Issue #1260

Issue no: 1260

• AUGUST 21 - 26, 2020 • PUBLISHED WEEKLY

FOCUS ON GEORGIA'S RECOVERY

The World Bank's Sebastian Molineus on Georgia's postCOVID prospects

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PRICE: GEL 2.50

In this week’s issue...

Restrictions on Regular Int'l Flights Extended until October 1 NEWS PAGE 2

Some “Off-Record” Reflections on a Georgian Euro-Atlantic Mainstream Policy POLITICS PAGE 4

Thai Food: Healthy, Authentic, Affordable BUSINESS PAGE 6

Tbilisi Hills Chief Investor: Our Strategy Is to Increase the Number of Investments & Jobs BUSINESS PAGE 8

Corona Updates

BY TEAM GT

TBC Concept - TBC Updated Personal Banking Services BUSINESS PAGE 8

Discover How the EU is Helping Keda to Bloom SOCIETY PAGE 9

O

n August 10, several COVID-19 cases were reported in the village of Lenjeri, Mestia Municipality, the illness thought to have been brought there by a man visiting his relatives. The spread was so wide that Georgian authorities decided to lock down the municipality, which included Ushguli and the town of Mestia, with those wishing to leave having to undergo a 14-day quarantine in the area or be transported to facilities on the coast.

The speedy move appeared effective, and the government this week announced that most villages in the area would be allowed to reopen as of Friday August 21.

“The decision was made at the session of the Interagency Coordination Council that all villages of the municipality will be opened from August 21, except Mestia and Lenjeri. Intensive testing will continue in these two villages and, based on the current situation, a relevant decision will be made," Aleksandre Khojevanishvili, the Deputy Head of the State Security Service of Georgia, announced.

More than 400 people have undergone thermal

Artistic Couple: Sandro Dalikashvili CULTURE PAGE 11 Prepared for Georgia Today Business by

Markets As of 17ͲAugͲ2020

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screening in Mestia Municipality so far.

"None of the examined citizens showed symptoms typical of coronavirus. The thermoscreening process is ongoing and covers the whole municipality," said Nino Vibliani, the Deputy Governor of the Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti region, adding that more than 700 people are in quarantine in Mestia Municipality, while almost the same number of people have been transferred to other regions to undergo mandatory quarantine.

On Wednesday, Georgia reported 10 new coronavirus cases, which brought the country’s total tally to 1361. Six more patients have recov-

ered from the virus and with that, Georgia now has 1098 recoveries in total. The country currently has 246 active cases, and 17 fatalities related to the virus.

6903 individuals are in quarantine zones, and 278 are under hospital supervision. 41 Georgian citizens have been brought home from abroad for COVID treatment.

Of the 10 new cases, the sources of three infected individuals are unknown. In the 19 days of August, there have been up to 10 COVID cases that were registered without knowing the source of infection.

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NEWS

GEORGIA TODAY

AUGUST 21 - 26, 2020

Restrictions on Regular Int'l Flights Extended until October 1 the field of aviation cannot be predicted and that decisions concerning global border and traffic limitations are periodically reviewed, we request citizens and passengers refrain from buying tickets on flights in either direction until the dates of restoration of scheduled flights and flight timetables are published by official sources," the agency said in a statement.

The opening of air traffic and international tourism in accordance with the safe corridors was scheduled for September 1. However, Georgia again postponed the access to regular flights until the beginning of October.

For the record, Georgia has opened its borders for travelers from five countries: Germany, France, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia, and each of them has also opened borders to visitors from Georgia.

In addition, Georgia remains on the European Union's updated list of countries for which travel restrictions are lifted.

BY ANA DUMBADZE

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eorgia is to remain closed to regular international flights until October 1, the Civil Aviation Agency reports.

"Restrictions on regular international air services do not apply to direct international flights between Tbilisi International Airport and the airports of Munich (Germany) Paris (France) and Riga (Latvia).

"Therefore, if the epidemiological situation in Georgia and the mentioned countries does not worsen, the regular flights of airlines Lufthansa, AirFrance and airBaltic will be carried out in accordance with the established schedule.

"The decision on renewal/restoration of other scheduled flights will be taken on the basis of the epidemiologic situation in Georgia and worldwide. Taking into consideration that the situation in

Russian Opposition Leader Navalny Hospitalized with Suspected Poisoning

PM: Gov't Intends to Fully Fund Cancer Treatment

BY ANA DUMBADZE

BY ANA DUMBADZE

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ell-knownPutincritic, Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has been hospitalized with suspected poisoning, his press secretary has said.

“Kira Yarmysh said Mr. Navalny fell ill shortly after takeoff on an early morning flight from Tomsk, Siberia to Moscow.

The pilot was forced to make an emergency stop 500 miles away in Omsk, where he was rushed to a hospital. Doctors concluded he had been poisoned via a hot liquid," The Independent reports.

“We believe Alexei was poisoned by something mixed into his tea,” Ms. Yarmysh wrote. “It was the only thing he drank in the morning.”

In an interview with the Russian pub-

B

Source: The Independent Image: AFP/Getty

lication MediaZona, the press secretary said Mr Navalny drank the tea in the airport just before boarding. He began to feel ill on the plane, she said, and was sweating.

“I asked him whether some water would help, and he said no. Then he went to the toilet, and lost consciousness.”

As reported by local media, Mr. Navalny spent some time in intensive care and on a ventilator but has since regained consciousness. He is speaking and moving around with difficulty.

ased on the initiative of the Health Ministry, the Government of Georgia intends to allocate an additional 8 thousand GEL for medical treatment of every patient diagnosed with cancer.

"I'm sure we will make a decision to increase this program by 8000 GEL, which will enable each of our citizens to undergo a full course of treatment," Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia said at the governmental meeting today.

The head of the government noted that 1974 citizens of Georgia are enrolled in this program and the above will be an extremely important support to these people.

"There was a problem when our citizens diagnosed with cancer had to pay for treatment from their pocket. I am sure we will make a decision to increase

this program by 8000 GEL, which will enable each of our citizens fighting this disease, to undergo a full course of treatment without any personal expenses.

Unfortunately, today 1974 citizens of Georgia are enrolled in this program, but this will extremely important support to these people," he said.

Georgia’s Journey in a Pandemic-Paused World BLOG BY SEBASTIAN MOLINEUS, WORLD BANK REGIONAL DIRECTOR FOR THE SOUTH CAUCASUS

A

bout one year ago, I arrived in Tbilisi to take up my post as World Bank Regional Director for the South Caucasus. I arrived in a country that had embarked on a remarkable journey from “star reformer to star performer”.

Indeed, over the last decade, Georgia has made substantial strides in improving the lives of its people: it has nearly halved poverty, maintained steady economic growth, created an open business environment, tackled corruption and governance issues, and attracted aboveaverage levels of FDI. Georgia’s steady and consistent reform efforts have not gone unnoticed; it is often ranked among the world’s top reformers on many international ratings. To mark my one-year anniversary in the job, I had initially wanted to pen my reflections on Georgia’s journey to becoming a star performer, but then the pandemic occurred and so my original storyline had to be put on hold. Or so I thought.

Indeed, what started with rumors about an unidentified respiratory virus in a faraway province in China quickly turned

into a global pandemic that we now call COVID-19. And today, with over ten million infections and half a million deaths, the COVID-19 pandemic has had a major impact on us all: global growth under our baseline scenario will likely contract by about 5%, while the downside scenario presents a global growth contraction of 8% in 2020, effectively putting the world on pace for the deepest recession since WWII. Under these same scenarios, we estimate that COVID-19 will push between 71 million and 100 million people into extreme poverty, effectively wiping out years of gains in our shared fight against poverty. I am heartbroken.

In the months following the declaration of the global pandemic, we saw countries respond in different ways and at different speeds. Each implemented their own combination of policy actions aimed at slowing the spread of the virus and providing targeted actions in support of people, livelihoods, and the economy. The results have been mixed; and clearly showed that although everyone is fighting the same virus, the cost of this fight would certainly not be the same for all. So, how has Georgia been impacted and how has it fared to date?

The bad news first. Given the global nature of this pandemic and the country’s reliance on trade (77% of GDP), tourism (19% of GDP), and remittance flows (more than 10% of GDP), we pro-

ject Georgia’s GDP will decline by 4.8% in 2020, and possibly up to 9% under a downside scenario. Poverty levels, too, will be negatively impacted, as around 500,000 Georgians are at risk of downward mobility in 2020, including 200,000 previously non-poor that will be impoverished. This scenario implies a poverty impact of 2.8 percentage points in 2020, driving the poverty rate up to 16.1%.

The good news, on the other hand: Georgia has followed the same approach that led it to becoming a star performer and has therefore averted the adverse health outcomes experienced by other countries, with only 930 infections and 15 deaths as of July 1. The country’s rapid response included: 1) acting early to implement evidence-based policy actions, including closing its borders, moving to online schooling, and introducing quarantine/social distancing measures; 2) strengthening institutions, capacity, and communications, such as in the health sector and in testing/tracing capacity; and 3) introducing targeted social support and “relief & recovery” efforts, in particular to households and the private sector. And, the government did so in strong partnership with its development partners, including the World Bank as a key “first responder.”

The World Bank is responding with a mix of advisory, convening, and financial services. On the advisory side, we have

shared “good practices” from across the world with the government to allow for better evidence-based policy-making, and we have provided hands-on procurement support. On the convening side, we have helped facilitate policy dialogue across the region, both importing and, importantly, exporting early success stories and lessons learned. On the financial services side, when everything is said and done, we expect to provide over $300m in financial support to Georgia, concretely: • A “first response” project of $80 million under the World Bank’s Fast Track COVID-19 Facility to mitigate the health and social impacts of the pandemic, protect the poorest and most vulnerable, and support workers who have lost their jobs due to the crisis. The Ministry of Health has since procured vital medical equipment, including over 250,000 PCR and 147,000 Rapid Test Kits, effectively tripling Georgia’s testing capacity to over 3,000 tests administered daily.

• Another $50 million in additional financing for the Economic Management and Competitiveness Development Policy Operation which, coupled with the original loan of $50 million, provides $100 million in budget support to the government amidst a sharp decline in tax revenues and an unanticipated increase in expenditures to cover anticrisis measures.

• A $100 million “Relief and Recovery

for Micro, Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (MSMEs) and Jobs” project, currently under preparation, which will support the jobs agenda, as well as MSMEs that have been negatively impacted by the pandemic.

• Finally, the World Bank is preparing additional COVID-19 support projects, such as the $35 million “Log-In Georgia” project to help increase access of some 700 rural villages to affordable broadband internet, and to promote key use cases such as remote learning, telemedicine, digital financial inclusion, and e-commerce - all in support of government efforts to support the people of Georgia.

And finally, I want to return to where I started, and confirm that what I’ve seen of Georgia throughout this year leaves me with no doubt that despite the global pandemic and its knock-on effects, Georgia’s story does not pause, let alone stop here. Georgia, I am sure, will “build back better,” using this opportunity to transition to a new digital economy, reposition itself as a key logistics hub between Europe and Asia as global supply chains fracture, and to embrace a “green economic rebuild.” I am confident that, in a year from now, I will be writing about a new Georgian economic re-launch, built on an even stronger foundation of resilience, sustainability, and growth.

First printed in The Economist Georgia

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POLITICS

GEORGIA TODAY

AUGUST 21 - 26, 2020

Some “Off-Record” Reflections on a Georgian Euro-Atlantic Mainstream Policy OP-ED BY VICTOR KIPIANI, GEOCASE CHAIR

Image source: natoassociation.ca

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he end of the Cold War, the 2008 war between Russia and Georgia and the ongoing pandemic have all created many extremely challenging ‘new normals’ and brain teasers in regional and international relations and security. Many important questions remain unanswered, and the historically unpredictable behaviour of some of Georgia’s close neighbours increases the country’s vulnerability. Once again, in a very short span of time, we are witnessing a process of ‘creative destruction’ which brings to the fore the need for an in-depth reappraisal of the situation and a consequent rearrangement. That said, some of these emerging and re-emerging threats and risks create new opportunities and introduce new criteria, so just to sum up those whose impact and priority seem to me to be the most important.

This country is on the front line of the conflict (‘meta-conflict’) between two normative worlds: one of democracy and freedom, and the other of oppression and revisionism. Among other things that would give Georgia the resilience she needs, the country needs to work out and adopt effective policies capable of containing hybrid warfare. The latter poses an existential threat, and both the United States and NATO also need to equip themselves with a modern system for rapid situational assessments and timely reactions to such hybrid attacks.

Indeed, this challenge becomes, quite understandably, even greater when it comes to the question of how to protect partner nations that are not formal members of NATO but are nonetheless closely

linked to the Alliance in one way or another.

Beyond this large-scale geopolitical picture, Georgia is also on the front line of frictions between regional hegemons. The country’s continued Russian occupation, coupled with Turkey’s growing assertiveness in the region and the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan, which in many ways resembles a proxy war, are worsening the regional quagmire. New solutions are therefore needed if we are to address these many challenges in a bold and creative manner.

As if this was not enough, a further challenge that needs to be dealt with is the shifting balance of power in the Black Sea. In this regard, Georgia is not simply a stretch of land between the shores of the Black and Caspian seas, but a critical crossroads where the Eurasian policies of the West, Russia and China are at loggerheads. We must, however, not lose sight of the fact that Georgia’s geographical location is both the reason for the security threats she faces, as well as the source of her economic growth. The Black Sea is nowadays an arena for competition over influence, access and information, and if we are to succeed, we and our partners and allies therefore require strategic persistence rather than strategic patience. A progressive US shift towards a more

extended form of deterrence in the Black Sea region would be seen as a timely response to those countries that are still hostages of the relatively prevalent ‘Senkaku Paradox’ or those that mistakenly

follow the reasoning that ‘the enemy of our friends is not necessarily our enemy’. In this regard, Secretary Pompeo’s statement on the inadmissibility of a ‘closed’ South China Sea should also apply to the Black Sea; and the opening of a NATO Excellence Center in Batumi would send a strong signal that Georgia ranks among the ‘vital interests’ of our strategic partner.

All this is of course also compounded

by Georgia’s proximity to the Middle East. The latter will continue to be a focus of US attention in the near future, and certain discussions in the United States concerning possible readjustments

to their wider Middle Eastern policy might lead to an additional role for Georgia as a ‘safety locker’ for Western interests in the Black Sea and Caspian regions and beyond. An even closer alignment of our national interests with those of the United States could help both nations to identify a new ‘signature outlook’ to

both accurate assessments of national and regional risks as well as some good solutions and forward-looking statements.

Closer to home, another common concern is the need to address the two frozen conflicts on Georgian territory, which are effectively geopolitical conflicts caused by the country’s foreign policy choices and the occupying power’s opposition to them.

The aim of this paper is to sketch out the challenges that Georgia faces but also present opportunities.

More than any of our neighbors, we strive to be a democracy and a place of safety for our people and our allies.

These goals have

deepen their strategic partnership.

I believe that adopting such a new approach to the region, as well as forging a qualitatively new relationship with Georgia, would be in line with the US National Security Strategy and National Defense Strategy, particularly in those areas in which these strategies consider the question of a more effective deterrence in Europe and the Middle East. I also trust that the new security concept paper that the National Security Council is currently working on will include

the full support of the country’s population, among whom a consensus is readily identifiable both among the country’s political elites as well as at the grassroots level.

To reuse a small part of one of history’s most famous statements, the blood, sweat and tears that Georgia has shed in our monumental toil to maintain our freedom of choice must be recognized at their true value. Georgia punches well above her weight, and the greatest pain would be not to suffer but suffering in vain.

Will America Survive?

OP-ED BY NUGZAR B. RUHADZE

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es, it will! And I have more than enough reason to say this: America is an idea. It is a perpetual idea, born from Man’s everlasting pursuit of happiness. And not only that!

The United States of America is the greatest human experiment of building a country and a society from scratch, based on the most daring Western thought of personal freedom and equality.

This trivial but fundamental truth about America should be encouraging us to believe that nobody and nothing can destroy the nation which has constructed itself via unbearable pains and failures, having finally emerged as the strongest social, economic and military power humanity has ever known. America cannot and must not be a venue for racial issues. America has to exist beyond and above the racial atmospheric pressure of colorism for the sake of holding up the idea of Thanksgiving of 1621.

America was constructed through a mix of red, white, black, brown and yellow sweat, and their mutual effort to give the world a sample of a new-type of shared habitat, having invited into the common racial crucible people of all hues and cultures. The true American history is easy to read but difficult to live through. Misunderstandings happen, but they have a tragic tendency of bringing about misfortunes and agues which usually come on horseback and go away on foot.

But fortunately, against all vicious powers and brutal desires, there is a sharp

weapon out there, made in the United States: the broad American smile and the strong helping hand which has always been in abundance in this wonderful land. The American melting pot is not broken, as its enemies now gloatingly believe, and even if it has some temporary accidental cracks, there will always be enough welding fire in the country to put it back together, and get it working again with the same habitual success.

And the skillful smith the crack needs

to be mended by must be around too.

America knows well how to handle the historical lesson offered by these weird times of ours, and if somebody ardently desires and is maliciously ready to tear up the Old Glory and give it to a makeshift auto-da-fe, the attempts are going to be vain, because America is too strapping and muscular to be hurt that quickly and easily. Any movement to impair or devalue the eternal idea called America is dwarfed by the tangible supremacy of

this idea itself.

This exalted piece is being written in Tbilisi, Georgia, by an American with a Georgian origin. The other day, he accidentally found himself in the capital’s main square. Right in the middle of it there stands the gorgeous shining statue of Saint George killing a dragon, which symbolizes a happy end as we have always known it since our childhood.

The strikingly dazzling monument triggered cheerful thoughts about America,

which is a great young culture focused on the Happy End in general.

Americans love stories that have a cheery positive finale when a good guy is always a winner, like the Freedom Square Saint George in Tbilisi. The main thoroughfare of the widely practiced happy-end philosophy goes right through the heart of American toughness and morality, which must be a huge helper in handling any crisis that might happen to the well-weathered and tempered-in-conflict American people.

Patience is a great helper too, when we are faced with trouble, and patience needs time to find its way to fairness and restraint. Now we all know finally that racism and colorism, if they dangerously protrude, have the potential to kill America as an idea, and nobody, no sensible being of any color, wants to witness a catastrophe of that magnitude, because the American soul is unique and has only one translucent color.

America has always been special because it has always been a baby of all humanity.

The only problem that it had, as has become apparent now, was that the baby needed more care and heed on the part of all of us who ever had anything to do with what history has proudly called the United States of America.

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6

BUSINESS

GEORGIA TODAY

AUGUST 21 - 26, 2020

TBC Concept - TBC Updated Personal Banking Services

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what drives us, what values we have, and how strong we are together.”

At the initial stage, the concept combines two products: digital and premium kits.

The physical space no longer determines the quality of a service. The TBC Concept Digital Kit is designed for those who use banking products on a daily basis, who also actively consume nonbanking products and offers, and who prefer to manage their own finances and banking operations independently, without a personal banker.

The second format of the concept of customer relations is a premium set, where a person's reliable partner, irreplaceable helper and advisor is a personal banker, whose main task is to simplify life for the customer, provide them with the highest quality service, and as a result, ensure satisfaction and comfort.

TBC Concept offers customers the opportunity to self-develop, meet their own interests, and achieve their goals.

Users of TBC Concept are those for whom it is important not to lag behind the trends and processes of the modern world.

BC Personal Banking has undergone a transformation, becoming a new concept combining an even more streamlined form of communication, a personalized approach and a flexible system, and it is fully in line with TBC's mission: to simplify people's lives, give them more time for themselves, and the chance to discover new opportunities.

"Our personal banking services have always changed and evolved in accordance with the needs of the customers,” said Tornike Gogichaishvili, TBC Deputy General Director. “We are proud of the results we have achieved over the years.

Based on this experience, we decided to offer our customers a product, approach and concept that will make their lives even easier. Every person is special, with different desires and goals from others, which ultimately creates a personal, unique concept. We have adapted the new approach to the needs of modern person, with the help of which any customer will receive a service tailored to them personally. Over the years, our strength has been driven by the team’s selfless hard work, customer empathy and desire to lead. This transformation is a natural continuation of who we are,

For more information about the TBC Concept, contact your personal banker, or call: 032 2 27 27 00

Thai Food: Healthy, Authentic, Affordable

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ast week, we presented you Thai Box – the restaurant that is all three – healthy, authentic, and affordable. As a Thai Head Chef quickly prepares a tasty, healthy Thai dish for you from Thai ingredients, you’ll find yourself wondering – could this get better? Yes, it could, and at Thai Box – it does: the restaurant has this cool and sustainable feature of adhering to zero-waste and eco-friendly practices.

“We utilize all parts of an ingredient, even parts other restaurants may throw away. Furthermore, all after-service ingredients are made into dishes, packed into paper boxes and donated to feed people at Tbilisi shelters at the end of each day if we have extra stocks,” the restaurant representative tells us.

At That Box, you taste the quality of the chefs using fresh ingredients every day. They use a mixture of locally sourced and imported Thai ingredients in the signature recipes. However, as we have stated previously, they don’t use unhealthy additives such as MSG. “We have a strong commitment to sustainability and a responsible approach to the environment because we ensure that we know exactly where our ingredients come from. All our ingredients are directly from the source, even if they are imported.”

Thai Box wants the customers to know they truly care about the well-being of its customers, and it shows: the food is beneficial for your health, as the restaurant representative explains to us.

“As most spices and herbs have its own health benefits, one ingredient we use in some of our dishes are kaffir lime leaves. Studies have shown that extraction of its oil is often used for patients suffering from blood-borne illnesses or chronic blood-related diseases and it can also reduce anxieties by its aromatic traits.”

Thai Box creators plan to continue developing Thai box’s brand through strategic marketing initiatives and cater to all areas populated (? The original text said “populled”). While they’d also like to remain innovative and ambitious as they serve the Tbilisi community, the brand is determined to spread just as

much love through food - the restaurant is in talks with our international network in the United Kingdom, Germany and a few other countries in second phase of our international expansion.

Thai Box is easily distinguishable from other restaurants: Firstly, the chefs are traditionally trained in Thai culinary for over 30 years.

Secondly, they import all necessary ingredients from Thailand, making a high-quality dining experience as authentic and pleasant as possible Thirdly, Thai

Address: Zandukeli 24 T: 595 50 39 30 facebook.com/thaiboxtbilisi

Box is committed to eco-friendly and zero-waste practices. This involves utilising every part of an ingredient.

And the last but certainly not the least, they are able to guarantee 20 minutes delivery time thanks to the coordinated system in all respects.

“We have three main Thai chefs in Tbilisi who make sure the quality of our food is consistent. All of them are traditionally trained and certified by various Culinary schools and have worked in 5 Star hotels to fine dining restaurants,”

Thai Box tells us.

Thai Box has also employed a Senior Advisor, Mr Choawalit Yimprasert who is acting as a Consultant for the company.

Chef Choawalit is an experienced and renowned Chef based in Thailand who has worked at senior management level in a number of major food companies, including Unilever in Thailand, where he is currently Executive Sous Chef.

“Good ingredients are the bedrock of cooking and perfecting dishes.” This has been Chef Chaowalit’s firm belief through-

out his professional life, and was what led him to become a chef.

He began his professional life by working at the Sheraton Chiang Mai Hotel.

He went through training for about a year before going to South Korea, USA and China for several years to gain more experience.

Try Thai Box and make for yourself that there is a restaurants that responds to all of your demands – it’s high-quality, it’s healthy, it’s tasty, it’s authentic, and affordable.

BUSINESS

GEORGIA TODAY AUGUST 21 - 26, 2020

7

Placing Sustainable Development Goals at the Heart of the Response to Corona is Critical for Overcoming the Global Health-Economic-Humanitarian Crisis

BY RAN GIDOR, AMBASSADOR OF ISRAEL

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his July, the UN released its annual report on the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for 2020. This report comes amid the blow the coronavirus has delivered on the implementation of virtually every one of the 17 goals and 169 targets the international community hopes to achieve by 2030.

The report goes on to state that the weakest groups are the most affected, among them as developing countries, children, women, the elderly, the disabled, the poor, immigrants and refugees.

In addition, the main goals of eradicating poverty and hunger have worsened severely, and 71 million people are expected to join the circle of acute hunger. The extremely high number of fatalities caused by the pandemic is expected to be joined by many thousands more who will die of starvation, medical complications, lack of vaccines and poor sanitation.

Accompanying these figures is the chilling fact that around 1.6 billion people, or half of the global labor force, have either lost their livelihoods or are experiencing a decline in their employment and incomes. School closures have removed an additional 1.6 billion students from their educational settings and an estimated 370 million have stopped receiving meals in schools. Violence against women, children and the weaker sectors has increased, while the circles of poverty and hunger have expanded.

In Georgia, too, the situation is far from ideal. According to Kakha Kakhishvili, Head of the Government Administration and Chairman of the National SDG Council, and Louisa Vinton, UNDP Resident Representative, whereas Georgia was a pioneer in translating the SDG framework into national strategies and in establishing a structure for SDG implementation, there are still considerable ‘bottlenecks’ which are slowing down the pace of progress. Even before the Corona crisis, the UNDP pointed (press release of 8th May 2009) to the fact that some priority areas are much better funded than others. For example: peace (#16), education (#4) and infrastructure (#9) have generous budgets, whereas poverty (#1), gender equality (#5) and environmental protection and climate change (#6, 12, 13, 14 and 15) are significantly less well-funded.

It is precisely because of the aforementioned alarming data that we need to make every effort to integrate the sustainable development goals in all our activities, and in every economic rescue package or plan for increasing resilience.

We must remember that we live in a

global world and as the coronavirus has shown, problems tend to move from country to country and region to region.

Hence, it is upon all of us, all over the world, to mobilize for the implementation of the SDGs: these days, more than at any other time, they are our compass; they show us the correct path; they are the pillar of smoke that goes before the camp in the desert by day, and the pillar of fire by night; they are the flag in front of the camp in the confusion created by the pandemic and the economic-humanitarian crises accompanying it.

Each country needs to examine how it can contribute to the implementation of the goals, and Israel can help with its experience and technology which can be used by many across the world in areas such as public health, water, agriculture and renewable energy, to implement the goals of eradicating poverty and hunger, food security and healthy nutrition, bringing energy available to all, and clean drinking water. Israel’s world-renowned innovation can actually help to achieve most of the 17 goals.

This was illustrated during the second wave of Corona in Israel that led to a new Israeli development by Virimask: a face mask that provides full respiratory protection to teams at the forefront of the fight against the virus. Laboratory tests conducted by the company found that it provides more than 99% protection against the coronavirus, compared to the N95 mask used today by medical teams, which transfers up to about 5% of the particles. The mask also prevents floating sprays from reaching the eyes, unlike the N95, which provides protection for the nose and mouth only. In addition, the Virimask allows comfortable airflow for its users and they do not suffer from symptoms like headaches,

shortness of breath or nausea.

In Israel, due to its location on the edge of the desert and the circumstances of its establishment and existence, and as a country where innovation, initiative and creativity abound, countless solutions have been formulated and developed in regards to the environment that can be shared with the whole world.

Israel’s world renowned agriculture can provide a significant part of the solutions needed to feed the world’s population that, while constantly growing, has its food supply threatened by the climate crisis, water scarcity and desertification.

Examples include precise agriculture, the development of varieties resistant to diseases and droughts, the use of brackish water, and more.

Water is another area in which Israel is a global leader, and if we knew how to leverage it better, it could bring healing to many global harms and advance the global economy. In sewage treatment, Israel is a super power, as almost 90% of its wastewater is treated and used for agriculture. Now think how many greenhouse gases and how much environmental pollution and destruction of natural systems would have been avoided if this was the situation worldwide.

Israel is also highly experienced in the use of technologies for renewable energy.

This includes producing energy by using sea waves. Eco Power, an Israeli company currently developing this technology, won an award at last year’s Climate Change Conference in Madrid. Other Israeli companies are leaders in the fields of energy efficiency and energy storage solutions, such as storing energy by using compressed air systems.

There are also companies in Israel that are pioneers in the field of developing animal protein substitutes, such as cul-

Service Staff of Cafes, Bars, Hotels in the Tourist Regions to Undergo Intensive Testing

A

lexander Khojevanishvili, Deputy Head of the State Security Service and Member of the Coordination Council, today said that the service staff of all cafes, bars, restaurants and hotels in the tourist regions of Georgia will undergo intensive testing to curb the spread of the virus.

“As the number of tourists has recently increased in Georgia, especially in the Black Sea region, the Interagency Council decided to add to the target groups the circle of persons who have contact with tourists. Such circles include the service personnel of cafes, bars, restaurants and hotels, who will be subjected to intensive testing", said Khojevanishvili.

tured meat grown under laboratory conditions, plant protein that mimics meat or chicken at the highest level, or proteins produced by fermentation.

Understanding the huge impact of the livestock industry on the climate crisis, and at the same time how the global expectation of a significant increase in consumption of meat and animal based foods will further exacerbate the problem, we understand that such developments make a major contribution to quality protein supply worldwide.

Other developments come from the worlds of innovation, applications, artificial intelligence, material recycling, the development and use of industrial materials that require less energy in the manufacturing process, and more.

Israel and Georgia are already cooperating extensively in several of these priority areas, both on private and governmental levels (the latter is led primarily by MASHAV, Israel’s International Development Cooperation Agency, which has been operating in Georgia since 1993). Food security, clean water, public health, renewable energy, quality education, gender equality and innova-

tion have all been focal points of IsraeliGeorgian bilateral cooperation. Last month, for example, MASHAV developed jointly with the Guria ‘Shalom Club’ a concept for equipping rural schools with Israeli-made water purification units. This week, MASHAV announced yet another project, jointly with the Georgian ‘Volunteer Hub,’ focusing on ‘Women in Tech’. We are currently exploring a range of other initiatives, all prioritized within the national Georgian strategy for the implementation of the SDGs. Goal #17 is highly important today. It is about cooperation. Without joint work, an understanding that the challenges are global and that the way out of the coronavirus is through international cooperation, we will not succeed properly and perhaps not exit the crisis at all. And as the UN report states, solidarity and cooperation are necessary to address and prevent the health-economic-humanitarian crisis. Therefore, today, in a time of global crisis, it is important that we adhere to these global goals and make every effort to accomplish them. They are our vision for a better and safer world.

Property for Sale in the Heart of Historic Tbilisi Ideal for a Bed and Breakfast, residence, or office - A rare opportunity to purchase an outstanding property in the heart of historic Tbilisi just a stone's throw from the old town and ‘Abanotubani,’ in the Krtsanisi diplomatic district (close to several embassies). It is ecologically the cleanest part of the city. Only minutes away from the city center, yet hidden away from traffic, noise and pollution.

The house was built in 2007 to the highest standards to stand firm for hundreds of years. It boasts a modern and very unique design authored by a famous Georgian architect. Separate kitchen, open floor living room (ceiling 8 meters above) with an amazing fire place. The house is very spacious and full of light, with a superbly comfortable layout, ensuring outmost privacy while creating a cozy and homey environment. Despite its vast size, it is very livable and convenient. The house looks modest and not imposing from the outside, yet is surprising spacious from the inside. It has a garage for 4 cars, a large, fully equipped basement with a lovely wine cellar, a kitchen and a banquet hall with a fire place. The swimming pool and terrace ensure a blissful feeling of being at a resort. It feels like heaven during hot summer days. The house is perfect for a residence, but also as an office or a small family hotel. The house is priced 30% below the market price. It is a rare opportunity not to be missed. The price is to be enquired and discussed.

8

BUSINESS

GEORGIA TODAY

AUGUST 21 - 26, 2020

Tbilisi Hills Chief Investor: Our Strategy Is to Increase the Number of Investments & Jobs “People will move out of cities, choosing instead to settle in nature, in the regions, and so de-urbanization will start, a process that will completely transform the world. In 50 years, the existence of cities may become a thing of the past. This is a whole new story that creates absolutely new opportunities. Whoever sees this is one step ahead.

“As for employment, throughout history, the structure of the labor market has been in constantly evolution. 200 years ago, 95% of people were involved in agriculture, but now, on the contrary, 95% are engaged in entrepreneurial activities. In the process of human evolution, the structure and trend of the labor market has changed many times, which is normal. I do not think the time for global unemployment is coming.

People will simply have to change or transform professions.

“I see only a positive effect of the pandemic in the field of tourism. The first is that much more money will be spent in our own country. The second is that citizens who were used to traveling abroad will impose higher standards in their home country, which will inevitably have a positive impact on the service industry. However, the driving force of tourism is human curiosity. No matter how well-equipped the tourism infrastructure is in your country, human curiosity still drives them to visit untouched places. That is why I think international tourism will not die. This pandemic is transient and sooner or later everything will return to its usual course.”

INTERVIEW, TRANSLATED

BY ANA DUMBADZE

G

EORGIA TODAY spoke to Oleg Osinovsky: Chief Investor, Tbilisi Hills Golf & Residences.

“The period of isolation had a very interesting effect on people.

It was a kind of catalyzer for mechanisms that we knew about and yet were not fully aware of,” Osinovsky notes.

“It was clear to almost everyone that offices and business centers were already ‘yesterday.’ Even banks refused to finance businesses because it was clear that office work had nothing to do with the successful operation of a company.

Today’s means of communication allow you to successfully work remotely, without having to spend time moving around or spending money on office rent, while modern technologies can successfully imitate live relationships, a fact which appeared very clearly during the quarantine period.

“Another exciting trend is in the restaurant business,” he adds. “It turned out that the best restaurants in the city can easily and efficiently deliver dishes anywhere. Without any extra movement, people have the opportunity to see any world cuisine dish in their own kitchen within 30 minutes of ordering. Here, the question arose: how much do you need restaurants? It turned out that the sector needs merely a proper cooking and delivery service. This will significantly change future trends.

“The same can be said about shopping malls. There is no longer a need to go to one location to buy products: it is much easier to do so online, efficiently, with a good choice, without leaving home and, most importantly, it’s cheaper.

I think all of this will change a lot of things in the world. These trends were already evident, and the pandemic sim-

WHAT STRATEGY SHOULD A BUSINESS CHOOSE DURING THE PANDEMIC OR POSTPANDEMIC PERIOD? ply acted as a catalyzer and revealed them more quickly. The new world will no longer have offices, shopping malls, restaurants or even cinemas.

“Then the second question arises: what is the need to live in the city, when the city gives you only easy access to the above facilities.

In this matter, everyone chooses for themselves; I can only share my personal vision with you. The first is that in the event of any crisis, you should try to invest as much as possible in the

business and create jobs. Without this, the state will simply collapse before our eyes. Exactly when everyone is scared and hiding is the time we need to act and create as many jobs as possible, because we live in the community we belong to. If there is a difficult period in the country, we will all suffer, without exception.

With this in mind, we will definitely increase our investments and consequently create more jobs. We are talking about ‘Tbilisi Hills’ and so it is in our interest that everything is fine in Georgia. I hope other entrepreneurs and businessmen will impose the same strategy and we will all together improve the country's economy.

We must do everything possible to minimize the economic downturn. More jobs should be created for this, and salaries should not be reduced. In this case, everything will be fine. That is why I repeat: our strategy is to increase the number of facilities under construction, investments and jobs.

This is a macro image. Historically, the high-income segment does not suffer in a crisis. It might be unfair, but it is a historical fact: this segment is usually protected from crises; they always have the financial means to maintain a normal standard of living.

We, quite objectively, believe that ‘Tbilisi Hills’ is the most luxurious development project in Tbilisi today.

Moreover, from my own experience, I can say with full responsibility that today there are very few luxury districts in the world such as ‘Tbilisi Hills’.

To live 15 minutes away from the city center, in nature, with extraordinary views of the city, surrounded by the golf courses which is ranked 34th in continental Europe among 5000+ golf courses, is the rarest opportunity. Therefore, the demand for our services has not decreased. This crisis has not affected us much and we do not expect it to affect our activities in the future.

SOCIETY

Nenskra Hydro Distributes Food to Families in Nenskra, Nakra Valleys due to Pandemic in Mestia Municipality

D

ue to the severe pandemic situation in Mestia Municipality, JSC "Nenskra Hydro", in the frame of its corporate social responsibility strategy, helped the population of the Nenskra and Nakra valleys with principal food products- 330 families in Chuberi and 120 families in Nakra. The distribution process of the products started on August 17 and lasted for two days.

Teimuraz Kopadze, Chief Operating Officer at Nenskra Hydro, links the need

for an ongoing social responsibility project to the closure of Mestia Municipality due to a pandemic situation.

‘The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in the closure of the Mestia Municipality, leaving residents with limited access to various district centers and unable to afford food or other basic necessities.

Accordingly, the company believes it important to provide assistance to the population, and in accordance with the further development of events and the change of quarantine conditions, the company is considering various oppor-

tunities to provide assistance to the local population," says Kopadze.

There is a stable epidemic situation in Chuberi after the spread of coronavirus in Mestia Municipality. Several hundred tests have been conducted and none of the locals, at this stage, has had coronavirus detected. Nevertheless, in the process of distributing the product, the representatives of the company follow all the recommendations issued by the infectious disease specialists as far as possible.

"Our employees, representatives of the company, who are involved in this activity and distribute the products, are equipped with appropriate face masks and various disinfectants. So, we follow the recommendations of epidemiologists as much as possible, " said the Chief Operating Officer of Nenskra Hydro.

JSC Nenskra Hydro is a project-based company established in 2015 as a result of cooperation between a state-owned Korea Water Resources Corporation (K-water) and JSC Partnership Fund.

The company is developing the Nenskra Hydropower Plant Project in the Nenskra and Nakra river Valleys in Mestia Municipality of Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti region. The 280 MW Nenskra Hydropower Plant will generate approximately 1’219.00 GWh of electricity annually, which will be fully consumed by the Georgian market.

SOCIETY

GEORGIA TODAY AUGUST 21 - 26, 2020

9

Discover How the EU is Helping Keda to Bloom

Chateau Iveri, Varjanisi village

BY KATIE RUTH DAVIES

G

eorgia is certainly not short of helping hands, or financing, on its path to development and European (re) integration. Almost everywhere you go in this country of 70,000 sq kms of culture, history and both tamed and untamed nature, you will see the touch of those who care to make this country a better and more prosperous place to live. And those who care are, of course, not only foreign organizations with their funding and training, but those who were born here, their families and communities, who look to be part of something bigger; to work together to make Georgia the ideal tourist and investment destination.

The Keda Municipality in Mountainous (or Upper) Adjara, in the southwestern part of Georgia near the Black Sea coast, boasts 452 km2 and a population of 21,244, divided between 10 communities and 64 settlements, most of which can be found nestled in the steep, subtropical green mountain slopes on either side of the Adjaristskali River.

Here, the main agricultural activities include fruit farming, vine growing, crop growing (tobacco being a staple for locals here), vegetable growing, bee-keeping, and trout farming. Also beginning to bloom, with the aforementioned help of the European Union, is the tourism sector, with an increasing number of small guesthouses and slightly larger hotelwineries already catering to thousands of Georgian and international guests on an annual basis: just take a look at the 2017 statistics, which showed a 98% increase in visitors year-on-year, with 20,298 tourists of the 1,683.000 visiting Adjara that year choosing to explore the Keda Municipality.

WHAT TO SEE IN KEDA The nature, air, and tendency to feast on huge amounts of dairy-based dishes here is guaranteed to have you stretched out on a hammock soaking it up in wonder at some point (or several points!) during your visit, but for those wanting more, the area has plenty to offer in terms of man-made and natural sights.

Indeed, Keda Municipality offers a whopping 22 waterfalls, five historic bridges, seven fortresses, four towers, 22 wineries, 34 restaurants, five churches, and a variety of museums, as well as ziplining, rafting, and glamping. There are also, thanks to that EU funding, several tourist-product businesses, such as Honey House in Vaio, where you can try honey varieties and local brandy while exploring the bee-keeping process and giving honey extracting a go, and Murad Tavartkiladze’s chiboni (Georgian bagpipe) workshop in Tskhmorisi village, which helps preserve ancient regional music-making traditions.

Among cultural heritage monuments are the watchtowers in Kaviani, Gulebi,

Dzentsmani, Sagoreti and Tsivasula; the arched stone bridges of Pirveli Maisi, Tsoniarisi, Dandalo and Makhuntseti (we dare you to jump into the blue river basin below here- it’s 7 meters deep and a favorite cooling-off point for the locals!); and fortresses in Zendidi and Tsivasula.

The Keda Municipality is notable for its unique vine varieties, with local wines Kedis Tsolikauri and Chkhaveri in particularly high demand.

Head up to the Shervashidze Wine Cellar and hotel in the village of Pirveli Maisi, enjoy a night in a specially crafted wooden cabin overlooking the fields of vines, and drink and dine in the cool of their wine cellar. As you sip on their award-winning Ojaleshi, the host will happily regale you with the history of the local area, and tell you about his family’s ongoing work to popularize their business and community. They can also take you on a 50km round-trip into Mtirala National Park, revealing some of the best-kept heritage and natural wonders of the region, and offer you the chance to zip(line) across their vines!

Alternatively, head further inland to the village of Vaio, its entrance marked by a small church balanced on a rock over the river, and follow signs to Lado Shavishvili’s Winery. There, you can sit in the shade of his garden vines and sip on the delightful wines he producesfrom golden Tsolikauri to Saperavi and Chkhaveri -as he and his wife prepare a feast of local delights for you.

Makho’s Marani, Vaio village

through the fruit trees. Rooms are simple, air-conditioned, with a shared bathroom. The guesthouse is run by three generations of the same family, who will cook you hearty meals to set you up for the day, happily answering your questions about their work and life in the village.

Varjanisi Chateau Iveri offers colorful Mediterranean-rustic style rooms with beautifully tiled private bathrooms, ideal for the upper-price segment looking for some luxury in the mountains. All rooms come with wooden balconies overlooking the vineyard and magnificent surrounding scenery. The family offers guests various tourist packages that include accommodation, local cuisine, wine tasting, folk art, and folk crafts.

Pirveli Maisi At Shervashidze’s Wine Cellar, stay in a room in the three-story main house or splash out for a night in a wooden cabin on stilts overlooking the vineyards and distant village. They’ve been hosting visitors since 2006, offering not only wine tasting but also traditional Georgian cuisine. Why not book yourself on one of their 1 or 2 day excursions to visit cultural sites from the 10th and 12th centuries?

Lado Shavishvili’s Winery, Vaio village

Makhuntseti Waterfall

Makhuntseti Waterfall is an easy stopoff as you travel into the municipality: 20 meters of fast-flowing water, including an icy pool and rocky drop to the Adjaristskali River. Nearby, there are restaurants serving Georgian dishes, and souvenir stands for those looking for something crafty to take home. There are also multi-lingual companies offering rafting/canoe tours and zip-lining experiences.

Further along the river is the newlybuilt (but already popular) luxury hotel, restaurant and winery ‘Chateau Iveri,’ located near the heights of Varjanisi village. The views alone make the trip worthwhile, not to mention the Italianstyle above-ground cellar, brick-andwood dining hall and open kitchen.

Owner Romil Beridze was trained in tourism and management in Germany and Norway. When we met him, he was quick to point to his well-trained staff of seven, among them family members, with whom he is proud to work alongside on this international-standard project.

WHAT (AND WHERE) TO DRINK IN KEDA

Dandalo Try some glamorous camping (glamping) in the mountains at Hill Inn, an innovative vacation site set up by Davit Ardzenadze and Maia Verdzadze within the frames of the Keda LEADER project.

Hill Inn Luxury Camping, Dandalo village

The dome-tents offer fantastic views of the surrounding forest and mountains, and come with a small kitchen, bathroom and sleeping area, as well as a projector and screen for the full laze-and-watch experience. And if that’s not glamorous enough for you, be sure to try out the spa, Jacuzzi and sauna!

Chateau Iveri, Varjanisi village

Milisi The village of Milisi has something

And while the wine is a must-try in Keda, so is the medicinal mineral water, the most notable being Kokotauri and Gundauri – perfect for the morning after that wine degustation!

WHERE TO STAY IN KEDA

Shervashidze Wine Cellar, Pirveli Maisi village

Vaio Makho’s Marani offers a sunny terrace overlooking the family’s corn and tobacco fields- perfect for breakfast and evening chill-outs. Be sure not to miss out on the chance to grab a hammock and swing on the edge of the mountain while watching the sunset blasting the sky with color

Fridon House, Milisi village

particularly restful about it, and Fridon Gvarishvili’s wooden two-story ecocottage ‘Fridon House’ is the perfect place to experience it. Located as a separate structure in the garden of the family guesthouse, the cottage comes with a fully-equipped kitchen and living area with a TV, and two en-suite double bedrooms with views over the garden, orchard and mountains. The family offers ecotourism, hiking, ornithology, ethno and gastronomic packages.

MORE ABOUT THAT EU HELPING HAND So as to diversify local economic activities, foster investment, and empower competitive agricultural and environmental practices in Keda Municipality via bottoms-up strategic planning for rural development, the project ‘Optimizing the Potential of Local Assets for Rural Development of Keda Municipality’ was introduced by NGO CENN in partnership with the Center for Strategic Research and Development of Georgia (CSRDG), the Institute of Democracy (IOD), and the Austrian Institute for Regional Studies and Spatial Planning (ÖIR), backed by the EU, which is supporting agriculture and rural development in Georgia through its ENPARD program. Implemented since 2013, and with a total budget of EUR 179.5 million, the main goal of ENPARD is to reduce rural poverty in Georgia. The first phase of ENPARD in Georgia focused on developing the potential of agriculture, while the second and third phases focus on creating economic opportunities for the rural population that go beyond agricultural activities.

The priority of this particular project is to increase Keda Municipality’s development potential and make optimal use of the local resources.

Putting the plan into action, and making a clear success of communitybuilding, is the Keda LAG (Local Action Group) working with the LEADER method for rural economic development, one which has been actively used in European countries since the 1990s.

The main principle of LEADER is to facilitate rural development by establishing partnerships between the public, private, and civil society sectors, and to empower their efforts. The main instruments of the LEADER approach are LAGs, which better enable local people to make decisions about socioeconomic, cultural, and environmental issues relevant to them by establishing links to share knowledge and experience- uniting communities around a common goal.

In Keda, evidence of the success of the LEADER project is clear to see, with funding earned by well-written applications and put to excellent use to renovate or expand existing infrastructure (such as adding or renovating buildings, buying new equipment, or creating extensions to guesthouses and wine cellars), to start new tourist businesses such as honey production and instrument workshops, and even to buy new instruments for the local Arts School in Keda town to allow children to be better trained in the arts for future participation in national and international events.

Such energy and effort, often coming as a result of all generations of a family- and indeed entire communities -pulling together, ultimately leads to the popularization of the local villages, the region, and Georgia as a wholesomething the country is very much in need of in the COVID-19 reality.

Photos by the author or posted on social media by the businesses themselves.

10

SOCIETY

GEORGIA TODAY

AUGUST 21 - 26, 2020

Viary: Etseri, Svaneti BLOG BY TONY HANMER

W

e just made it back from T bilisi by marshrutka (minibus), my wife and I, on the day that 17 cases of The Virus were detected in Lenjeri, near the town of Mestia. That was August 9. Now things are continuing to unfold.

On the 10th, travel quickly became more restricted. I was able to order and collect half a box of eggs for our shop from our Zugdidi distributor, at the bottom of our road where it meets the Mestia highway, at about midday. Mildly panicked buying had already set in, with all sorts of people calling us up about this or that item’s availability. The 50 kg sack of flour went in a flash, as did the sugar. Other staples, oil and pasta, are disappearing from our shelves.

Mestia, Lenjeri and Ushguli are all under quarantine, with no entry allowed, and exit only under agreement of a twoweek quarantine. We were expecting three overnight guests, guides from a new tour company coming to check out the guest house for next year’s business.

No, said the 144 virus hotline: not allowed to receive them. Exit from the entire province is now allowed only by the same two-week quarantine rule, and entry is also forbidden. Essential businesses are allowed to stay open internally; presumably, distribution vehicles will still come and go? Our TV was not showing any channels for a while, needing the attention of our neighbor who doctors it as required. But at least until then we got information by internet.

Rumors we can do without, and must discourage; only official news, please, so as not to muddy the waters and create

unnecessary stress for us and everyone!

We might start a list of every single person who visits the shop, date and duration, for the purposes of contact tracing.

But so far no official anti-virus people have appeared.

I’m glad that we were able to enter Svaneti in the nick of time. If we weren’t here, locked out, I can well believe that the shop might eventually get looted. All three doors into the house are steel, but there are no bars on the windows at all…

Better we sell calmly than return late to a break-in. (This might happen anywhere in the world where there’s only one big shop for many miles around and the population feels desperate: I’m not pointing the finger at anyone, individual or race, in particular.)

I had persuaded Lali to accept an additional condition before this new situation. We would only accept anyone into the guest house who could demonstrate, by passport stamps, that they had been in Georgia for a minimum of two weeks before reaching us. A single prospective guest, from Ukraine, failed this before coming and we offered her to another home in the village, but they also refused.

We had been looking forward to a week or so camping and driving along the Black Sea towards the last week of August, meeting friends along the way in various locations. (The mountains, for me, offer everything I could want except that sea, though it’s not far off, Anaklia being about 2.5 hours’ drive away.) But this might not be feasible now. Time will tell how quickly The Virus can be contained in our sparsely populated province.

Action has been quick and firm, which bodes well.

What effects, local and national, might this all have? Hospitality providers in Svaneti which had so been looking forward to an influx of tourists from outside Georgia to restart their businesses and

continue paying off whatever bank loans they have must now shut down again, even to Georgians and those resident in the country. Their employees are again short of income, as are their suppliers.

Meanwhile, those tourists now entering Georgia for the first time in months can go elsewhere, but not come here; so elsewhere will benefit, which is something. Here we can also subsist on the food we grow or produce: milk products and meat, fruit and vegetables; later, potatoes. Distribution of foodstuffs from outside, the non-local staples, will help.

This is all unlikely to last long, and we also hope that the Virus situation elsewhere in Georgia (as happened now) will not be able to affect us again. BUT this is a place where freedom is much more highly regarded than the lowlands, sometimes to its detriment, e.g. for large commemorative gatherings. We must be careful!

Update for August 13-14: The number of infections in Lenjeri has now risen to 30, with 12 new cases overnight. Masks and distancing being enforced voluntarily. The table is back in our shop doorway, preventing entry past the door. At least there seems to be some cooperation starting to ensure distribution of foodstuffs and staple goods to shops like ours, including things we would normally drive to get from Zugdidi and now cannot, like oil, flour and sugar. It’s taken us all these months to have a single case of The Virus among the local population in Upper Svaneti, and now this!

August 15: 50 x 50 kg bags of highest quality Georgian flour arrived at the shop by truck today. Not a gift: we bought and will sell them, but nicely organized by the mayoralty of Mestia and our own village mayor. We will pull through.

August 16: Testing for The Virus is being done in all the villages of the region.

No new cases have been found in the

region from the last two days.

August 17: A visit to our guest house by two representatives of the National Center for Disease Control and Public Health.

They are making the rounds with a list of printed recommendations for all local guest houses and hotels to follow in the interests of minimizing danger from The Virus. To be followed by monitoring, with the hope of lifting the quarantine in Svaneti before the appointed deadline of about September 13. Much appreciated contact,

information and attention.

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

CULTURE

Batumi-Tbilisi Int’l Fest 'Night Serenades’ Director on Special Upcoming Concerts & New Format

T

aking into account the pandemic regulations and the global experience in holding festivals, the 12th Batumi-Tbilisi festival ‘Night Serenades’ will be held in a different, virtual format this year. However, despite the global pandemic, the organizers of the important cultural event with the longest history of existence in Georgia have managed to prepare an exciting program with a lot of novelties and premieres for their loyal audience.

The opening of the festival will traditionally take place on August 27 in Batumi, in the Ilia Chavchavadze Drama Theater.

GEORGIA TODAY spoke to Nina Tsagareli, Director of ‘Night Serenades,’ to find out more about this year’s concerts, distinguished participants and the history of ‘Night Serenades.’

“Due to the pandemic, many things have changed in the field of world culture and various events are now being held in a limited or different format.

Many festivals have moved to the virtual space and in this way manage to communicate with the audience. We, too, have changed the format of the festival, taking into account the existing regulations in Georgia and the world festival experience,” Tsagareli says.

The opening concert, which will take place on August 27 at the Batumi Drama Theater is dedicated to the 95th anniversary of the famous Georgian composer and teacher Sulkhan Tsintsadze. It will be broadcast live on Adjara TV, and the Tbilisi concerts on September 2 and 4 will be live streamed on the official Facebook page of the festival.

“Of course, listening to classical music

is always better live,” Tsagareli adite.

“The energy created by the coexistence of performers and spectators in the concert hall is irreplaceable, but the events held in this format also have their positive side, which is accessibility to a wide audience. Not only in Georgia, but also abroad, many loyal listeners and fans of our festival are waiting for this year's concerts. Over the decades of its existence, the festival has gained a large number of loyal listeners worldwide, many of whom have been visiting Georgia for years to attend our concert evenings in Batumi and Tbilisi.”

WHAT MAKES THE 12TH ‘NIGHT SERENADES’ CONCERT PROGRAM SPECIAL THIS YEAR? Work on the festival's concert program for the organizing group begins about a year in advance. Next year's festival concept is planned, we choose the themes for each concert, we try not to miss any

important dates, we always offer the audience works by foreign composers that have not been performed in Georgia yet and we have premieres of Georgian composers almost every year.

We developed the program of this year's festival a year ago, having invited some very interesting, famous foreign soloists and the Quintet of the Royal Academy of London, but due to the pandemic, we had to make some changes to the program.

This year's program is special for the premieres of works by Georgian and foreign composers: a concert by Sandro Nebieridze created just for the Festival; ‘Concerto for Piano and String Orchestra N2’ created by a young talented pianist and composer on the order of the festival's artistic director, Giorgi Isakadze; Giorgi Shaverzashvili’s ‘Concerto for Piano and Chamber Orchestra N4,’ which the author created on the order of the main conductor of the Festival, Vakhtang Machavariani and dedicated to his daugh-

ter (within the framework of the festival, the piano part will be performed by composer’s daughter, Elene Shaverzashvili); and Jimsher Chkhaidze's work ‘Sentiments’ for chamber orchestra and harp. It will also be interesting for the listeners that the great work of our maestro, ‘Concertino’, which has not been performed in Georgia since 2011, will be performed at the festival.

Night Serenades 2020 celebrates the 95th anniversary of the famous Georgian composer and teacher Sulkhan Tsintsadze, and the 250th anniversary of the greatest composer, Ludwig van Beethoven.

Sadly, this year we have to hold the festival without Mariam Davitashvili.

She was an outstanding specialist and teacher in the music field, one of the organizers of our festival. Her sudden death is a significant loss not only for us, but also for the Georgian music field.

In her honor, the work of Franz Liszt, ‘Consolation # 3’ will be performed by laureate of many international and national competitions, pianist Tamar Licheli.

TELL US ABOUT THE HISTORY OF THE FESTIVAL AND THE IMPORTANCE OF ITS EXISTENCE IN THE CULTURAL LIFE OF GEORGIA. International Festival ‘Night Serenades’ is a traditional festival with the longest history in our country. It was founded in 1982 by the famous Georgian violinist and conductor, Liana Isakadze, in the most beautiful part of Georgia, Abkhazia.

Ms. Liana's contribution is invaluable not only in Georgia but also in the world of performing arts, globally.

Due to the events of 1991, the festival temporarily ceased to exist and was revived in 2002 under the name of ‘Art Festival’ in the city of Borjomi, and in 2009 returned to the Black Sea and in the beautiful city of Batumi again under the name of ‘Night Serenades’.

Since 2018, the artistic director of the festival is Giorgi Isakadze, a musician and teacher working in Germany, nephew of Liana Isakadze, with whom he has many years of professional cooperation.

In 2011, within the framework of ‘Night Serenades’, they founded a completely original festival Friends of Facebook, which was held in parallel with ‘Night Serenades’ in the city of Batumi in 20112014. Young world stars participated in the festival completely unselfishly, and attendance was free for the public.

Over the years, the great interest in the festival has led to the expansion of its geography, due to which, since 2015, on the decision of the Tbilisi City Council, it has been called the ‘Batumi-Tbilisi International Festival.’

The main orchestra of the festival since 2011 is the world chamber ensembleorchestra ‘Virtuoses’ created by Liana Isakadze, while the main conductor is world-renowned maestro, Vakhtang Machavariani.

The festival, during its long existence, has invited many world stars to take part in concert evenings, implemented many innovative ideas, and gained a lot of loyal listeners. It is one of the most important events in the cultural life of Georgia, which the organizers, festival partners and loyal fans, along with numerous listeners, look forward to every year with great joy.

CULTURE

GEORGIA TODAY AUGUST 21 - 26, 2020

11

Artistic Couple: Sandro Dalikashvili Exhibition of Achievements of National Economy in Moscow, along with Nina.

WHO HAD THE BIGGEST IMPACT ON YOUR WORK EARLY ON IN YOUR CAREER? It was Bosch who impacted me greatly in my childhood: his strength, power and fantasy were one of a kind. Inspired by him, I painted a few works when I was 12-13. Pieter Bruegel the Elder was another of my early inspirations. These two painters helped establish and shape my view as a painter and how I chose to approach my creative process.

HOW IMPORTANT DO YOU DEEM PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION IN SHAPING AN ARTIST? Every person is different, and this shows more in painting. There is not one thing that can be generalized on everyone and still be true. I think everyone finds their own ways to get educated and educate themselves.

That said, I think the most immaculate art is art made by children; the art made without any education whatsoever. The rest is extremely individualistic.

HAVE YOU HAD TO OVERCOME ANY CHALLENGES IN YOUR PURSUIT OF ART? DID YOU START PAINTING?

INTERVIEW BY NINI DAKHUNDARIDZE

W

ithin the scope of GEORGIA TODAY’s collaboration with BI Auction, we are offering our readers exclusive interviews from Georgian artistic couples. Last week, we introduced Nina Pery, and this week we have her spouse: painter Sandro Dalikashvili, who tells us about the most immaculate form of art and how paper got him into painting, gives us a Dostoevsky quote, and discusses changeable inspiration.

WHO FIRST INTRODUCED YOU TO ART? HOW AND WHEN

The love of painting was born in me when I was a little boy, around two years old. It was my grandpa, philologist and public figure Simon Skhirtladze who taught me how to cut out differently shaped figures from paper. I would play with these cut out figures, but the paper would tear, and I needed to cut out new ones all the time, so I started to paint them.

My father, Tamaz Dalakishvili, one of Georgia’s most appreciated architects, was a very talented graphic artist. It was he who gave me my first lessons in graphics and anatomy.

In a few years, I learned anatomy and by the time I was 12, I had created numerous paintings. I participated in exhibitions, received prizes and got awarded a gold medal for my graphic work at the

existing, great potential. However, we have a way of self-development to go.

WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST INSPIRATION TODAY? Each new sight can become the source of the next big inspiration: a new country with its specific architecture, a new event with its specific emotion, a new person with their specific worldview…

Inspiration, like everything, is changeable.

WHAT DO YOU THINK ART’S MAIN MISSION IS?

There will always be challenges along the path to any career. There is nothing perfect, and challenge-less, especially the way of being an artist.

Dostoevsky once said: “A person requires art as much as food and water,” and I couldn’t agree more. Art is as necessary for our cultural growth as food is for our physical strength.

COULD YOU TELL US OF THE ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF LIVING WITH A FELLOW ARTIST?

THE MODERN ART SCENE IS EVER-CHANGING. WHAT IS THE FUTURE OF PAINTING IN THIS REALITY?

When you have the possibility to have someone next to you who understands you completely and shares with you every step of your creative process, that is happiness.

Of course, with modern technologies, painting is transforming, and this process can’t be stopped. On some level, this is very interesting. I believe that the visual and essence of art will change. So will the painters, and they might end up having richer communicating tools.

WHAT WOULD YOU SAY ABOUT THE CONTEMPORARY GEORGIAN ART SCENE? We are a talented nation and this is wellprojected in the Georgian art scene. A lot of Georgian artists are successfully working abroad, and it points to the

DO YOU HAVE ANY ADVICE FOR ARTISTS JUST STARTING UP? Giving advice comes with many responsibilities, but since you ask: I would advise them to listen to themselves, really

get to the bottom of their interests in the arts, and find out which of them is the strongest, then develop the skills that they have natural preferences for.

All the answers are within us.

WHAT DO YOU THINK ART AUCTIONS IN GENERAL, AND BI AUCTION IN PARTICULAR, PLAY IN PROMOTING ART? In my opinion, BI Auction is a successful space which is ever-developing, and that makes me very happy, as it represents and helps to discover many good painters. I wish them the best of luck in this good work!

About BI Auction ‘for ART’: BI Auction is the first Art Auction Company of Georgia, established in 2016. The company’s aim is to promote Georgian art and artists and enlarge the market. In four years, BI Auction ‘for ART’ has organized eight auctions and presented more than 450 paintings from 125 Georgian painters. In every auction, the collection is selected from among a thousand paintings from the well-known legendary artists of Georgia and also from promising young artists.

For more information, please contact biauction1@gmail.com

Construction Company Real Palace Continues to Make Customers Happy with Hot Sales & Surprises

I

n the service industry, creating and offering high quality products is of utmost importance. However, this alone is not enough: having a special approach to customers and rightfully appreciating their trust and loyalty is no less important.

The largest construction company in Georgia, Real Palace, successfully manages to meet both criteria, and continues to make its customers happy with hot sales and pleasant surprises on a weekly basis.

The company is constantly focused on creating innovative services and modern technologies. To this end, Real Palace is currently developing a six-level modern carpark for the residents of its complex ‘Black Sea Towers’ in Georgia’s amazingly beautiful seaside city of Batumi, the capital of the Adjara region.

PUBLISHER & GM

George Sharashidze COMMERCIAL DEPARTMENT

Commercial Director: Iva Merabishvili Marketing Manager: Natalia Chikvaidze

GEORGIA TODAY

EDITORIAL DEPARTMENT:

Editor-In-Chief: Katie Ruth Davies

Journalists: Ana Dumbadze, Vazha Tavberidze, Nini Dakhundaridze, Tony Hanmer, Emil Avdaliani, Nugzar B. Ruhadze, Beka Alexishvili, Elene Dzebizashvili Photographer: Aleksei Serov

The construction of the innovative and largest carpark in the country aims to offer even more comfort to ‘Black Sea Towers’ residents, and, moreover, to turn comfort into tradition.

The Black Sea Towers business class residential complex, which represents two skyscrapers with a height of 40 floors each, is already close to completion.

Apart from that modern carpark, the residential complex is equipped with all the features necessary for a high standard of living, including well-developed security and fire protection systems and fireproof elevators, in order to ensure the maximum security of residents.

In addition to providing comfort and security, Real Palace cares about presenting its customers with happy moments by offering various bonuses, sales and memorable gifts to them each

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

week. Since the start of the operation, it has become something of a tradition for the company, and it does not intend to stop, this time offering a discount week at Black Sea Towers, with discount opportunities from 10,000 to 15,000 GEL and a first installment payment of 20%, making the process of buying an apartment in this residential complex even more attractive.

Such gifts are among the priorities of Real Palace, and it will continue to surprise its customers in such a way in the future.

Those interested in buying an apartment in Black Sea Towers can find additional information and details at the website www.realpalace.ge, or contact the construction company directly: realpalace2012@gmail.com; + 995 577 22 47 47; + 995 514 67 47 47; + 995 557 78 47 47.

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