary teams and fifth columnists, aimed at sewing discount and fear. In support of police units, surely undermanned by a renewed invasion, a Home Guard would be available to assist in the apprehension of these Russian elements. The protection against Russian attacks would provide a rear security element as others push on, and some level of surety and morale improvement.

With bi-annual training, selected citizens would be instructed on the proper use of the relevant weaponry to protect key terrain and vital infrastructure across Georgia. In addition, crowd control of the inevitable refugee crisis would fall to the Georgian Home Guard, with the objective of protecting the civilian populace and facilitating their removal from the combat zones. Only as a last resort would they be used in direct offensive operations.

However, it cannot be said that the Georgian Home Guard would be spared the maelstrom of combat. A second mission of the British Home Guard was to simply delay the enemy so as to allow the regular forces to either regroup for combat, or to maneuver into a more favorable position.

Georgian Home Guard units that included individuals with more experience, perhaps police or military veterans, would act as a blocking or fixing force, ensuring that the Russian units and their mercenary ilk would not be able to move so freely. Meanwhile, the Georgian Army regulars would be positioned for the killing blow and artillery units would harass the enemy all the while.

The equipping and training of such a force would fall to local commanders and veterans who, with their experience and training, would be offered ample time during the year to formalize their tactics and discipline, as well as unit/ neighborhood cohesion. It’s not outside the realm of contemplation that government subsidies could support training and equipment objectives.

The tactic of leaving a stay-behind force

Image source: Sputnik/Tsagareli

Image source: Imperial War Museum

of paramilitary units and guerilla fighters to harass enemy forces was, to a lesser known extent, one of the duties of the British Home Guard. Operating from hidden locations, these units would aim to destroy enemy fuel supplies, ammunition stores, and harass invasion forces to reduce morale and readiness. The Georgian Home Guard would almost mirror this mission, and take further inspiration from NATO’s Cold War plans, ‘Operation Gladio.’

Comprised of former military, experienced outdoorsmen, and those with exceptional technical skills, small units would operate in underground teams to disrupt the invader from within. With the aim of sabotage and subversion, it must be understood that these brave individuals would need to operate outside traditional wartime norms, and in a legal grey area. However, it could easily be surmised that this would be preferable to Kremlin rule.

These units would not be able to be organized in the traditional sense, with a military hierarchy and uniformity, but in relative autonomy, collaborating only when the mission called for it. Additionally, they would provide immensely valuable intelligence and reconnaissance for a liberation force before and during a counterattack against Russian forces.

History is rife with examples of this tactic. As a recent example, the invasion of Iraq was constantly hampered with surprise attacks in the form of small ambushes, critically placed explosives attacks, and even going so far as assassinations of key local collaborating officials working with the foreign force.

With the same tactics applied against a Russian occupation, their position as occupier can become untenable and unsavory, particularly to the Russian citizens at home, already unhappy with

Cramon: Opposition Decided to Boycott on Election Night, Not Acceptable to Me

BY ANA GIORGADZE

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e support Georgia on the Euro-Atlantic path, but we need partners in Georgia who will be ready to receive our assistance and who will be ready to implement what we have offered them in terms of financial assistance, projects, etc, - MEP Viola Von Cramon stated at a virtual roundtable organized by the The Georgian Institute of Politics

(GIP) – MEPs Statement on Georgia: An Open Discussion with Civil Society and the Media.

Cramon added that despite meeting with lots of MPs and political parties in Georgia, she was disappointed to observe that the expectations of Georgian society are different from what they see in Georgian political environment; they hope to find an exit from the political crisis in the country.

“I was not satisfied with the opposition boycott from the beginning, as they did not even wait until the final recommendations and assessments of the OSCE /

ODIHR and decided to boycott on election night. This is not acceptable to me.

“I want to tell the opposition parties that if you stay out of parliament, if you decide to go through any kind of street revolutions, you will not have any dialogue, we will not work together,” MEP said.

Cramon called on the opposition elected MPs to get mandates and start working from the parliament. She said that the European Parliament supports the idea of having Georgia in the EU, but they need the right partners in parliament and government who understand how to run the country.

their government's actions against a beloved neighbor.

A Georgian Home Guard would be a monumental undertaking. The organization, leadership, and seasonal training would fall to more local-level leadership.

This would open the way for differences in tactical operating procedures from one unit to the next, morale issues, and supply nightmares. However, it cannot be said that the nation wouldn’t benefit from the revival in patriotic fervor found in one serving, even in such a small way.

From a legal perspective, there are certainly some questions to be had when an irregular populace takes up arms during war. The British Home Guard made it a point to have, and gradually evolve the issuance of, service uniforms, as well as insisting on their use during Home Guard activities. While this isn't a total absolvement, it does formalize these Home Guard units as a uniformed albeit paramilitary force. As stated, the consequences of serving in the irregular capacity is certainly preferable to life under the Russian boot.

At an organizational perspective, the order would need to have a main directorate office with connections to the Ministry of Defense or Internal Affairs, but with enough disconnection to avoid vulnerability during wartime. Indeed, perhaps a separate office should be instated so as to maintain this disconnect. However, at the tactical level, it would be the district and neighborhood commanders that would be responsible for decision-making in combat and operations. Equipment and supply would largely be self-sustainment in nature, and encouragement of arms and equipment procurement should be widespread.

Russian military build-up along the Ukrainian borders should send a chill down the spine of every European,

including Georgians. This fear should be harnessed and formulated into a comprehensive defense stratagem that includes not just military and police units, but civil defense and popular resistance organizations. This type of asymmetrical “partisan” warfare is one of the few that keeps even Russian commanders awake at night.

While Russia will never openly admit it, the true fear of the Russian army is becoming consumed in another Chechenesque war, complete with endless guerilla action, asymmetric warfare, and a resilient populace. Georgia should be that thorn bush that the Bear dare not involve itself with, lest they die the death of a thousand small cuts.

During the height of Georgia’s medieval power in the 11th and 12 centuries, the army employed the use of a light infantry unit composed of civilians banded together for defense. This flexible and highly mobile force was known as the Qrma. This light force was able to outmaneuver heavy enemy armies and blend back into the population when necessary. Now, much of the national defense strategy is centered around the professional Georgian Army. While they have modernized greatly in the past decade, the defense of the nation against a superpower such as the Russian military machine cannot be placed solely on their shoulders.

The Russians already mix their offensive strategy with light and irregular forces, and it is time a similar force was mustered to counter this. Georgia should invest time and effort in structuring a Home Guard with the goal of civil and infrastructure defense, asymmetric warfare against an occupation army, and banding the people together for the common defense of the nation as a whole in times of need.

POLITICS

GEORGIA TODAY APRIL 9 - 15, 2021

7

Leonid Volkov on Navalny’s Russia and Bringing Down Putin

Image source: AP

INTERVIEW BY VAZHA TAVBERIDZE

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ith his health significantly worsening and the Kremlin all too happy to deny him proper medical treatment, it looks like Alexey Navalny has only last resort measures left at his disposal: Last week, the jailed opposition leader declared a hunger strike. With their leader imprisoned, Putin unlikely to budge, and the West so far limiting itself to rhetoric and calls for his release, the burden to tip the scales might fall on his teammates, many of whom are in exile – and their plan is to organize “A mass protest of a scale that Russia has never seen before”. Considering what Russia has seen before, it looks to be a gargantuan feat one could be forgiven for being curious about. To that end, one of Navalny’s closest allies, Leonid Volkov, himself in exile, spoke to the Spectator and GISP in a joint interview about what Navalny-ism stands for, Team Navalny’s vision of “European Russia," its relationship with the West and the proverbial “far abroad,” and more.

BACK IN JANUARY, YOU CLAIMED THAT PUTIN WOULD NOT BE SO CRAZY AS TO ORDER NAVALNY KILLED IN PRISON. TAKING RECENT EVENTS INTO CONSIDERATION, ARE YOU STILL OF THE SAME MIND? Well, I still hope that pressure from both inside and outside of Russia will be enough to prevent Putin from attempting anything like that. We have to do everything we can to create a limit Putin would be wary to cross. He is still quite rational, well, as far as crazy dictators are concerned; he tries to compare the possible gains and losses from his actions.

He still has good political intuition. After all, they didn’t shoot Navalny in the head: they tried to poison him without leaving

Discontinuation of the enormous financial giveaway to the [ed: breakaway] territories will also open ways for possible conflict resolution through international cooperation

any traces, so that blame wouldn’t be put at their door. It’s a miracle he survived. Now that the world knows that Navalny is in Putin’s custody, he’s under more scrutiny, and hopefully remains sane enough not attempt anything.

ONE OF THE KEY ASPECTS OF YOUR STRATEGY TO APPLY AS MUCH PRESSURE ON PUTIN AS POSSIBLE IS THE “UNPRECEDENTED MASS PROTESTS” THAT YOU’VE ANNOUNCED. YOU CLAIM IT WILL BE ONE “PUTIN WON’T BE ABLE TO DISPERSE.” AND IF HE TRIES TO, WHAT THEN? Well, our plan is to have one million people out in the streets. To that end, we asked half a million people to register, to announce publicly that they will be joining us. When we reach this threshold, we will announce the date of the rally. With half a million people already on the streets, the personal risks will be lower: even if they arrest 10,000 people, as they did in January, that’s just 2% of the overall number. It’s much more complicated for the Kremlin to crack down on larger rallies. There are risks of being beaten, arrested, fined, being fired at, and getting hurt, but the only way to minimize these risks is to persuade people to change their collective behavior.

More participants means less individual risk for any of them. And we believe that a demonstration of a million people can’t really be dispersed. We, the Navalny team, are campaigning to free Alexey, but it’s not a rally solely for Navalny’s supporters: if you're unhappy with Putin for whatever reason, economical, ecological, political, join us. Because if you’re a small group, you will be dispersed, you won’t be heard. But there is strength in numbers. We have a core number of 500,000 people who want to free Navalny, so join us with your own demands and slogans and let’s have a really huge wave of protests.

WHY WOULD PUTIN AGREE TO YOUR DEMANDS, CONSIDERING THIS WOULD BASICALLY MEAN AN END TO A REIGN THAT HE MODIFIED THE CONSTITUTION TO PROLONG? It's very clear that Putin wants to stay in the Kremlin as long as he lives. But we are targeting not only Putin personally: we hope to achieve some kind of split and division amongst his inner circle. We we want to make some of his cronies or supporters to rethink their personal strategy. That's the most plausible scenario for any possible change in the Kremlin.

YOU SAY THAT, TO QUOTE YOU DIRECTLY, “OUR CONFRONTATION WITH PUTIN IS NOT IDEOLOGY BASED. BECAUSE HIS ONLY IDEOLOGY IS CENTERED ON GETTING RICH AT THE COST OF THE RUSSIAN PEOPLE.” FAIR ENOUGH, BUT WHAT IS NAVANLY-ISM? APART FROM BEING ANTICORRUPTION, WHAT IS THE POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY OF THE MOVEMENT?

Frankly, being anti corruption is actually a philosophy, because Putin's Russia is built on corruption, it’s a cornerstone.

You can't describe Putin in terms familiar to any Western audience: Putin doesn't belong on the Left/Right spectrum; he is neither conservative nor liberal in the ways those terms are understood. He and his chosen elite consider the whole country to be a source of personal income.

And institutions such as a free and independent judiciary, fair elections, a free media, things usually associated with a democratic European country, he wants to terminate, because these institutions don't allow corruption to happen. Because if there is an independent court, or free journalists, or free elections, then of course, corruption can be called out by these institutions. Since Russia lacks all of these institutions, Russian citizens are now not in the position to have a political discussion on what kind of country they would like to live in: do they want a more liberal or more distributive economy? More social care, or more of a focus on entrepreneurship?

Russian citizens don’t have the tools to shape their own future. So our political philosophy is to give them these tools, and then let them decide.

AS MASSIVE AN ISSUE AS CORRUPTION IS, IMPERIAL AMBITIONS AND PEOPLE CHEERING FOR THEM: IS THIS ALSO NOT BORNE OUT OF CORRUPTION? THE WAR AGAINST GEORGIA AND THEN MORE RECENTLY IN UKRAINE WERE NOT UNPOPULAR CAMPAIGNS IN RUSSIA, BUT THEY'RE STILL PROBLEMS. HOW DO NAVALNY & CO INTEND TO TACKLE THEM? Putin has inflicted many wounds on the world map in his 20 years: Transnistria, South Ossetia, Abkhazia, Crimea, and South Eastern Ukraine. And there could be more: Belarus could easily become the next target. Every time Putin sees his approval ratings drop in Russia, he tries to win it back with some foreign political adventure, some use of military power. And we used it, actually, in our campaign in 2017, when we were trying to get Alexey on the presidential ballot for the upcoming elections. We were touring throughout the country, visited about 50 cities, and he got the most enthusiastic applause and response when he’d ask a question such as ‘we are now investing million in in rebuilding Palmyra in Syria, wouldn't we rather invest those million in rebuilding Omsk or the city where we are now?’ And this narrative sets a natural limit to Putin’s adventures.

Now that the Crimea effect has faded, people understand that it’s not an asset, it’s a liability. Even the most ardent supporters of the Crimea's annexation, who have no qualms about violating international treaties or borders, now realize what a monstrously huge financial burden this has become, because billions are being invested in those annexed regions. This is not for the benefit of Russian taxpayers, and we use it as an argument in internal politics. But from an external politics perspective, it's very clear that Putin's Russia will never do anything to resolve these disputes, because this a swamp of Putin’s own making. And we believe that Putin has inflicted some wounds that might be too deep to be healed easily.

Unfortunately, not every crime is easily reversible. So, for instance, the questions most often posed to us are over the Crimea issue. Of course, we admit the annexation of Crimea was illegal.

This was a crime against international law, and also a crime against Russian national interests, because it made Russia a non-credible and untrustworthy actor in international relations. It has

led to sanctions against Russia, but we are still left with the reality that now we have about 2.5 million people with Russian passports, and somehow their will has to be taken into consideration, and there is no easy solution to this. So, some new legal framework will have to be created and probably many years will have to pass before a solution is elaborated.

Navalny’s Russia will try to find such a solution for Georgia and Ukraine, but we can’t promise there will be an easy solution, and I think that's a realistic approach.

ALL THESE REGIONS ARE ENTIRELY DEPENDENT ON ONGOING RUSSIAN SUPPORT WITH FINANCES, AND ESPECIALLY WITH THE MILITARY. WOULD THAT CONTINUE IN NAVALNY’S RUSSIA? Definitely not. It’s not in the interest of Russian taxpayers to pump money in those territories. And we believe that the discontinuation of the enormous financial giveaway to these territories will also open some ways for the possible conflict settlements through international cooperation.

STAYING ON THE TOPIC OF NAVALNY’S RUSSIA, WHAT WOULD RELATIONS WITH THE WEST BE LIKE? WOULD RUSSIA PURSUE FRIENDLIER TIES WITH EUROPE, PERHAPS BECOMING A PART OF THE EU AS WELL? Absolutely. Russia historically belongs in Europe. Russia has long been a part of Europe, one of the more important European powers in fact. Culturally, economically, scientifically, politically, Russia belongs there. Russians are very open to the idea of free trade with Europe and free travel into Europe; Russians would be very enthusiastic to become part of the European Union in the future, I think. And we don't see any fundamental obstacles to this, despite the fact that of course, a lot of things should be adjusted and rebuilt after Putin’s reign comes to an end.

AND FOR THAT END TO BE ANY TIME SOON, YOU’D PROBABLY NEED THE WEST’S SUPPORT MORE THAN EVER BEFORE. HOW SATISFIED ARE YOU SO FAR WITH THE MEASURES TAKEN BY THE WEST REGARDING THE NAVALNY CASE, INCLUDING CALLS TO THE KREMLIN TO RELEASE HIM? WHAT DO YOU THINK COULD BE DONE BETTER? WHAT MORE IS THERE TO DO? Since all Putin cares about is money, the West should go after Putin’s money, I think that's the most important lesson we’ve learned. When we did this investigative piece on his palace, we actually managed to get a glimpse of how his

Navalny’s Russia will try to find a solution for Georgia and Ukraine, but we can’t promise it will be an easy one

mind works: we got inside his head.

We’re talking about a guy who has had about 20 years of absolute power, and ruling an incredibly rich country. He could fulfill any dream, he could fly to Mars. He could have built whatever he wished as his legacy. But his dream apparently was to hoard a lot of gold-adorned items wrapped in red satin. He really cares the most about money, about personal wealth. He's definitely one of the wealthiest people in the world. So if you want to have leverage against Putin, if you really want to push him into doing something, you have to go after his money.

We know that enormous amounts of money are being exported from Russia to the West. The official data suggests that the flow of capital out of Russia is about $50 to 60 billion annually, but this is the official figure, and there is a lot of smuggling and money laundering. And this money contributes to the Western economy. When Abramovich builds himself a new luxury yacht, for example, he creates hundreds of well-paid jobs in the Netherlands, or if another guy buys himself an apartment in Mayfair, it benefits those local economies. But one also has to admit the very clear fact that this is a lot like drug addiction: the later you want to shrug it off, the more complicated is it to get clean. As with drugs, this brings about dependence, and Europe has to learn to resist this dirty money, because this dirty money corrupts European political institutions, and the dependence on Russia comes in the package deal.

AS ENTICING AND ENTERTAINING THE NOTION MIGHT BE TO GO AFTER PUTIN’S AND HIS CRONIES’ MONEY, WHY DO YOU THINK IT HASN'T HAPPENED SO FAR, AND WHERE COULD SUCH A CHASE LEAD? It hasn't happened so far because there is just no political will. If I'm a Russian government official, with 50 million pounds I’m willing to put somewhere, like in the British Virgin Islands or in the Cayman Islands, no questions are asked. Out of those 50 million, I could spend 50,000 a year to create a number of shell companies and then do whatever I want.

Image source: Sergey Ponomarev for The New York Times

8

BUSINESS

GEORGIA TODAY

APRIL 9 - 15, 2021

Carrefour Named Partner and Sponsor of New MasterChef Season

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arrefour, owned and operated by Majid Al Futtaim in Georgia, has announced it will be the general sponsor of the upcoming fifth season of reality TV giant MasterChef — one of the most popular and toprated entertainment shows in the Geor-

gian TV space. The show was launched on 4 April on the Georgian Public Broadcaster (GPB), with a new episode released every Sunday at 10 PM. A food-focused programme with such high demands and standards relies on a trustworthy and experienced supermarket partner for success — which is

why Carrefour has been named the general sponsor for the local edition of the popular TV cooking competition.

In addition to supplying the competing contestants with high quality, fresh

Carrefour-sourced products to prepare their special dishes for the judging panel, Carrefour will be assisting participants to prepare visually attractive, delicious and unique dishes in their quest to be

recognised as the MasterChef champion.

Priding itself on quality, and committed to supporting local farmers and suppliers, many of the products provided by Carrefour to the MasterChef competitors are sourced locally and delivered straight from partner farms, daily.

The Carrefour stand, which will be placed in the ‘MasterChef’ studio during the new season, will showcase the brand’s wide variety of distinguished products and ingredients, from fresh foods to dry goods, to audiences.

Carrefour Georgia prides itself on offering its communities a vast assortment of up to 40,000 items across its countrywide stores. Providing the highest quality products at unbeatable value, Carrefour also offers customers private label products.

Quality Assured – this is the main motto of the exclusive products of Carrefour, noteworthy due to their exclusivity and distinctive characteristics.

All the loyal fans of MasterChef are sure to enjoy the notable collaboration between MasterChef and Carrefour and can expect to improve their knowledge of ingredients, as well as take away a variety of inspirational cooking ideas from the show.

IFC: A Sweet Start to Increased Georgia Exports to Europe

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he International Finance Corporation (IFC) has recently published a success story of Georgian honey exports, which reached a record amid improved testing and more training.

While Georgia is looking to leverage its competitive advantage to accelerate agriculture exports, IFC worked with the local beekeeping sector to help it comply with EU trade rules.

In the article published on the IFC website, the international financial institution highlights the success story of Givi Ninidze, a 40-year-old ophthalmologist, who was raised with bees. So it was no surprise when in 2004, the successful doctor took over his family’s apiary and honey processing facility.

Ninidze’s company now produces several varieties of wild, natural floral honey that are likely to find a market in Europe with the help of IFC. The article notes that although the legal framework with the European Union allowed exports from Georgia, volumes of honey exports to Europe remained

low. One of the major barriers was inconsistent safety due to poor beekeeping practices, especially unnecessary application of veterinary pharmaceuticals.

More than half of honey samples were contaminated with antibiotic residues in 2017-18, according to a honey monitoring program conducted by Georgia’s National Food Agency.

Around that time, the IFC Georgia Agribusiness Competitiveness Project, implemented in partnership with Sweden’s government agency for development cooperation, SIDA, engaged with the country’s public and private sectors to help boost agricultural exports. The first step was to help ensure business compliance with the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area Agreement with the EU. In collaboration with the Ministry of Environment Protection and Agriculture, the beekeeping sector was chosen for the project’s focus. Being a low-risk animal-origin product with a short value chain, honey was likely to comply with the EU food safety regulations within a feasible time frame.

IFC started by supporting beekeepers

Source: www.ifc.org. Photos: Irakli Janashia (2020)

with training and advisory support, from apiary management to layout planning for a new processing facility. In a combined effort, IFC and Georgia’s National Food Agency also worked to increase awareness among beekeepers. Gradually, the share of contaminated honey dropped significantly – from 56% in 2017 to 105 in 2019, benefitting not only exports but also domestic consumers.

Building on this momentum, a local export company, Agro Factory,

approached Ninidze, one of the project beneficiaries, in November 2020. At the end of December, more than 10 tonnes of Georgian honey from Ninidze’s company was sent to Italy. Apart from becoming a motivation for honey producers and exporters to explore export opportunities, the deal also contributed to a record amount of honey exported from Georgia. In 2020, honey exports reached over 21 tonnes, according to the National Statistics Office of Georgia, an increase

of more than 200% from the previous year.

IFC also worked to help increase the capacity of inspectors and the State Laboratory of Agriculture to test honey for regulated residues. As a result, in 2020, the National Food Agency commissioned the State Laboratory of Agriculture to test honey samples, instead of a lab outside the country that was used in previous years at both higher cost and extended processing times.

In close collaboration with the Ministry of Environment Protection and Agriculture, IFC continues to work on updating Georgian food safety legislation and requirements for the beekeeping and honey processing sector. The project is part of IFC’s regional program that has helped Ukraine and Moldova, among others, increase their agricultural potential.

The first successful honey shipment to Italy by Ninidze’s company has inspired other honey producers and potential exporters to focus on improving practices. Reputable beekeepers have already started receiving inquiries about their products from exporters.

BUSINESS

GEORGIA TODAY APRIL 9 - 15, 2021

9

With EU Support, CENN Introduces a Green Component to Ilia State University's Social Entrepreneurship Bachelor Course

BY ANA DUMBADZE

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owadays, entrepreneurship is a very topical issue and a priority for Georgia and the development of the country’s economy.

However, unfortunately relatively less interest is devoted to its important aspects – social entrepreneurship and green entrepreneurship, which are vital for running a business without causing damage to nature, its resources and social justice. Green entrepreneurship itself is a new concept for the country, and it needs to be well learnt and understood by local entrepreneurs if we want to preserve one of the main treasures of our country: nature and its natural resources.

This year, as part of the EU-funded “EU4Youth: Social Entrepreneurship Ecosystem Development (SEED)” Project implemented by CENN, a Green Entrepreneurship course was added to the Bachelor program of the Business and Technology faculty of Ilia State University (Iliauni), a leading educational institution in Georgia. It is an important step to raise environmental awareness and share in-depth knowledge with youth about green social entrepreneurship.

Notably, Iliauni is the first educational institution in Georgia where such an important environmental issue, the Green Entrepreneurship Course, is being taught.

Green entrepreneurship, or sustainable entrepreneurship that contributes to green growth, centres around entrepreneurship in a wider context in which the environment is the focal point. Green entrepreneurs strive to have a positive impact on the environment and try to mitigate environmental and social crises by creating business models addressing specific social and environmental issues.

These entrepreneurs value both directions in their business models, creating innovative green products or services to boost demand for environmentally friendly production as well as increasing employability.

“We believe that changes start at a young age and its catalyst is awareness

and education. With this in mind, CENN always actively supports Georgian educational system in order to raise awareness about environmental issues and connect new generation with cleaner and greener environment. Recently, we have been focusing on introducing the topic of circular economy and green and sustainable entrepreneurship at the universities of Georgia. This way, we are offering economic and business models to students which are considered in leading countries of the world as an impulse of sustainable development and green growth. In our consumer-driven world, the potentially harmful impact of products and services on the environment has too often been ignored, but the solution is to introduce innovative products, services and processes that protect the environment and ensure economic growth. CENN is pleased to contribute to this processes and introduce the green entrepreneurship practical course at the Ilia State University and to promote the topic among young people and future entrepreneurs,” said Nana Janashia, CENN Executive Director.

The course is being implemented in collaboration with the CENN program ‘EU4Youth: Social Entrepreneurship Ecosystem (SEED) Development for Green Growth, and the Ilia State University.

It is an important move for the development of the ecosystem and green and

sustainable entrepreneurship in the country. Introducing such a course into the education system can be considered a great achievement for the country and a unique opportunity for local youth.

Although this innovative environmental initiative has only just been introduced, students have shown a great interest in the subject. Teaching of the new module began on March 15, and several lectures have already been conducted by invited lecturer Tea Mkheidze.

24 students have enrolled in the course so far. This is an elective subject and is intended for graduate students. Considering the current interest of students, it is expected that the number of youths interested in green entrepreneurship, and in undertaking this course, will significantly increase in the future.

The course consists of various elements to guarantee it will be interesting for students: interactive lectures, presentations, methods of demonstration, case analyses, methods of practical work, projects, team work and brainstorming.

The aim of the course is to teach students the basic concepts of green entrepreneurship, present opportunities for the development of green business ideas for solving environmental challenges, and develop skills to create a green startup. In summary, it shows the youth why and how to become a green entrepreneur and run their startups or businesses without posing harm to the envi-

ronment, which is an urgent global problem today that must be solved with the joint effort of the global population.

According to Dimitri Japaridze, Dean of the Faculty of Business, Technology and Education at Ilia State University: "Our university is constantly striving to introduce innovative courses that address global and local challenges. Entrepreneurship is a priority for our country and we have been working to offer not just the general entrepreneurship course, but different directions of entrepreneurship to our students. In this regard, we were the first to start the social entrepreneurship and now the green entrepreneurship course in the academic system. Green entrepreneurship is relatively new and corresponds well to the existing environmental challenges and sustainable development goals. We were very pleased to cooperate with CENN; it was very fruitful and their expertise was important in forming the green entrepreneurship course. We believe that this course will significantly contribute to the formation of environmental leaders who will have the vision and skills to solve environmental challenges with innovative entrepreneurial ideas.

Having green entrepreneurship taught at the university level will significantly contribute to the development of a green start-up ecosystem in the country.”

The main advantage of the new module is that it will change students' perceptions of environmentally responsible entrepreneurship. The course, on one hand, significantly increases their knowledge of important environmental issues in relation with entrepreneurship, among them being green entrepreneurship; green innovation and the green economy; the environment and existing challenges; sustainable development; the circular economy and sustainable and responsible consumption of resources; waste management; climate change; renewable energy, water and sanitation; and smart cities and villages. On the other hand, the course provides the students with practical skills to start their own green startups with the focus on green startup idea generation and development, greening the business processes and assessing environmental impact, green business model planning and pitching, and green startup investment. The knowledge gained as a result of passing the course will be of great practical importance for their future activities.

At the end of the course, a DEMO day will be organized where students will have to pitch their green business ideas to a specially created jury. The jury will consist of academic staff of the business school and representatives of the green entrepreneurship ecosystem in Georgia as well as representatives of CENN. It should be also noted that, within the framework of the partnership between CENN and Iliauni, reading materials were created in Georgian, which allow students to learn about the biggest challenges in the field of environmental protection and obtain information about entrepreneurship and green innovation.

The reading materials include topics as climate change, circular economy, energy efficiency, social entrepreneurship and green innovation prepared by leading experts in the fields. In addition, the SEED project supports lecturers and provides them with international experience on green entrepreneurship learning methods.

"Through this project, we are strongly promoting the circular economy, resource efficiency, and eco-innovation among youth in order to empower them to tackle environmental challenges and boost economic growth," says Alexandre Darras, Team Leader on Connectivity, Energy, Environment & Climate Change at the

EU Delegation to Georgia. "We are happy that with the EU’s support, the first green entrepreneurship educational course will be introduced in Georgia and the students will be able to get acquainted with green business values to transform future business activities by integrating sustainable solutions."

ABOUT THE SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP ECOSYSTEM DEVELOPMENT (SEED) PROGRAM Rural youth in Georgia and Armenia today are challenged by a lack of inclusive educational opportunities, limited job opportunities, and an inability to meet the demands of the labour market due to mismatched skills and competencies.

The target communities in the geographically borderline regions of Ninotsminda, Gori and Akhmeta municipalities in Georgia, and Lori, Tavush and Shirak Marzes in Armenia, are affected by various dominant vulnerabilities, including extreme poverty, increased frequency of natural disasters, marginalized ethnic and religious minority groups, social conflicts, and more.

To confront this challenge, a program called ‘Social Entrepreneurship Ecosystem Development (SEED) for Green Growth in Borderline Communities’ is being implemented by CENN and its partner organizations, Green Lane NGO (Armenia) and the Kakheti Regional Development Fund (KRDF) with financial support from the EU, within the EU4Youth project.

Its main goal is to develop the entrepreneurial potential of young people from the EaP region in the field of social entrepreneurship, with the aim of contributing to social cohesion, employment, inclusion and reduction of inequalities.

Social entrepreneurship represents an important part of the economy. Green entrepreneurship, or sustainable entrepreneurship that contributes to green growth, centers around entrepreneurship in a broader context, in which the environment is the focal point. Green entrepreneurship, the realization of entrepreneurial ideas which have a positive effect on the natural environment, is fortunately becoming increasingly popular nowadays, helping entrepreneurs implement their ideas without harming the environment.

With this in mind, the organizers of the SEED project are working with local youth and vulnerable groups in the abovementioned borderline communities of Georgia and Armenia, actively cooperating with innovative centres, educational institutions, enterprises, etc., to inform the younger generation and increase their motivation to become future green innovators.

Furthermore, SEED also provides grants for young innovators so they can develop and implement projects supporting sustainable development.

10

SOCIETY

GEORGIA TODAY

APRIL 9 - 15, 2021

Minimal: Svaneti BLOG BY TONY HANMER

H

ow little can you show of Mt. Ushba, hardest climb in the Caucasus, and still have it be a) recognizable and b) a powerful image?

This was my challenge a few days ago on the way to Mestia for some shopping, an hour’s drive at most.

Ushba has several different main angles of view, giving you the twin peaks side by side, at ¾ angles or so, or one obscuring the other. These, plus its different looks according to season, weather and lighting, give many photographic possibilities. My own count over a couple of decades is over 600 distinct shots. Not bad considering that the mountain is infamous for making its own clouds to wear across the peaks; and it’s not even visible right from my home: I have to walk a minimum of 10 minutes to see it at all.

The shopping trip had changing visibility, but at least it wasn’t zero or snowing hard, so I took the camera and lenses just in case. Sure enough, a stop just before Becho (2 peaks nearly edge-on, mostly the south one visible) gave me something after a few minutes. I drove on to Mestia and ran through my list of duties.

After this, I drove towards Ushguli, and

just outside Mestia the peaks reared into view side by side, another classic view.

Plenty of cloud too, but in this case adding to the drama instead of obscuring the image altogether. I usually shoot horizontal and vertical versions of the same scene: you never know when a book cover might be called for, and I’m allowed to dream…

I have been rendering most of my recent landscapes in black and white only, and the day’s shots worked well stripped of whatever minimal color they had in the first place. My philosophy in photography is that color can distract from good form, tones, lighting and composition, although it certainly sometimes has its place. I wanted something which was obviously Ushba, but different from all other shots I have so far, and the weather did not disappoint. Sometimes less can be so much more, especially when one already has enough frames of the mountain in full color with a cloudless sky!

It used to be I had to wait an hour, or sometimes a week, to get my 35mm film negatives and 10 x 15 cm prints back from processing. This was agony. Often, too, there was disappointment, as the straight prints were far from what my mind’s eye, and the negative film, offered and suggested. So I eventually bought a 4000 dpi dedicated film scanner, and began converting my best of 11000 negative and slide frames from several decades’ work

into 20 mega-pixel digital versions. This, while getting much of the tonal range actually present in the originals, also required much time cleaning up dust and scratches.

Switching to digital in 2008, initially a 10-mega-pixel camera which my photographic mentor in the UK pushed on me for 100 Pounds, I have never looked back.

No-one had told me sufficiently loudly how much information a RAW digital file holds! I had been under the illusion that digital would not be able to compete with my scanned negatives for tonal range. Quickly I saw how untrue this is, and now have such an easier, quicker time getting print-ready images I am pleased with. Why not? I learned composition, tones and the other basics of photography with film, and now am set free to work more automatically to translate the mind’s eye’s image to print. And every day, every hour, anywhere I am, new pictures await.

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

Global Water Crisis, Climate Change, and Coronavirus – from Disaster to Opportunity BLOG BY ISRAEL AMBASSADOR RAN GIDOR

T

he coronavirus pandemic, which has plagued our world for over a year now, has placed the issues of water scarcity and accessibility squarely on the global agenda.

Indeed, both are important mechanisms for sanitation and hygiene, as well as for the reduction of the spread of coronavirus.

While many places in the world have full access to clean tap water, in many other places, this accessibility is limited and almost nonexistent. Even in Georgia, that has been blessed with numerous rivers, lakes, and streams – access to fresh, clean drinking water is not something that can be taken for granted.

Now, as we collectively mark World Water Day, it is worth paying mind to this issue of such great importance, considering the threat it poses to humanity and to all life on earth, as well as the added dimensions of climate change, desertification, and the increase in water pollution rates across the world.

The water crisis is characterized by three parallel processes. The first of these is the decline in water available for drinking, agriculture, and industry as the population and corresponding consumption rate continues to grow. Second is the ongoing decline in the quality of water, increasingly more of which becomes polluted or saline with the passing of time. The third is the availability of water: in many places in the world, water sources have moved farther away from population centers that are not connected to water systems.

It is estimated that some 2.5 billion people (36% of the world’s population) live in water-scarce areas, a phenomenon that is expected to worsen in coming decades as the powerful processes of climate change, global population growth, growing demand for industrial and agricultural products, and desertification all intensify. Water scarcity is causing migration, wars, and conflicts, and hundreds of millions of people around the world

Global Water Crisis, Climate Change, and Coronavirus – from Disaster to Opportunity

will be at risk of displacement due to water scarcity over the coming years.

To overcome this phenomenon and anticipate a cure for this ailment, we must understand that this is going to be a comprehensive campaign which will require that all necessary steps be integrated together – to guide and educate on water conservation; to increase water use efficiency and coordination on the topic; to accrue international, public, and private funding; to rehabilitate polluted water sources, and to encourage investment and R&D. We must explore new approaches towards investing in water and sanitation-related

infrastructures and services while ensuring each person’s right to safe drinking water. It is important that emphasis be placed on the availability and sharing of information about the amount, quality, distribution, and access to water, as well as of the risks and use of that water.

In this regard, Israel can make a significant contribution to the world as a country with one of the most advanced water systems in the world and with an abundance of R&D and innovative technologies in many fields. One example of this is the treatment and recycling of sewage: Israel holds a world record in

this field, with close to 90 percent of its wastewater being treated and used in agriculture. If this were the status quo the world over, it would be possible to greatly reduce greenhouse gases and prevent environmental pollution and the destruction of natural systems, all the while allowing treated and purified water to flow back into nature and agriculture.

It would be possible to simultaneously reduce large-scale emission of greenhouse gases, build agricultural resilience against climate chance, allow more water to remain in nature – which efficiently absorb greenhouse gases – to better function, prevent unnecessary destruc-

tion of ecological systems as the result of pollution or water scarcity, and much more.

Another field in which Israel holds a world record is the prevention of water loss in urban systems. While in Israel a small percentage of water is lost in urban supply systems, in other countries in the world, this rate can reach dozens of percent. The paradox is that these are often arid and water-scarce countries for whom the absence of available water represents a significant burden. In Israel, a comprehensive variety of technologies and methods have been developed to prevent water loss in supply systems, detect leaks through remote sensors, and more, which if implemented throughout the world, would significantly contribute to the reduction of the consequences of climate crisis.

Seawater desalination, the use of brackish water in agriculture, drip irrigation, the development of agricultural varieties that consume less water, and even the extraction of water from air, are all fields that were developed in Israel. We would be happy to share the knowledge and experience that we have acquired with the entire world, particularly with those places, especially in need.

In Georgia, MASHAV (Israel’s International Development Cooperation Agency), together with the Guria region “Shalom Club” have initiated an effort so supply local schools with cheap, userfriendly Israeli-made systems designed to purify polluted water and make it drinkable. Israel has also provided numerous drip irrigation systems to Georgian farmers and agricultural institutes around the country. Later this month MASHAV (together with USAID) will distribute 60 drip irrigation kits to families in the Administrative Boundary Line (ABL) village of Gamdlistskaro, Kaspi Municipality.

Water is the basis for life. Whoever yearns for life must now know how to use this precious resource wisely.

We in Israel are able and willing to lend a hand, together with our Georgian friends and partners and all other nations of the world, so that we and every individual across the globe can enjoy the basic right to water. Water is life.

CULTURE

GEORGIA TODAY APRIL 9 - 15, 2021

11

Mortuli: Bringing Ancient Georgia into Everyday Wear

BY KETEVAN SKHIRTLADZE

T

he company ‘Mortuli’ was founded at the end of 2019.

From the very beginning, the founder Tea Ramishvili decided to bring the motives of ancient Georgian ornaments, their artistic beauty, and richness into a modern design and our everyday lives. At this stage, Mortuli offers customers socks and T-shirts decorated with old Georgian ornaments from different parts of Georgia.

“Socks have been an integral part of Georgian traditional clothing since ancient times, traditionally woven from wool and decorated with colorful ornaments,” Tea tells GEORGIA TODAY. “That’s why we decided to put these ornaments on highquality cotton socks. The main goal of Mortuli is to popularize Georgian ornaments in modern society, both inside the country and abroad. With this, we want to once again present the ancient history of our country and its rich past.”

WHERE DID THE IDEA TO USE GEORGIAN ORNAMENTS TO CREATE SOCKS COME FROM? I love to travel and I have traveled to practically every part of Georgia. It was on such trips that I discovered how beautiful and varied the ornaments our ancestors created over the centuries are, found in ancient manuscripts, fabrics, painting, goldsmithry, and architecture. I often took photos of these ornaments or made sketches, and always wondered why our country is associated mainly with khinkali and wine when we have so many other unique values.

I worked in a bank for years, and I always dreamed of doing something more creative, because I’ve been drawing since childhood and I was very inter-

ested in this field. I started studying graphic design, drawing, and photography and thinking about my brand. I was already deeply interested in ornamentation, buying books, and looking in libraries. The brand name also originated from here, as the word “decoration” seems to immediately remind us of an ornament.

At the age of 40, I entered the Tbilisi Academy of Arts, quit my successful bank job, and moved on to the arts.

HOW PROFITABLE WAS THIS DECISION? Mortuli has gained a lot of loyal customers in this short time and has a lot of positive feedback. Discovering Georgian ornaments and their history turned out to be very interesting for both Georgian and foreign buyers, which is our main motivation. Lots of people write to us about how important it is to increase awareness in this area.

HOW DO YOU CHOOSE THE ORNAMENTS? WHICH ORNAMENT IS MOST POPULAR AMONG CONSUMERS? I choose the ornaments from different sources and I try to take them from different parts of Georgia. Consumers often choose socks or T-shirts decorated with whichever ornament comes from the part of Georgia they are from.

We have many customers from the regions. Often, they themselves send us various ornaments from their places, and we print them on our t-shirts. The most beautiful Georgian ornament is from Abkhazia, Bichvinta, of the XII century. Mortuli products fascinate people of different tastes and can be worn by both sports and classic style lovers.

HOW DID THE PANDEMIC AFFECT YOUR BUSINESS? Due to the pandemic and the difficult

situation, Mortuli, like many other startups, had to change its strategy and future plans. It became impossible to set up stands and therefore an alternative way was to sell products through various Georgian marketplaces. Also, because most of the enterprises were suspended, it became difficult to work on new ideas and implement them, because all the products of the brand are produced in Georgia.

WHAT ARE YOUR FUTURE PLANS? ARE YOU PLANNING TO EXPAND YOUR BRAND?

We have a lot of plans for the future, we definitely want to increase the brand, create more products, for example hats, scarves, and ceramics that will be decorated only with Georgian ornaments.

We also want to open our own store and cooperate with small workshops in different parts of the country.

We already have cases when our products are ordered from different countries, but it doesn’t happen very often yet, the pandemic hinders us more because post gets delayed. We definitely plan to sell overseas in the future because we think getting to know Georgian

ancient ornaments will be very interesting for people.

WHERE CAN WE GET MORTULI PRODUCTS? At this stage, customers can buy our products through our site mortuli.ge and also through social networks, we have delivery throughout Georgia. From next month, we will also cooperate with a store, where it will also be possible to view and purchase products.

We cooperate with almost all platforms in Georgia, which helps us a lot in both brand promotion and sales.

BI Auction to Celebrate 5 Years with 55-Hour Art Auction

BY TEAM GT

B

I Auction is the first Art Auction Company of Georgia, established in 2016. The company's aim was to promote Georgian art and artists and enlarge the market. In five years, BI Auction ‘for ART’ has organized eight auctions and presented more than 450 paintings from 120 Georgian painters. In every auction, the collection is selected from among thousands of paintings from well-known legendary artists of Georgia, and also from promising young artists.

Last year, BI Auction started a new project by organizing a ‘Competition for Young Artists’ to promote artists under 30 years old. The first competition and auction events were so successful that it created not only a ‘good mood and hope’ but also gave the young artists the experience of a professional exposition of their artworks, and sales results, just before the start of the pandemic.

This year, due to COVID-19, art is also limited

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George Sharashidze COMMERCIAL DEPARTMENT

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GEORGIA TODAY

EDITORIAL DEPARTMENT:

Editor-In-Chief: Katie Ruth Davies

Journalists: Ana Dumbadze, Vazha Tavberidze, Tony Hanmer, Emil Avdaliani, Nugzar B. Ruhadze, Michael Godwin, Ketevan Skhirtladze, Ana Giorgadze Photographer: Aleksei Serov

Website Manager/Editor: Katie Ruth Davies Layout: Misha Mchedlishvili Webmaster: Sergey Gevenov Circulation Managers: David Kerdikashvili, David Djandjgava

by many restrictions, and is mostly shown and sold virtually, which also limits the qualitative and emotional aspects of art. Despite such difficulties, the co-founders of BI Auction Bengü Akçardak Küçük and Ika Bokuchava, have planned various events to celebrate the 5th year anniversary of their company, and the first event will be a new and different auction for ‘Only Young Artists’ artworks.

“2021 is the 5th anniversary of BI Auction, and we want to continue organizing various events to support art,” Küçük says. “The first event will be a 55-hour auction starting on April,10 at 12:00, and lasting until April, 12,19:00. We invite all art enthusiasts and collectors to see real artworks, feel real emotions and bid for the artworks in 55 hours.”

The winners of the competition will also get the opportunity to participate in BI Auction classical auctions alongside outstanding famous Georgian artists.

For more information, please contact biauction1@ gmail and/or BI Auction FB and Instagram pages.

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