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Posted by keysersoze on the 2nd July :-

Putin's ally is the United National Movement - Irakli Kobakhidze

Published: 21 minutes ago

Putin's ally is a political force that has ceded 20 percent of its territory to the Russian Federation, said Irakli Kobakhidze, a former parliamentary speaker.

According to him, the Georgian people and the international community know who Putin's ally is.

Putin's ally is the political force that first handed over 20% of the territory to the Russian Federation, then handed over strategic facilities, and then for seven years did everything in its power to keep Russian interests in the country as high as possible, he said.

Irakli Kobakhidze states that Congressman Marquine Mullen does not have full information and he has sympathies for specific companies.

"Frontera" became more active because it lost the arbitration or lost the legal dispute, therefore, the focus shifted from the legal dispute and the investment to the lobbyists. He spends more money on lobbyists, and naturally, a few more counterattacks have been added to Malen, he says.

Former members of the Georgian Dream confirm that, like Marquin Malen, many members of the US Congress already think that Georgia has deviated from its chosen geopolitical path
Malen is a congressman who has been most critical of Ivanishvili for years. He has repeatedly rejected a resolution that would have sanctioned it. The number of people in Washington's political circles who are
circles who are asking serious questions about Georgia is growing, says Tamar Chugoshvili, an independent lawmaker.

Another independent MP, Dimitri Tskitishvili, on the one hand, believes that Malen's opinion is not correct, but said that it is worrying that criticism of the Georgian government inthe American political establishment is growing stronger. According to the MP, communication is not the only solution to these problems and it is necessary to take effective steps.

Posted by Looed on the 1st July :-

More on Iconia Capital LLC
This is the company that takes part in the Translation #12 press conference

Pt.1

"American investment firm Iconia Capital LLC releases explosive documentary exposing death threats, corrupt judges and violations of law in Georgia"

The Republic of Georgia, a former member of the Soviet Union, has encouraged American investors to enter and help energize their economy. Unfortunately, this may just be theatrics as American real estate developer Iconia Capital LLC has found their project in the country’s capital to be under an ongoing, multi-year attack by opponents backed by local judges and political figures.

The American investment firm Iconia Capital LLC, which is fully owned and financed by U.S. citizens from Hawaii, continues to struggle against local adversaries who are backed by contacts in both the Georgian government and in the judiciary. However, the firm has recently released a short documentary, which, for the first time, has exposed a number of former and current officials involved in the attempted destruction of these guest investors in Georgia.

Formed in April 2014, Iconia Capital LLC has had its first real estate development project in Tbilisi, the Hippodrome Skytowers, under constant attack and harassment for the past five years by politically connected opponents with personal interests in illegally seizing the Americans’ property. Due to open attacks by government officials, irregular and biased court decisions, threats from former court officials, defamation by a pro-government television channel, and even threats of physical confrontations, the American investors have been frozen in time: unable to continue construction on the project, even as revenues are zero and company expenses continue to mount.

Iconia Capital’s CEO, Seth Char, notes the following message that he has delivered to the Georgian government and the High Council of Justice:

“Sometime this month, we are expecting a major decision from the Supreme Court of Georgia regarding the future of our investment in the country. We respectfully request, and require, that the Georgian government ensures we receive the decision with transparency, expediency, and honesty: under the standards of Georgian and international law. It is legally and ethically wrong for the courts to freeze our business indefinitely when we have violated no laws or codes in Georgia.”
“It is also necessary for the authorities to actually follow up on our evidence and control the “rogue elements” present in the court system: rogue elements that have personal financial interests and have been documented, on record, threatening myself and others.”

Posted by Looed on the 1st July :-

Pt.6

Giorgi Vashadze (contd) - Therefore, it is time to come to our senses. Another issue that I would like to emphasize is that our government goes to these arbitrators and loses these arbitrations as if they are going to pay from there own pockets the obligations or compensation for arbitration services. This is also what we have to pay. This is also money to be paid from our budget. How many millions were spent, for example, in a dispute with Frontera, which is covered I farce, as if they have won the dispute. However, in most of the points, we have studied this issue, "Frontera" won, which I am not happy to tell you directly, as a citizen of Georgia, because this damage has to be paid from our budget. And I'm here to agree with Frontera at some point, and to move away from these damages to economic co-operation, investment co-operation, and not to pay from our budget on created problem for such a large company. The same is true of the port of Anaklia. Same goes with Anaklia port. If the same goes on, Iconia Capital will go, complaining about these issues. Who is harmed? We are harmed by the fact that all this is being paid from the budget. Therefore, we must pay special attention to this and I will repeat three main issues: national security, economic development and energy independence. These are the three components of these investments and the issues we all need to address.

Zaza - I would like to add one more thing. Thank you, Mr. George, for your comment. 1 detail - I will say what Georgia has done before, and I am the head of "Frontera" at the moment, but I live here, I am a citizen of this country and, of course, all this has such a big impact on my personal life as a Georgian living in this country. It is also very important in this regard. Now that's what Mr. George said. The Georgian government has paid GEL 42 million for this arbitration service, in an attempt to limit the rights of the investor company in the country. They wasted such amount of money and by the way, this 42 million GEL includes my money as well. Instead of directing this money to creation of more value for the country, more jobs, all of this is going wrong. That is why all our joint efforts should be directed to change these circumstances, as Mr. Nodar pointed out, and it will definitely bring good results in terms of work, investment, unemployment, and so on. thank you very much.

Posted by Looed on the 1st July :-

Pt.5

Seth Char (contd) - We only hire Georgian employees and contractors. I am the only foreigner in Iconia Capital LLC in Tbilisi as the CEO. And, the lowest paid person in our company receives the double the average national salary. That`s the lowest paid person. So, we pay good salaries for good people. Alright? But all of that cannot have the chance to continue if we are continually under attack again by corrupt elements that are completely out of control and that the authorities seem to have very little power over. So, thats what I have to say about that.

Speaker 4

Giorgi Vashadze - I will say a few more words by the end. By the way, the statement of the Georgian Ambassador to the United States was very interesting, that more than half of them do not know what they signed and this was immediately followed by a very strong reaction from the United States. So we can't build a state. I want to tell this to the Georgian society. We will never be able to put the country back on its feet, and during our 29 years of independence we have not really had such a precedent that the country has been in such a problematic and deadlocked situation. I would also like to say that our Western partners will do their best for Georgia to continue on its own path of development. The notion of a strategic partner for America, the notion of an associate member for the EU are not just words. It is the specific content and schedule with which we act and collaborate with them. Therefore, they will, of course, do their best to support Georgian democracy so that we can continue to develop normally. But, I want to tell every citizen that everything is still in our hands. Neither America nor Europe will be able to make electoral decisions for us or change the government or do anything else in the country. This is our decision and we must do it. This is our sovereign choice. And, unfortunately, I want to say that after 29 years, we are again faced with this great choice - the West or the North? EU or Russia? NATO and the United States or any development in the Eurasian Union in some incomprehensible direction? Here, we are faced with this choice again, and these months, and the subsequent period, are crucial in this direction. Either developed Georgia (a leading country in the world) or slow-paced Georgia, a poor country ruled by oligarchic clans. We are constantly impoverished, or the country is being depopulated. Retirees will be left alone, children at some point. The labor force has already been reduced by 100,000 in the last 3-4 years alone. People have gone to the EU and we will be in the worst situation.

Posted by Looed on the 1st July :-

Pt.4

Zaza - Thank you very much. I would like to add a few more details, to what I said a few minutes ago. In addition, a huge investment has been made and a big step has been taken towards Georgia's energy independence, which means that the country's natural gas or crude oil potential will fully meet the country's demand for energy in the future. In addition, it means that along with the economic strength of the country, not only economic but also political strength will increase. You can see what kind of environment we are in and our neighbors are using energy against us as a mechanism and a weapon to achieve various political goals. So that in both sides, economically and politically, it is very profitable and it is necessary for Georgia to be economically and energetically independent. It is in this regard that our work is underway and we have excellent results. It is because of these remarkable results that we are in a situation where our efforts against us have been particularly intensified by our government. We are two companies presented here, but there are some other American companies that have similar problems and I would like to draw your attention to one thing - even yesterday, the Minister of Economy continued and spread false information that 300 American companies are operating in Georgia, which is not true. A company that has an office in the United States and invests in Georgia probably does not exceed 10. They are trying to mislead the public with these means. With such false information, they are trying to mislead the administration and the Congress in Washington, as if our strategic relationship between America and Georgia is developing perfectly. All this must end and everything must be called by its name, because it is better to see the picture that Georgia is facing today, the companies working in Georgia, in order to create a better future by working together. Thank you very much

Seth Char -So, as mentioned before, the Georgian government has to take care of issues of corruption and rogue judges. These two issues are ongoing and have been excessively applied to many investors, including ourselves. Our company have come to Georgia where no political aspirations… In fact, the only reason I am here speaking, is to protect our investors back home and make sure that we can finish the investments we have started in Georgia. We are not just about to give up and walk away and lose the huge amount of money. Because some of our investors, have invested part of their life savings in Georgia and that is amount of faith that my people have had in the country of Georgia. Investing part or large amount of their savings into Georgia to create Georgian jobs, to create original high quality projects, as I have mentioned before, 100% of our workforce is Georgian.

Posted by Looed on the 1st July :-

Pt.3

Giorgi Vashadze (contd) - The case of Iconia Capital is a very interesting case, when the real estate market, which again and again has a monopoly in their hands, they want powerful ... We must confront all forces together. My team and I, along with other opposition colleagues, will do our best to make Georgia a paradise for Western investment. Because this is the way revive the country's economy fast ...

Nodar Kharshiladze (Expert) - Recently, the government launched a campaign that "how well everything is with America", there were several meetings. There were also several articles that they met with the leadership of "Frontera", sorted out the topics, informed Washington, met with the ambassador and had a wonderful meeting, and then we find out that it is the lie. Here is director of “Frontera” claiming that nobody held a meeting with him. We also asked this question in America and situation even worse there ... we were talked about sanctions directly from there. This also shows that we are not only doing badly, this government does not realize that we are doing badly and is lying and trying to get out of the situation with lies. At the same time, there are topics about which they are trying to spread the words in Washington through lobbyists, which is a great shame. Georgia often had lobbyists only to help us organize and not to communicate. We are not a country that needs lobbyists in its relations with Washington. They communicate with us perfectly, but Bidzina Ivanishvili needs all this. This is due to his personal lobbying, primarily because he is afraid of sanctions and is in fear, especially given the recent period. And, therefore, these lies have covered everything we want to focus on. Nothing good is happening with American capital. On the contrary, the situation is getting worse. This is just another cascade of lies that have a very short lifespan and will be found out very soon. We saw this, unfortunately, after the statement of our ambassador, when the American Congressman came out directly and said on Twitter that "this is a lie." This is a very shameful and very unprofitable position for Georgia. Again, the situation of the Georgian Dream with the Americans is less worrying for us, unlike the image of the country, which is also suffering, unfortunately. Here we are united. That our image is not damaged and Georgia is not deprived of anything. Therefore, our goal is to work as hard as we can to make it all better. First of all, to bring in more capital, and secondly, to call everything by its own name.

Posted by Looed on the 1st July :-

Pt.2

Seth Char - Thank you, Zaza. Gamarjoba. Mu name is Seth Char and I am CEO of Iconia Capital LLC. We are 100% American owned financed real estate developer. And we are from sunny state of Hawaii. Now over the past 5 years, has been under the constant threat and attack by rogue elements in the Georgian government and in the Georgian court system. So, it is our hope today that we are having an opportunity to share our story to identify the parties involved against us and make a call to Georgian authorities that they have an obligation under both local laws and international laws to protect American investors and their businesses in this country. It is my hope that with coordination with authorities in Georgia that we will be able to develop Georgia into the shiny star and positive example for the world. And, glowing example of US-Georgian partnership with regards to teen care of American investors of the country.

Speaker 4

Giorgi Vashadze (Opposition Leader) - Hello. Today we are talking about a very important issue. Georgia has made its geopolitical choice to integrate into the West since independence. EU integration, NATO integration means opening Georgia to American and Western investment. First of all, this is the starting point for our national security and very important. Second, it is important for economic development. To bring in the greatest resources in the country to create jobs, to be energy independent. And third, in this particular case, it is a path to energy independence. And, we need a government that does not hinder Western investment, but rather helps, encourages and brings in Western investment from the United States and the European Union. But, we are facing a sad reality, here are the representatives of two companies here and Western investments have a problem, and everything is open for Russian investments. Western capital has limitations in the country. We argue with them in international arbitration, Russian capital has everything open. The Gazprom agreement, which was extended and signed in the near future, indicates that, unfortunately, the letters from the United States are based on specific evidence. The Georgian government has decided to close our country to Western investment. I want to tell every citizen - this means, first of all, the destruction of the national security of the country, it means constant hunger, doom for Georgia's permanent problems, and it means bringing Georgia into the Russian orbit. Therefore, we must all unite to protect our national interests, and our national interests today include more American, more European, more Western investment, especially in the face of this dire economic situation. In addition to these two companies, we are aware of the Anaklia Port issue and we know a number of topics where businessmen are still unable to speak out on these issues.

Posted by Looed on the 1st July :-

Translation #12, long version of #11, 25/06, 21m US$66.95, DUE 02/07
Pt.1 (This first part is identical to #11)

Journalist 1- A briefing is being organized by the Georgian Strategic Center and we are offering it live

Nodar Kharshiladze (Expert) - Hello everyone. Today we gathered representatives of public organizations, businesses and political circles. Our goal is to launch a new campaign on US-Georgia relations. Since the establishment of diplomatic relations, our relations have never been at such a low point, when, practically every week, the critical letters of our government come from the United States, which is very shameful for Georgia. Here is a very famous letter from Ted Cruz, who personally blames Bidzina Ivanishvili. There are many different reasons for this, including political. But one of the main reasons is also the oppression of American business in Georgia, the oppression of American capital, which is very bad and very unfortunate and which causes 2 problems. One is the political dimension, which is politically damaging to Georgia and hurts our image in the United States. And, secondly, there is, of course, economic damage, which prevents the entry of American capital, which is so necessary in times of economic hardship, and the well-being of Georgian citizens. I ask my friends and colleagues to expand these topics. Please, Mr. Zaza.

Zaza - Thank you very much. I am Zaza Mamulaishvili, President and Chief Executive Officer of “Frontera Resources”. Our company has been working in Georgia for 23 years. Today it is the largest American investor in the country. It has created tremendous value for Georgia as a result of our work, but we face incredible resistance from the Georgian government because of the discriminatory attitude towards our and American businesses. Due to this deteriorating investment environment, we express our concern and are very grateful to NGOs, Mr. Giorgi Vashadze, and others who have grasped the importance of this issue and will work with us to create better conditions for American companies and American investment in the country, especially in the conditions of such a ruined economy. Now I would like to give a word to my colleague. Please.

Posted by Looed on the 1st July :-

Pt.2
Despite this, Ivanishvili’s government has aggressively sought to advance state-capture and expropriate Frontera’s holdings.
Iconia Capital LLC, an investment management firm and real estate investment company from Hawaii, has been pursuing large-scale development projects in Georgia since 2014. Throughout the past five years, it has been the target of an aggressive expropriation effort which included defamation by a pro-government TV station and attacks by politically connected individuals seeking to illegally seize their property in Tbilisi.

Other American companies like Miami-based Georgian American Alloys’ local Georgian subsidiary, Georgia Manganese, has seen its holdings seized. The U.S. multinational Philip Morris also experienced similar attack by the Ivanishvili-led Georgian government.

Attempted state-capture of high value U.S. private-sector investments has been a common theme for all of the above, with an objective of sending competitive advantage to corrupt allies in Russia, China and Iran via overt and covert business arrangements.

Last year, I introduced the Georgia Fair Business Practices Sanctions Act. It directs the president to submit a report to Congress about U.S. government and non-government investment in Georgia and if the Georgian government is working to undermine those investments. It also seeks to identify current or former Georgian government officials who are responsible for such actions. If the president determines Georgia has committed such actions, the president must impose financial and trade sanctions on the government of Georgia, as well as visa and property blocking sanctions on identified individuals.

Enacting my legislation would be a good first step in holding bad actors accountable and showing we support the fight for freedom. With this, there must also be a broader strategy of support for the Georgian people to further deter this corrupt behavior. Failure to stand with the Georgian people not only threatens to erode the friendship between the peoples of the United States and Georgia, but also undermines the rule of law and democracy across the globe.

The Republican Study Committee, the conservative caucus of House Republicans, recently unveiled their National Security Strategy called Strengthening America & Countering Global Threats.This proposal is a solutions-oriented plan for preserving American leadership around the globe and promoting a U.S. foreign policy which advances the interests of Americans at home and abroad. It acknowledges the influence Putin’s authoritarian regime has had on Georgia and proposes the strictest ever sanctions on his cronies, including Ivanishvili.

Posted by Looed on the 1st July :-

Markwayne Mullin article from The Hill - FRR mentioned
Pt.1

The United States must stand with Georgia's fight for freedom

Vladimir Putin and his influence remain a top threat to democracy, not only in the United States, but across the globe. Look no further than the current situation in Georgia to see firsthand the impact it is having on those who are fighting for freedom.

Georgia is controlled by Bidzina Ivanishvili, a Russian-schooled oligarch who made billions in the corrupt feeding frenzy on abandoned Russian industries after the collapse of the Soviet Union. He led the “Georgia Dream” coalition to power in 2012, similar to the playbook that has been used over the years in Russia and Ukraine to disrupt/hijack economic and democratic progress. As founder and financier of the Georgian Dream party, Ivanishvili abandoned his Russian citizenship to return to Georgia to become the country’s prime minister in 2012.

After establishing power by installing loyal individuals, many of whom were part of his business empire, into senior government positions, he abruptly left office in 2013. Despite resigning, he remained the de facto head of the Georgian government and formally returned to the chairmanship of the Georgian Dream party in May of 2018.

The Georgian Dream party promised to implement constitutional amendments to move to fully proportional parliamentary elections in 2020. The promise of this was a huge step toward becoming a true democracy. Last fall, Georgian Dream went back on their word, sparking protests, causing the opposition in parliament to boycott all legislative and voting activities, and significantly eroding international confidence, particularly within the United States. On March 8, the Georgian Dream and the United Opposition parties reached a seemingly tenuous agreement on electoral reform and the inadmissibility of political interference in the judicial system, including the release of political prisoners. However, the implementation of this agreement is still in question with more work still to be done.

Ivanishvili’s need for unmitigated consolidation of power and control isn’t confined to Georgia’s government. The Putin ally is working vigorously to expel American businesses operating legally in the country. Here are some examples...

Since 1997, Houston-based company, Frontera Resources, has invested more than $500 million in its “Block 12” license area. The company has financed and deployed significant technology from the U.S. to explore for and develop oil and natural gas resources in Georgia. The result has been the identification of billions of barrels of oil and trillions of cubic feet of natural gas. Frontera’s investment in the country has given Georgia the prospect of energy independence and placed it on a path to potentially become a net energy exporter.

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