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The News in Brief

Friday, September 10
Saakashvili Views Georgian-Swiss JV construction

President Mikheil Saakashvili observed construction works in the Georgian-Swiss joint-venture ‘Berta’ in the vicinity of Tserovani.

The enterprise will be the first manufacturer of hygiene products in the South Caucasus.

“Occupants, who still continue to live in poor conditions, can see how houses have been built here and how the enterprise is being built now. It really is a very important political signal’, the President said.

According to the Mtskheta-Mtianeti Governor Tsesar Chocheli, nine factories employing IDPs have been built in the region.

The opening of the Georgian-Swiss join-venture ‘Berta’ is planned for November. 200 people, including IDPs, will be employed in the factory.

USD 25 million has already been invested and a further additional 6 million US Dollars will be invested in the project. (Interpressnews)



15 Georgians aboard Somali-hijacked ship

Somali pirates have seized a Malta-flagged cargo ship with 15 Georgian citizens on board.

According to reports by the Anti-piracy mission, set up by the European Union, pirates hijacked a Malta-flagged cargo ship with a crew of 15 Georgian and three Turkish citizens in the Gulf of Aden off Somalia on September 8.

“The ship had been sailing west in the internationally recommended transit corridor, an area where international navys coordinate the patrol of maritime transits”, - the statement of the mission said.

In 2010 there were 139 cases of hijacking in Somali territorial waters. (Prime-News)



Georgian Wine Making Seminar

On September 9, the EU-Georgian Business Council (EUGBC) and the Ministry of Agriculture of Georgia, with the support of EUGBC’s honorary member Asve Torvick held a seminar “What Georgian wine-makers should know in order to enter Norwegian market”.

Prime-News was told by the EUGBC that the aim of the seminar is to deliver information to Georgian winemakers about the peculiarities of the Norwegian alcoholic drinks market, the specifics regadrding importing spirits, the role of the state’s monopoly, statistics, tendencies and Norway's taxation system for alcoholic drinks in Norway.

Participation in the seminar was free of charge to any interested company or entrepreneur. (Prime-News)



Street Traders and IDPs Protest in front of Presidential Residence

Protests by street traders and IDPs were held in front of the President’s Residence.

The protesters sent an address to the President demanding a meeting with him and solutions to their problems.

According to one of the organisers, Conservative Lasha Chkhartishvili, the next protest action will be held in front of Tbilisi City Hall at 12:00 on Thursday. The protesters will appeal to the Mayor, Gigi Ugulava, to keep his promise regarding regulating street trade.

Apart from Conservative Lasha Chkhartishvili, the protest action was supported by Aleko Shalamberidze from the People’s Party. (Interpressnews)



Iron-Concrete Beam Factory Opens in Gori

On September 9, a new factory producing iron-concrete beams was opened in Gori.

The manufactured product meets European standards and is used for the construction of vehicle bridges. The Minister of Regional Development and Infrastructure of Georgia, Ramaz Nikolaishvil and the attorney of the President of Georgia in Shida Kartli region Zurab Arsoshvili visited Gori to view the new factory.

The factory is able to produce 4 beams with a length of 60m within 24 hours. These beams were being delivered from Turkey. Due to an increasing demand for the goods, a third factory producing the iron-concrete beams was opened in Georgia. 70 people are employed at the factory, the majority of them local citizens. (Prime-News)



Meeting at the Education Ministry

First Deputy Minister of Education and Science of Georgia, Koka Seperteladze met the teachers of a new optional subject 'World Culture' designed for 11th graders in general educational institutions. The Deputy Minister awarded the teachers with certificates.

Teachers of 14 schools of Tbilisi, Samegrelo, Imereti, Kakheti and Kartli passed the World Culture training that was held September 6-9. 11th graders were also involved in the training. They will study World Culture in schools piloting the subject from the new academic year.

Teachers were trained by experts from the National Curriculum and Assessment Centre as well as specialists of the Institute of Culture Studies of Iv. Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University.

The programme for the new subject World Culture was drafted by a working group of the National Curriculum and Assessment Centre. The new optional subject will be piloted in 12 public and 2 private schools of Tbilisi and different regions of Georgia during the current year. (Rustavi 2)



Dexus takes over Centre Point

A new construction company Dexus has emerged on Georgian developer market - Dexus has taken over the management of the Centre Point Company, which failed to fulfill the terms of contracts with numerous clients.

The new company has taken responsibility for all the projects started by Centre Point and is now working on detailed business plans for accomplishing the projects.

“We take responsibility for each contract signed with creditors and individual clients; it means completing every construction. Every client will take the property after they pay for it completely. But we are also going to revise each contract and sign new contracts with clients. Our managers will hold personal meetings with the clients to sign new contracts and draft a new schedule, which implies restructuring of debts,” Company director Giorgi Khananashvili told Rustavi2. (Rustavi 2)