Abkhaz separatists blackmail Georgia and UNESCO - to save a unique ancient Georgian fresco they need to agree with the separatist's request first

Abkhazian separatists are finally willing to let UNESCO look closer at the restoration works at Bedia Monastery, built in 999 by King Bagrat III, but won't allow the team to enter from Georgian territory. Georgian authorities believe a unique fresco of the king has been destroyed during work to restore the complex

Bedia Cathedral (Georgian: ბედიის მონასტერი) is a medieval Georgian Orthodox cathedral located in Agubedia, in the Tkvarcheli district of Abkhazia, a Georgian region on the Black Sea coast, currently occupied by Russia with support of Abkhaz separatist groups.

Bedia Cathedral was originally built at the close of the 10th century and consecrated in 999 on the behest of King Bagrat II of Abkhazians, who would go on to become King of the Georgians as Bagrat III and who was interred at the church after his death. The extant edifices, however, date back to the 13th-14th centuries and include a domed cruciform church, a belltower resting upon the northern narthex and the ruins of an old palace. The southern wall of the main church contains fragments of contemporary murals, including the portraits of Bagrat II and the representatives of the Dadiani noble family of Georgia.


This complex was one of the cultural centers of Georgia for centuries and had its own unique library. Even more important, it has the only existing fresco of the first king of a united Georgia.

Georgia in 2008 expressed concern about the possibility that the monument could be destroyed, when there was information that Russia was going to conduct restoration works on historical monuments in Abkhazia.
Video footage was broadcasted by the Abkhazian TV channel 'Abaza' showing that the walls and frescos of the monastery were already painted, including the Bagrat III fresco.


In October 2011, media reported that after Ilori Saint George Church, restoration was going to be made to Bedia Monastery too. According to this information, the restoration works was going to be done by the company Tektonik from the city of Vladimir in Russia.

It is now being said by the Georgian National Agency for the Protection of Cultural Heritage that the fresco has been destroyed. The only fresco of Bagrat III collapsed due to mistakes made during restoration works, according to Giorgi Gagoshidze, spokesperson for the agency. He says they were reinforcing the walls of the church when the Bagrat III fresco was destroyed.

The Georgian government thinks the international community should be informed about this problem and get involved. Abkhazia lies in the northwest corner of Georgia and is currently occupied by Russia. Georgian jurisdiction therefore does not apply. Separatist authorities in Abkhazia are not willing to let a UNESCO team to come and save the fresco if they enter the occupied territory from the Georgian mainland. However, Nino Kalandadze, Georgian Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister says that the cultural heritage issues are so severe and painful that the Georgian government is ready to discuss other ways to make it possible for the mission to go there, and therefore Georgia is ready to make an exception from the travel restrictions.

Georgia is now ready to make an exception from the travel restrictions and agree with the Abkhaz separatists blackmail. Georgia will let a UNESCO mission enter the territory in order to save a historical monument from the Abkhaz separatist barbarians. Unfortunately according to Kalandadze, UNESCO is unable to send a mission yet, because there are no safety guarantees, as the occupied region of Abkazia is not safe enough even for so well-known international organization, such as UNESCO.

January - month to visit Georgia in your travel calendar for 2012

Georgia - travel destination for January in the travel calendar by Tom Hall, UK journalist specialising in travel.

Every destination has its best time of year. So, to help you plan your trip, Lonely Planet's Tom Hall has put together a calendar of countries best seen in 2012 and published it in The Guardian.

January: Georgia

Winter sports fans and city breakers looking for somewhere new should try Georgia. The country is attracting a growing number of independent travellers who are exploring mountains dotted with historic castles and churches, beautiful towns such as Svaneti and Kazbegi, and the Europe-meets-Asia capital Tbilisi. It won't be warm in January but skiers won't mind: the country's main resort, Gudauri, is a good bet for reliable snow and can be reached by road from the capital in two to three hours.

• bmi (http://www.flybmi.com/) flies from Heathrow to Tbilisi with returns from £364 including taxes

Read the whole travel calendar for 2012 here, but first, plan your trip to Georgia!

Apply Now to Teach English in Tbilisi, Georgia

Volunteering to teach English in Tbilisi, Georgia is a great way to immerse yourself in a new culture and develop skills that will stay with you for a lifetime.  You can choose to stay for anywhere from 3 months to a year—and many choose to stay longer! In addition, the Teach and Learn with Georgia program offers its teachers a number of benefits, including:

• Paid round-trip airfare to and from your home country
• A monthly stipend of approximately $300USD
• Medical Insurance
• Free accommodations with a host family
• Training, including teaching, language, and culture classes
• One round-trip ticket for one vacation per year.

Apply Now to Teach English in Tbilisi, Georgia, Eastern Europe. Direct link here
Read more details about Reach to Teach program in Tbilisi, Georgia - Why to teach English in Georgia and other details, such as cost of living, transportation, climate, history of the program and many other things. Direct link is here

Georgia Economic Development Results in 2011 - The World Bank Ranking

In terms of GDP growth Georgia is among the top three nations in the world. This was stated by the Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia Vera Kobalia at a press briefing several days ago where she was summing up the economic development results of 2011 in the Republic of Georgia.

According to its data. Turkey holds the first place, followed by Estonia. Georgia is in the third place

Kobalia noted that the forecast of real GDP growth of Georgia is better than that of countries such as Lithuania, Belarus, Armenia, Sweden, Poland, Slovakia, Germany etc.

The Minister also reported that, according to Doing Business World Bank ranking Georgia holds the first place on Registering Property out of 183 countries, and among the top ten on indicators such as building permits, starting a business, and financing.

Kobalia stressed that Georgia ranks second in the Corruption Perceptions Index.

Below you could see all key matrix results. Georgia plans total score improvement by 1 addition point in 2012. Out of top 10 parameters, Georgia shows progress in 8 of them

TOPIC RANKINGS	DB 2012 Rank	DB 2011 Rank	Change in Rank
Starting a Business	7	8	1
Dealing with Construction Permits	4	6	2
Getting Electricity	89	91	2
Registering Property	1	2	1
Getting Credit	8	21	13
Protecting Investors	17	21	4
Paying Taxes	42	62	20
Trading Across Borders	54	34	-20
Enforcing Contracts	41	40	-1
Resolving Insolvency	109	111	2

Complete report could be seen here: http://www.doingbusiness.org/data/exploreeconomies/georgia

Can I get a job or promote my business idea using Reality TV? Yes, You Can, in Georgia!

Georgians Looking for Jobs, Loans Can Make a Pitch on Reality TV - Wall Street Journal

TBILISI, Georgia—Governments around the world are scrambling to find innovative policies to create jobs in the teeth of a global downturn. In ex-Soviet Georgia, the government appears to have found a policy that's all its own: reality TV.

Every Sunday, Georgians gather to watch "Employ and Get Employed," an "American Idol"-inspired extravaganza, with echoes of "The Apprentice," on which unemployed citizens and wannabe tycoons pitch business plans to a panel of judges.

On "Employ or Get Employed," the new reality TV hit in the former communist state of Georgia, unemployed citizens and wannabe tycoons pitch business ideas to a panel of bankers. WSJ's Joe Parkinson reports from Tbilisi.

Only this panel of four suited men isn't chaired by a Georgian Simon Cowell, or even a Donald Trump.

Here, participants pitch to Vladimir Gurgenidze, head of Liberty Bank, who until 2008 was Georgia's prime minister; the current prime minister's brother, Bank of Georgia director Irakli Gilauri; plus a third banker and the mayor of the capital, Tbilisi. Mayor Giorgi "Gigi" Ugulava is widely expected to run for president in 2013, when his political mentor Mikheil Saakashvili steps down.

The show, screened at prime time, is notching up one of the highest ratings on Georgian TV.

A recent episode featured a Tbilisi pest-controller called "The Exterminator," who sought capital to decorate his van in cockroach skins. A man who said he was an economics professor pitched for financing to build a flying-saucer-shaped hotel. He said he had been contacted by aliens.

Soon after the show first aired in November, a trainee priest, accompanied by two uniformed female chauffeurs, pitched a "Pink Taxi" service that would be driven by women and only take women passengers. Neither of his companions had a driver's license, the show's producers said, but that didn't put off the panel. Bank of Georgia offered him a start running a taxi from its own fleet.

Critics say "Employ and Get Employed" is essentially a state enterprise, designed to help Mr. Saakashvili's pro-Western, pro-market regime overcome its political Achilles' heel: high unemployment. Georgia's official unemployment rate in September was 15.5%.

The show is bankrolled with funds backed by Tbilisi City Hall. The capital up for grabs—1.1 million lari, or about $660,000—is distributed by banks, but also guaranteed by the city government. If the panel likes a pitch, they offer the contestant a business loan at a 6% interest rate—far cheaper than the national average of around 20%—to help grow their ideas and combat unemployment.


As well as low-interest-rate loans, the panel can offer government jobs, places in state-run business education programs or free leases on municipal land. The show is broadcast weekly on the privately owned, pro-government TV channel, Rustaveli 2. It is produced by the team responsible for "Georgia's Got Talent" and the Georgian versions of "American Idol" and "Big Brother."

Mr. Ugulava, re-elected Tbilisi's mayor in 2010, is a philosophy graduate and former journalist. As the panel's chairman, he announces which contestants succeed in bids for state-backed loans. If a pitch falls flat and fails to secure a loan, the mayor occasionally doles out a job, a one-off contract or even lifestyle advice instead.

Bachuki Bakhtadze, a guitar teacher and composer from Tbilisi, asked for support to launch a floating restaurant for Georgian banquets. The panel decided that, as Georgian banquets are notoriously wine and vodka soaked affairs, the floating restaurant wouldn't be safe, or profitable. The mayor did, however, promise Mr. Bakhtadze a job as a tour guide at the capital's annual festival.

Guram Jobadze also failed to get funding for his project. He wanted to sell coil-shaped potato chips on skewers at vending stalls across Tbilisi. Still, he was offered a place to study at city hall's flagship business education program.

Mayor Ugulava also promotes Tbilisi's latest public works on the show. He leads the show's glamorous blonde presenter on tours that in recent weeks have encompassed the capital's new reservoir; an under-construction emergency call center; and a highway project designed to reduce travel times and accidents en route to the capital.

Since the so-called Rose Revolution swept President Saakashvili to power in 2003, his government has won international acclaim for economic reforms that overhauled labor and tax legislation, reduced corruption and eased the regulatory framework.

But while Mr. Saakashvili and his ruling United National Movement party survived defeat in a war with Russia in 2008, high unemployment is among the factors eating away at their popularity, in this country of about 4.5 million.

Mr. Ugulava's on-screen benevolence has raised some eyebrows. Critics say Georgia's business-friendly government is using the show to promote itself ahead of parliamentary elections next year, and to position the mayor for a run at the presidency a year later, when Mr. Saakashvili's final term expires.

"Of course this is political, but in a way it's smart politics. It's a pre-election treat for voters where the mayor is shoring up his credentials as a reform-minded job creator," said Koba Turmanidze, a political analyst at Tbilisi State University. "In Georgia, people like big political personalities."

From his office on the top floor of Tbilisi's 21-story city hall building, Mayor Ugulava denied the show is shaped to boost his popularity. He said he was warned by colleagues—and by his wife—of the political risks of starring in the show, but he wanted to help embed a free-market mindset in Georgia's population.

"The show's clearly not populist, because I have to say 'no' to a lot of people, and politicians don't like to do that; it brings no political benefit," said Mr. Ugulava. "We're a former Soviet state and we need to keep sending a message to the public: 'This is no longer a planned economy and the attitude cultivated during the Soviet period of reliance on the state is no longer relevant here.'"

Georgia's current prime minister, Nika Gilauri, also scoffed at suggestions that the show has a political objective. "Employ and Get Employed" is "like any other business show," he said in an interview.

Producer Giorgi Khaburzania said he previously tried to produce a show using the "Apprentice" format, but "it didn't work. We needed more money and more funny contestants," he said. "With this show, we've got it all."

Original of the article: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204844504577100363084846468.html

Joe Parkinson at joe.parkinson@dowjones.com

Georgia Certificate of The Compatriot Residing Abroad - Law passed and design is ready. Soon will be available for overseas compatriots!

Georgia State Minister of Diaspora Issues Mirza (Papuna) Davitaia and Georgia Deputy Minister of Justice Giorgi Vashadze presented design of the Georgia Certificate of The Compatriot Residing Abroad. The winner of the design contest Mamuka Gongadze was awarded 5000 GEL for his work.

The best design contest for the Georgia Certificate of Compatriot Residing Abroad Compatriots was announced on November 7. Those who were willing to participate had to submit their work by December 1st  to contact@cra.gov.ge. It was possible to view the works online on the Georgia State Minister's social network website – www.iamgeorgian.com

Georgia Certificate of The Compatriot winning design and now, the formal and official design, looks like a booklet filled in Georgian and English languages. The background images feature Georgian public figures residing abroad, musical score of the anthem of Georgia and other Georgia historical sites and places.

The legal foundation of this Certificate is the bill "On the compatriots living abroad and diaspora organizations". The bill was passed by the Parliament of Georgia in November 2011. Bill "On the compatriots living abroad and diaspora organizations" will come into force in March 2012. That's the expected time when first Certificates will be issued to overseas compatriots. The purpose of the bill is to define public policy and the principles of Georgia with regard to overseas compatriots, to form the basis for implementation of this policy, and to determine the legal status of overseas Georgian compatriots and Georgian diaspora organizations.

Below you could see some snapshots of the Certificate. For additional information please visit online official page of the Georgia House of Justice (in english): http://house.gov.ge/index.php?sec_id=1&lang_id=ENG

Eristavi Wine vs. Eristoff Vodka from Bacardi: "wine story" sounds better for me...

Few weeks ago I wrote about one of the noblest Georgian families of Eristavi (Eristoff) and then there was another post from me talking about new Bacardi Vodka – Eristoff, advertised these days in many countries.

Well, I don’t drink vodka much and I can’t judge quality of Eristoff vodka. I was just a bit concerned about accuracy of branding and promoting it as a “100% grain vodka” which is ridiculous, given an old and very well known tradition of grape 'chacha' (Georgian grape vodka) in Georgia, as grain is not very much cultivated in Georgia, specifically in that mountainous part of the country,Bacardi was mentioning in the Eristoff vodka story.

Anyway, further research of Eristavi (Eristoff) ‘brand’ helped me to find another product associated with it, and I would say more ‘user friendly’ for me personally – wine!

Looks like there is a local Californian winery, called Eristavi Winery. This information below is from their website: http://eristaviwinery.com/index.html

“Master Vintner Victor Eristavi passionately instills a unique combination of old-world winemaking techniques and modern technology to create his handcrafted wines – while capturing the essence of distinct California grape varietals.”

Eristavi winemakers does not claim they are affiliated with any Eristavi Dukes or Princes, like Bacardi does, but honestly I have more trust in Georgian wine called Eristavi, then in Georgian “100% grape” vodka called Eristoff. However, Eristavi winery has a coat of arms, supposedly Eristavi coat of arms.

This is, I guess, more for decoration purposes, but at the same reminding us that Eristavi is not just another Georgian last name, but has long history and great traditions.

Well, back to Georgian wines in California from Eristavi Winery. They feature 3 wines:

2009 Zinfandel: “Medium bodied vintage offers delicious aromas of red cherry and raspberry fruit. The silky mouthfeel reveals a touch of dark chocolate and spicy oak leading to a gorgeous finish. Made in elegant and balanced style, making it an ideal for an array of hearty dishes”

2009 Zinfandel is an award winning wine from Dry Creek Valley. Retail price is $30 and you can buy it online here

Syrah 2009 – “Deep violet color packed with rich ripe fruit and berry flavors with a touch of spiciness. A rich, smooth wine that is well-balanced with a delightful subtle aftertaste. 2009 Syrah is another award winning wine, but this one is from Amador County and priced $28 per bottle. Can be ordered online here.

Sauvignon Blanc 2010 “This is a refreshingly crisp and fruity sauvignon well balanced wine flavorful and smooth, made for daily enjoyment” 2010 Sauvignon Blanc comes from Contra Costa County and I actually plan to start Eristavi wine tasting from this one. It’s priced just $25, but the reason is not the price – I just like Sauvignon wines and this one should be a great representative of this class. To order, follow the link here.

Anyway, Eristavi (Eristoff) is definitely a great brand and product like wine fits perfectly for the business strategy. Especially if you chief winemaker’s name is Eristavi. I plan to taste those wines and may be some time later will post a review on my experience. But if you are not passionate enough to wait, read what others are saying about Eristavi wine and just give it a try, order it online: http://eristaviwinery.com/purchase.html

2009 Syrah Review at http://www.gayot.com/, Rating: 13.5 / 20: “The Eristavi Winery's award winning 2009 Syrah has been selected as Gayot.com's wine of the week for July 18, 2011.”

http://www.eatsomethingsexy.com/ : “Natural Aphrodisiac and Gourmet Foods, Wine, Romantic Travel”


2009 Zinfandel Review at http://www.gayot.com/, Rating: 14.5 / 20: “Aromas of red cherry and raspberry lead to a silky mouthfeel with touches of dark chocolate and spicy oak.”

Georgia "Candy Music" Wins Junior Eurovision 2011

Georgia's "Candy" pop band with its "Candy Music" became the winner of the Junior Eurovision 2011 song contest in Yerevan, Armenia. They scored 108 points. The girls, who range in age from 11 to 15, wore leggings and pink dress patterned with candy canes, shoulder pads shaped like dollops of frosting and at least one tutu that resembled cotton candy. The second came the Netherlands with 103 points, followed by Belarus with 99 points. This is not the first time when Georgia wins Kids Eurovision. In 2008 the nation won this contest with a trio of childern dressed as bees singing in an imaginary bee language. See their performance on the scene and complete list of results of all participated countries in Eurovision 2011.


1. Georgia – 108 points
2. The Netherlands – 103 points
3. Belarus – 99 points
4. Russia – 99 points
5. Armenia – 85 points
6. Moldova – 78 points
7. Belgium – 64 points
8. Bulgaria – 60 points
9. Sweden – 57 points
10. Lithuania – 53 points
11. Ukraine – 42 points
12. FYR Macedonia – 31 points
13. Latvia – 31 points

Tbilisi Artisterium 2011

Since couple of years popularisation of the Georgian culture (the cultural heritage as well as the contemporary arts) was made one of priorities of the cultural policy. Starting from 2007 a program called „Georgian Season“ was initiated by the Ministry of Culture of Georgia in order to serve this purpose. Despite the fact that numerous important and successful projects were carried out within its framewok, contemporary Georgian art scene still is in search of its place in global art “landscape”. Many issues remain unsolved.

Georgia witnessed numerous attempts to organise international exhibitions and biennales starting from the end of the 90ies. Since two years Tbilisi became a host of an international exhibition/art forum of contemporary arts “Artisterium”. Participants of this event come from all over the world.

International symposium on contemporary arts “Transrelation” is scheduled in parallel to “Artisterium”. It offers the participants (experts, curators, art critics, artists, invited guests) an opportunity to discuss urgent issues of contemporary arts and at the same time visit “Artisterium” and get familiar with representatives of local and international art scene and their works.

http://artisterium.org/goethe_artisterium.html

Heliskiing in Gudauri, Georgia



http://www.heliksir.com/caucasus/gudauri-ski-resort/

 It is only a two-hour-journey from the International Airport of Tbilisi on the south slopes of the Greater Caucasus Range to a wonderful nook of the Caucasus located at an elevation of more than two kilometers, is a modern and actively developing ski resort of Gudauri. Thanks to magnificent snowy vastness of Cross Pass leading from the Terek River Valley to the Aragvi River Valley and wonderful sunny weather during the whole season of skiing, Gudauri is the most popular place among downhill skiers on the territory of Georgia.


The infrastructure of Gudauri is constantly developing, that is why today it is one of the most comfortable and technically equipped districts of the Caucasus suitable for downhill skiing. All marked tracks located on the slopes of the mountain Kudebi (3006 meters) and Sadzele (3307 meters) are situated above forest level and equipped with safe chairlifts of a famous Austrian company Dopplemayr. The vast region of skiing offering many variants of slopes is connected by five lines of chairlifts for 3 and 4 skiers – the lower station of the chairlift is at an elevation of 1990 meters and the upper station is at an elevation of 3270 meters. The length of the longest slope is 7 kilometers with height drop about 1000 meters. The ropeways work independently of the quantity of skiers and close only in case of bad weather conditions – very bad visibility and strong wind. In case of electricity disconnection all ropeways are equipped with emergency diesel engines. At night special snow packing machines – ratracs – prepare tracks around ropeways for safe skiing and the best sliding of skies and snowboards.

All tracks of ski resort Gudauri, the length of which is more than 20 kilometers, are approved and certified by the International Ski Federation (Fédération Internationale de Ski, FIS) and according to European criterions tracks have the following standards: slalom, giant slalom, supergiant slalom and speed skiing. Routes of all difficulty categories are at sportsmen’s service starting with “green” tracks which are suitable even for beginners in skiing and snowboard and finishing with “black” tracks of high difficulty level demanding sharp edges of skies and descent skills on icy slopes.

The main sight of Gudauri is excellent possibilities for freeride which is an extreme downhill on mountain skies or snowboard across virgin snowy fields. There are wide open slopes around main prepared tracks and they turn this region into a paradise corner for lovers of all kinds of freeride, backcountry and heliski. Ski seasons in Gudauri start unusually early – snow covering remains intact from December to April and rises to 2 meters height here. If we add together all these fabulous possibilities for active rest and skiing out of track, it becomes clear why many skiers and snowboarders prefer ski rest to Alpine resorts in Gudauri.

Unique nature relief of Gudauri, deep and stable snow covering, the lack of stones on tracks and out of tracks, avalanche safety and high-mountain allocation, comfortable hotels – all these factors attract thousands of tourists and sportsmen every year from all over the world.

Contact HELIKSIR LTD for Booking and Reservation

Address: 28, Pekini street, Tbilisi, Georgia, 0160
Tel: +995 (32) 2243 503; +995 (32) 2243 504
fax: +995 (32) 2243 501
Skype: heliksir
E-mail: info@heliksir.com
Contact persons: Pikria Javashvili, Levan Ananiashvili (English, Georgian, Russian)


Original of the article: http://www.heliksir.com/caucasus/gudauri-ski-resort/