Page 51 - GEORptFeb21

Anaklia port investor accuses Georgian government of links to controversial interests in developing rival port Poti
established presence on the Georgian market,” Cushman & Wakefield said.
Anaklia Development Consortium (ADC), which saw its contract to develop a $2.5bn deep-water port in Anaklia on Georgia’s Black Sea coast terminated earlier this year by the government, has in a public statement​ accused the ruling Georgian Dream party of supporting the development of a rival port in Poti because of private interests held by some of its politicians.
The statement released by ADC comes after the operator of Poti Sea Port, APM Terminals Poti (APMT), and Poti New Terminals Corporation (PNTC), announced​ that they had signed an agreement for the joint development of the dry and bulk cargo facility on the northern side of the Black Sea port, where a major expansion project—sometimes referred to as a new port—is being planned.
According to APTM, ​a construction permit​ was issued by the Georgian authorities for the first stage of the so-called deep-water port at Poti. Interestingly, the permit was issued on March 27 this year, amid the toughest stage of the coronavirus (COVID-19) lockdown after previous documents claimed by APTM as entitling it to build the port were cancelled by Georgian authorities last year.
According to ADC, recent statements made by the government around the Poti port indicate that “they have turned their backs on the Anaklia deep-water port project and now support the Poti port,” which would be a situation contradicting statements made by the government in the past.
At the same time, the ADC statement mentions alleged business interests of people close to oligarch and Georgian Dream party chairman Bidzina Ivanishvili as regards the Poti port.
Poti port is not an alternative to the proposed Anaklia deep-water port, ADC argued.
“The decision to develop Anaklia was made in 2013, after the government hired a consortium of international experts to compare different opportunities for the development of deep-water ports in Georgia. Anaklia was selected for a number of advantages, including the geo-technical conditions of the area, financial feasibility and, most importantly, the significant economic, social and geopolitical impact that the project will have, both in the Abkhaz region and throughout the country,” according to ADC’s statement.
9.1.6 ​Property sector news
Abandoned rural homes now instant sellers in Georgia as city dwellers unsettled by coronavirus turn to remote working
Abandoned rural homes have reportedly become an instant seller in Georgia as the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has lifted demand for out-of-town retreats.
Lekso Charkviani is said to be a man on a mission to revive forsaken villages. Moved by the plight of his own village, whose population has shrunk to a few families, Charkviani, according to a Thomson Reuters Foundation by phone.report, roams mountain roads in the former Soviet republic searching for deserted houses with character and a bit of land—and finds new owners for them.
“This is what I love to do when I have time,” the 45-year-old engineer, who has sold more than 70 properties in the Racha-Lechkhumi region in the last two years via his Facebook page “The Lost Eden”, was quoted as saying. Charkviani, who says he does not make any money from the sales, added: “I can’t stop—like a man who loves fishing and hunting.”
The reality of the coronavirus has boosted interest in rural and suburban living
51​ GEORGIA Country Report​ February 2021 ​ ​www.intellinews.com