Railway sale up in the air

The Georgian government recently decided to sell a 25% share in Georgian Railways, but has reversed its decision with little explanation.

The administration has announced that the market is too poor to sell, but some analysts suspect that US pressure may be behind the move. There was concern that Russian interests could purchase the rail share, endangering Georgian national security and sovereignty. A similar incident occurred when the Georgian government announced its intention to sell a gas pipeline on its territory.

Unconfirmed reports also suggested that Georgian Dream leader and billionaire businessman Bidzina Ivanishvili intended to purchase the shares.