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The News in Brief

Friday, April 15
Georgian wines sampled at Rotary Club meeting in China

Georgian wine is increasing its prevalence in China.

Twelve Georgian wine varieties were sampled by guests at a Rotary Club of Beijing meeting, which brings together people from all walks of life to provide humanitarian and community service.

Georgia’s Ministry of Agriculture said efforts to raise awareness of Georgian wine in new export markets was starting to pay off.

This was one more step forward in raising awareness of Georgian wine in China,” read a press statement from the Ministry.

After sampling the Georgian wine and learning about the country’s rich winemaking traditions, the Rotary meeting ended with a charity auction. One of the items up for auction were bottles of wine from six Georgian wine producers.

The sale of the Georgian wine raised about $1,000 USD and will be donated to Chunmiao Little Flower, a non-profit organisation that operates at grass-roots level to provide specialised care to abandoned children with medical needs.

Rotary is a worldwide organisation involving business and professional leaders, and all members of the community who come together to provide service. The club encourages high ethical standards in all vocations and helps build goodwill and peace in the world.

Currently more than 1.2 million Rotarians belong to more than 33,000 Rotary clubs in over 200 countries and geographic areas. (agenda.ge)



Georgian Embassy Takes Part in Dublin Tourism Exhibition

Georgia’s embassy in Dublin participated in the Irish Travel Industry Trade Show, a special tourism exhibition held for Ireland’s travel agencies.

Georgia’s representatives showcased the country's tourist sights and infrastructure with specially produced brochures and magazines.

“One of our priorities is to promote Georgia’s tourism potential to Ireland and attract more Irish tourists. We are actively involved in different exhibitions and events held in Ireland,” said Giorgi Zurabashvili, Georgia’s charge d'affaires to Ireland.

The Irish Travel Agencies Association organized the trade show More than 100 international companies took part in the exhibition, including some of the world’s leading airline and cruise companies, tour operators, hotels and leisure complexes.

Georgian tourist company Caucasus Travel also participated in the event.

According to data from the National Tourism Administration, 272 Irish citizens travelled to Georgia in the first quarter of 2016, up slightly from the 221 people who came in the same period a year ago. (georgiatoday.ge)



Consultations launched with President on conduct of a referendum on marriage

Consultations on the conduct of a referendum on the definition of the issue of marriage in the Constitution have been launched with the President.

As InterPressNews found out, the President has already talked with Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili about the issue.

Reports say if the draft constitutional changes cannot get enough support from the majority, the Georgian Dream will consider conducting a referendum as an alternative, which must take place together with the October parliamentary elections.

According to the Constitution of Georgia, the President is authorized to appoint a referendum at the request of at least 200 000 voters, the parliament and the government.

The initiative of the Georgian Dream is to define marriage in the Constitution as a consensual union of a woman and a man. (ipn.ge)



Anaklia Deep Sea Port Construction to Start This Summer

Construction of the first phase of the Anaklia Deep Sea Port will begin this summer, the port’s developer, Anaklia Development Consortium (ADC) said in a statement released Wednesday.

A technical meeting was held in Anaklia to discuss the first phase of the port’s construction, which will employ 3,400 people. Upon its completion, the port will employ up to 6,500 people from the surrounding area.

ADC won an open tender to build the USD 2.5 billion port near Georgia’s Black Sea coastal city Anaklia.

According to ADC, the Georgian government has committed USD 100 million to build a port for berth container ships with a capacity of 10,000 TEU (twenty-foot equivalent units). The port will have the capacity to process 100 million tons of cargo and annually contribute 0.5% of revenue to the GDP by 2025.

ADC will develop 400 hectares of land over the next 49 years as part of the port’s overall development and receive the right to develop a free industrial zone on 600 hectares of land adjacent to the planned port.

ADC is a consortium of Georgia’s TBC Holding LLC and Conti International LLC from the United States. (georgiatoday.ge)