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The News in Brief

Wednesday, January 9
Price of Cigarettes Increased in Georgia

The price of cigarettes has increased in Georgia.

According to the cigarette sellers, the cost of a pack of cigarette Winston rose from GEL 4.30 to GEL 4.80, the price of Camel increased from GEL 4.00 to GEL 4.50 and 5.00, Magna – from GEL 3.70 to GEL 4.20.

It is worth mentioning that the price increase is connected to the Parliament’s approval of a bill of amendments to the “Tax Code”, which envisages the increase of ad valorem tax on cigarettes from 10 % to 30 %.

Beginning May 1 smoking in public places will be officially banned in Georgia, with only a few places where smoking is permitted.

While smoking rates have leveled off or declined in developed nations, especially among men, tobacco consumption continues to rise.

As for 2016, about 1917 cigarettes are consumed per year per person in Georgia.



Ruslan Abashidze appointed as First Deputy Minister for Reconciliation

Ruslan Abashidze will hold the position of the First Deputy Minister for Reconciliation and Civil Equality of Georgia.

Ruslan Abashidze has worked on various positions at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs since 1996.

He was Georgia's Ambassador to Estonia from 2009-2013.

Earlier, in 2006-2009 he was the Deputy State Minister in the State Minister's Office for Conflict Resolution Issues.

He was an adviser to the Permanent Representative of Georgia to Switzerland, Deputy Director of the Department of Relations with the European Union at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

In 1997 he graduated from the Faculty of Economics of Sokhumi Branch of Tbilisi State University. In 1997-1998 he studied at the Diplomatic Academy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Germany.

His name, along with his wife’s, Tako Chkheidze, who is the organizer of Tbilisi Fashion Week, was among the donors to an independent presidential candidate supported by the ruling team Salome Zurabishvili.
(By Mariam Chanishvili)