Ajara, officially the Autonomous Republic of Ajara, is located in the southwestern corner of Georgia, bordered by Turkey to the south and the eastern shore of the Black Sea. Batumi, the main town of Ajara, is a nice city.

Last week, I started giving these hints and tips to my foreign friends and the tourists and my compatriots too because I don’t want them to be overly surprised and embarrassed when they inevitably come across those habits of ours while they have to do with this culture (look for the first 10 tips in previous issue):

‘There was no adequate response from the Embassy of China’

Lately more and more people say that they face problems connected with bringing cargo from China. Recently, several businessmen addressed us. They said that cargo sent to Tbilisi, for unknown reasons were discovered in Ukraine, namely in the port of Illichivsk. And to release a container from there is almost like a releasing cargo from pirates.

Interview with Eldar Shengelaia, a renowned producer

‘It was clear from the beginning that ex-Premier Zurab Zhvania was killed. They concealed it but these reckless people don’t know that nothing can be hidden in this world! …He was my teacher of politics’…- says famous producer Eldar Shengelaia, who intends to dedicate a film to his deceased friend.

Recently, the Svaneti Museum of History and Ethnography was opened after 2 years of renovations works. General Director of Georgian National Museum Davit Lortkipanidze handed to the first visitor of the museum Mr. Adilar Chartolani, local experienced doctor, a 5-volume edition of Ivane Javakhishvili, titled “History of Georgian Nation”, published by the publishing house Palitra L.

Fair market competition, development of human resources and access to financial resources will be the three pillars on which the upcoming strategy of economic development of Georgia will stand. The final draft project for the strategy is scheduled to be worked out by this coming September and approved as a law in two-three months, after which all ministries and state structures will focus their action plans on the approved economic strategy – this is the key issue Georgian Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili agreed with the group of economic pundits on July 25, 2013.

Georgian commercial banks’ keen interest in running non-profile businesses remains a stumbling block of Georgian economy. The problem is particularly questioned by developer companies who believe the bank-owned construction companies spoil the market competition and ask for curbing banks activity in construction business. Georgian central bank believes commercial banks have no excessive non-profile assets and they have never financed their affiliated construction companies. Some developer companies accuse banks in imposing bondage loan terms and practicing intricate policy of taking assets from construction companies into the bank’s ownership since 2008.

USD 140 million will be invested in Georgian education to stimulate the labor force in the country through the US state- supported five-year compact of the Millennium Challenge Corporation. This will be the second compact implemented by MCC to Georgia.

To prevent the sale of agricultural lands under the changed status, Georgian government created more complicated mechanism for status change: apart from the registry approval for status change, now land owners need governmental approval too.

A bill offering six-month moratorium on execution of overdue mortgages split opinions between the legislative and execution authorities. With the purpose to alleviate the social problems of evicted people who may lose their single dwelling space due to unpaid mortgages, a bill was initiated by Gedevan Popkhadze, Deputy Head of Human Rights and Civil Integration Committee of the Parliament, on six-month suspension of execution of the problematic mortgages until February 1, 2014. However, the bill was removed from the list of issues slated for the second parliamentary hearing on July 27, 2013 after it faced severe criticism of financial market analysts, business and executive power.

IN 2010, I had a conversation with a Georgian national while we were strapped into our seats on a plane from Tbilisi to Paris. The gentleman was a businessman based out in Germany and had very interesting points of view on working in Germany versus working in Georgia. While we spoke a bit about the conditions of business world and recession, we also spoke about Georgia’s lifelong predicament with its neighbor, Russia and the current head, tail and claws, of state Mr. Putin. The gentleman, while agreeing that Putin was never going to be any good for Georgia, voiced his concern that anyone else who might come into power may be even worse.

Approximately a year has passed when so-called “Anti-Terrorist Sweeping Operation” was conducted in Lafankuri highland village in Telavi district, Eastern Georgia, in the Lopota Gorge. The site of the firefight is in close proximity to the international border between Georgia and the Russian Federation.
The much acclaimed human tragedy occurred in the Lopota Gorge at the end of August 2012, and many questions are still unanswered as to whether this was an antiterrorist operation or a staged ambush planned to clear up loose ends in the alleged government support for Chechen fighters.

Political expert Ramaz Sakvarelidze talked about presidential candidates and presidential elections. Georgian Journal offers his ides on how he sees presidential elections from hot summer perspective.

PM Bidzina Ivnishvili declared again that till the end of this year, he will leave politics and his post. It can dramatically change the situation in the political life of Georgia. Georgian Journal talked to expert Nika Chitadze about governing methods of Georgian Dream and National Movement, presidential elections and how the statement of Bidzina Ivanishvili can influence the results of the elections.

The latest data on telecom data services indicates that recent nine months from the date of birth Tango service got 13 million users in 212 countries and localized in 35 languages. You need just to download from www.tango.me to your Smartphone free of charge software. Eric Setton, one of the founders of Tango looks quite optimistic as the forecast is 60 billion USD. The segment of free video calls competing with paid video calls in 3G networks. Skype launched in August, 2003 got in the first year only 9 million 500 thousand users.Tango video call quality is not perfect, you can switch video camera from front to rear panel to show the picture of surrounding landscape. Users can import their profile from Facebook to Tango. The bottom-line is to introduce soon paid value added services on Tango platform.

The last several weeks have seen two important developments in Russian politics. The first involves the Kremlins position on homosexuality. The second involves Putin’s relationship with the church and how he is using it to assist his imperial project.