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Posted by keysersoze on the 19th May :-

New Article
Joshua Kutsera: Nobody takes Frontera's allegations against lobbyists seriouslyPhoto: FronteraThe accusations of Frontera lobbyists, which are not taken seriously by the Georgian opposition, became relevant again after Tbilisi terminated its contract with one of the American energy companies, Joshua Kutsera, a reviewer of eurasianet, wrote in an article entitled They are asking for an investigation s.According to him, the dispute between the international arbitration against the American oil company, which failed to meet the strict requirements, ended with the victory of the Georgian government, which was followed by accusations by pro-Russian lawmakers against Tbilisi in favor of Russia."In a letter to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Secretary of the Treasury Stephen Mnuchin on May 15, four senators (including Senator Ted Cruz) called for an investigation into Georgia's links to aggressors and enemies of the United States. In particular, according to the letter, the [Georgian] government is accused of US sanctions against Iran, and Bidzina Ivanishvili, chairman of the ruling Georgian Dream party, in ties with the Russian government, Joshua Kutsera wrote.According to him, the accusations of Russian influence over Ivanishvili, the veracity of which the opponents of the Georgian government do not doubt, are unjustified and usually rejected by diplomats involved in relations with Tbilisi. According to the journalist, unlike the previous government, which was led by the United National Movement, the government of the Georgian Dream, which came to power in 2012, is not clearly anti-Russian.On the other hand, it is enough to mention that the Georgian Dream government strengthened Georgia's ties with the United States during its tenure - expanded military cooperation, and the country's constitution officially reflected Georgia's aspirations for NATO and the European Union.Nevertheless, conspiracy theories of Russian puppetry re-emerged in Washington after Tbilisi decided to file a lawsuit against the energy company Frontera Resources, which has been operating in Georgia since the 1990s (headquartered in Texas).In December, it was revealed that the Georgian government had filed a lawsuit against Frontera in the International Arbitration Court over the latter's failure to fulfill its contractual obligations. In April, the government announced that the arbitration dispute had been resolved in its favor and terminated the contract with Frontera, although Frontera still appealed the government's interpretation of the arbitral award. During this period, Frontera did not pay its employees for months.In response, Frontera and its supporters accused Tbilisi of acting against the company simply because Frontera is an American firm.

Posted by Chris572 on the 19th May :-

Georgian PM response!
The Prime Minister - No international, or registered companies from our friends and strategic partners with whom we have won a dispute in arbitration will not be able to jeopardize strategic relations between the countries.
The Prime Minister - No international, or registered companies from our friends and strategic partners with whom we have won a dispute in arbitration will not be able to jeopardize strategic relations between the countries.
No international or our friends and strategic partners registered companies, with whom the arbitration dispute has been won, not a single case of strategic relations will not risk failing, - Prime Minister George Gakharia said, which responded to the American congressmen and senators in a letter, whi The authors of Georgia in the US companies and businesses are concerned about harassment.
According to the Prime Minister, Georgia is a country that has deepened its cooperation with the Euro-Atlantic in the last 5 years.
As he noted, the relations between Georgia and NATO are at a level that has never been before.
"The only fact from this letter is that a specific company was defeated in a specific arbitration process as a result of a specific arbitration process. Ultimately it is behind all this. No international company or companies registered with our friends and strategic partners with whom we have already won a dispute in arbitration can in any case jeopardize strategic relations between the countries, nor can these irresponsible domestic politicians and the opposition try to use it in any way. Because Georgia is a country that has deepened its cooperation with the Euro-Atlantic in the last 5 years. Cooperation with our NATO today is at a level that has never been before. We in Afghanistan today are represented in a way that is not represented in any of the Western European and Western countries of our size. Everyone should understand that the strategic relationship between the countries is systematically formed on this foundation and not on the letters of these politically engaged lobbyists. I have no idea what Iranian oil is talking about, no investigation will be launched on this topic. Georgia was the first country to recognize our partners together since 2013 Iran sanctions conditions, has made the country's economy ukiduressad heavy steps of our strategic partners at the request of and in the interest of, and then you have to be interested in you and to count how many account was canceled, what steps were taken by Justice aministrom, the central bank, government and so on, and these rumors stop smoking ", - said George Gakharia.

Posted by Looed on the 19th May :-

Pt.2

The demand of the Georgian side covered 3-4 main issues:1. First was the issuance of an order on the concession of almost 99% of the territories, which had to be done by Frontera back in November 2017, and since then was refused to be done; 2. The second was to prove that Frontera had committed material breach of the contract; 3. The third was the issuance of an order on Frontera regarding the reimbursement of legal costs related to the arbitration proceedings. In addition, Frontera demanded $ 3.5 billion against Georgia, and therefore our Fourth task was to protect Georgia from this lawsuit. If we consider now these issues, we will see that all four were satisfied: Frontera is obliged to relinquish the territories, the Arbitration Tribunal ruled, that Frontera committed material breach of the contract; Frontera is obliged to reimburse legal costs incurred regarding arbitration proceedings and the Arbitration Tribunal stopped considering the counterclaim demanding 3.5 billion USD after its withdrawal”- states Karl Pörnbacher.

In addition the lawyer states that Frontera never intended to perform the contract, neither during the period he started working on the case, nor before. According to the lawyer, the Georgian side has been negotiating the extension of the contract in the further period of 2017 from 2015-2016, but Frontera has never accepted responsibility to implement any of the obligations regarding investments.
Pörnbacher adds that in 2017, the parties resumed negotiations.Georgian side offered to resolve the dispute through negotiations amicably and even offered mediation, but Frontera refused.According to him, during the whole arbitration dispute,Frontera denied its obligation - to relinquish the territories.

“I am unaware till nowadays, whether they intended to return the exploration area after 2022. Now that the Arbitration Tribunal has already ruled that they are obliged to relinquish territories (which they had to concess back in 2017), they pretend as if they are intending so”-the lawyer explained.

He also emphasized that the dispute was discussed at the International Arbitration Tribunal by three high-ranking international arbitrators. Stockholm was designated as the venue for the process. None of the arbitrators, or judges, were Georgian - one of them was Swiss, another - a German living in London, and the third was a US citizen. The Georgian side now wants to enforce their decision.

Karl Pörnbacher states that Frontera was trying to politicize the issue from the very beginning, however he adds that it is not a political issue and a dispute, this is a purely commercial dispute and it was resolved on the basis of legitimacy.

Posted by Looed on the 19th May :-

New statement on GOGC website
Pt.1

Title - Karl Pörnbacher:” Frontera was trying to politicize the case from the outset”

“The decision of the International Arbitration Tribunal is quite clear and cannot be interpreted”,- This is the response to the ongoing processes around the Frontera issue and the attempt to spread misinformation by the lawyer of the international law firm Hogan & Lovells Karl Pörnbacher, who defended the interests of the Georgian State Oil and Gas Corporation as well as the State Oil and Gas Agency during the international arbitration dispute against Frontera Resources Georgia Corporation.

Hogan & Lovells responded to Frontera's claims as if the Arbitration Tribunal had rejected the Corporation's and the Agency's request to terminate the contract. According to the company, there has not been posed such a request and could not have been made, as the Georgian side would have this right only in case the Arbitration Tribunal would rule a material breach of the contract committed by Frontera.

According to Hogan & Lovells, after the Arbitration Tribunal satisfied a claim of the Corporation and the Agency and ruled the material breach of the contract committed by Frontera, the Georgian side had full right to terminate the contract and to send termination notice to Frontera. The company explains that this decision is irreversible and cannot be denied even in case of return of the territory by the Frontera.

All aforementioned is confirmed by the motivational part of the award of the Arbitration Tribunal, which also demonstrates the fact that the Arbitration Tribunal was aware of the targets of the Corporation and the Agency and the consequences in case of satisfying this claim.

Karl Pörnbacher cannot hide his surprise at the attempt to politicize the issue, saying there has been no such case in his 20 years of practice.

The decision is quite clear and is not a subject to interpretation. Georgian side made a proposal regarding disclosure of the decision in order to make it available to the public and the discussions to have come to the end, nevertheless Frontera rejected the proposal and preferred to spread misinformation over the content of the decision.

The whole discussion concerning who is the winner is completely useless and irrelevant.

Posted by Looed on the 18th May :-

Another statement from Georgian Dream
The ruling “Georgian Dream” stated that the groundless and peremptory reproaches of the West against the Georgian authorities stimulate pro-Russian sentiment in the country, the correspondent of the newspaper VZGLYAD in Tbilisi reports.

The chairman of the parliamentary committee on economic policy, Roman Kakulia, noted that, on the one hand, the West spends money against Russian propaganda, and on the other hand, it stimulates pro-Russian orientation in Georgia with certain steps.

“We see a rather unacceptable interference in the internal affairs of Georgia by a number of countries and a number of politicians,” he said.

So Roman Kakulia commented on a letter from four senators and congressmen to US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo and US Treasury Secretary Stephen Mnuchin with concern about the alleged deterioration of government in Georgia and the impairment of American business. It's about Frontera Resources and Conti Group.

According to the deputy, in particular, Frontera “has always created incomprehensible illusions” in Georgia.

He said that the problem of relations between this company and Georgia is now “politically manipulated”.

This often happens in other cases, which causes misunderstanding of the Georgian population, the head of the parliamentary committee said.

Frontera in the Stockholm Arbitration is conducting a commercial proceeding with the Georgian International Oil and Gas Corporation. At the end of last year, the American company, which three years ago announced that it had discovered gas reserves of 5 trillion cubic meters in Georgia, massively fired local employees on New Year's Day. As for the Conti Group, the participation of this company in the construction of the port in Anaklia, which is now frozen, was disrupted. A new tender must be announced.

American politicians who regularly criticize Georgia are often lobbyists of various companies."

Source - https://vz.ru/news/2020/5/18/1039968.html (a Russian site)

Posted by Looed on the 18th May :-

More articles about the released prisoners
Lots of these articles today about the released prisoners both pro and anti. I will only post the bit that talks about FRR, keep in mind this is a Russian site as will become obvious -

"Since the mid-1990s, Frontera has unsuccessfully searched for oil and gas in Georgia. Last year, her financial situation seemed to be shaken, because delays in salaries and the mass dismissal of employees began. The Georgian authorities considered the incident a violation of the contract and through international arbitration they secured its termination. And Conti Group participated in the project for the construction of a deep sea port in Anaklia. Her Georgian partner TVS Bank had difficulties - an illegal financial transaction 10 years ago was revealed during the audit. As a result, the troubles changed the leadership of the bank, and the authorities at that time, having not received confirmation of the financial viability of future builders of the port in Anaklia, decided to change the Georgian participant in the project. Then the Conti Group also left it.

However, the authors of the letter to Michael Pompeo, some of whom, according to Tbilisi, are official lobbyists of American companies, have their own vision of what is happening. They believe that the actions of the Georgian side are dictated by geopolitical interests: Ivanishvili is connected with Russia, which allegedly has documentary evidence, and the goal of American companies in Georgia was to reduce the country's energy dependence on Russia, as well as on Russian port infrastructures.

It is difficult to understand such a logic - for 20 years of work in Georgia, one company has not found worthy volumes of hydrocarbons, and the thesis about the dependence of Georgia with its underloaded ports in Poti and Batumi on Russian ports needs at least additional refinement.

Along the way, the authors of the letter inform Michael Pompeo about the increased activity of the Iranian business in Georgia bypassing American sanctions, as well as deterioration"

Source -https://gid55.ru/v-mire/2037-v-ssha-nedovolny-vlastyami-gruzii

Posted by Looed on the 18th May :-

Pt.2
The appeal pays special attention to the history of the American companies Frontera Resources and Conti Group, which the Georgian authorities squeezed out of the country for geopolitical reasons.

"The goal of building the port of Anaklia was to reduce Georgia’s dependence on Russia, the letter said.

“We are writing to express our indignation at the deterioration in the quality of public administration and potential illegal financial actions in Georgia. We are more and more concerned about Georgia’s ties with US opponents and enemies, which is due to our geostrategic and business interests.

In recent years, foreign direct investment in Georgia has fallen by about 50%, while taxes and bureaucratic barriers have increased for Western businesses.

These management problems directly undermine the operations of American companies and our ties with Georgia, the possibility of deepening relations with Frontera Resources (Texas), which is the largest American investor in the oil and gas sector in Georgia. They invested $ 500 million for oil and gas exploration. Recently, Frontera has become the target of regulations and restrictions, and now it faces the threat of possible expropriation by the Georgian government.

In 2019, another American company, Conti Group, was expelled in the same way from the consortium that built the port in Anaklia, which suspended this project, ”American politicians write.

The letter also notes that the goal of Frontera's work on energy production was to ensure energy independence and stability of the country, and the construction of the port in Anaklia was to reduce Georgia’s dependence on Russian port infrastructure.

The authors believe that the actions of the Georgian side are dictated by geopolitical interests: Ivanishvili is connected with Russia, to which there is documentary evidence.

They also report to Mike Pompeo about the increased activity of Iranian business in Georgia bypassing US sanctions, as well as the deterioration in the quality of public administration in this country.

Thus, Washington has additional reasons for exerting specific pressure on the current ruling team of Georgia. And in such circumstances, knowing about this letter, Ivanishvili is unlikely to dare to persist in the reluctance to change the system of parliamentary elections.

Source - https://zerkalo.az/ivanishvili-oblozhili/

Posted by Looed on the 18th May :-

Article -"It can be said that with the release of two well-known opposition figures, the political s
Pt.1 - (FRR is discussed)

"It can be said that with the release of two well-known opposition figures, the political situation in Georgia is already different.

“The only thing I can do is to say Ivanishvili in a language that he understands: when they tell you that you are a teapot, you must let off steam from one place. The whole world told him that he was a teapot, so he had to act. " Such words, having left the prison in Rustavi, were told to journalists by one of the leaders of the opposition party “European Georgia”, former mayor of Tbilisi Gigi Ugulava, Georgia Online reports.

He also expressed the hope that another political prisoner, George Rurua, would soon be released. According to him, if this does not happen, the agreement between the authorities and the opposition will not be considered fulfilled and the opposition will not take part in the vote on constitutional amendments.

“Our citizens once again saw two things - that the country is ruled by a person who does harm to himself. My detention and release was damage to him. This man is mentally a scoop, geopolitically - Russian, socially exalted beggar, and personally - a liar. Therefore, there are no preconditions for him to continue to rule the country.

Our citizens saw that activity and integrity have a price and will always produce results. Georgia is not alone, and the country is not covered with straw, no matter how Ivanishvili tries to do it, he will not succeed, ”said Ugulava.

A joint statement was also made by those under whose pressure the Georgian authorities trembled - James Rish, Chairman of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee and Senator Gene Shahin. They noted that the release of Ugulava and Okruashvili is a strong signal for those who participated in the process of reaching an agreement of March 8.

According to them, they “look forward” to the implementation of changes in the electoral system and the release of George Rurua. “In the following weeks, after the parliament returns to the working regime, we look forward to the implementation of the agreed changes. We also expect the release of Georgy Rurua, the media owner, who was detained in December on false charges, ”the statement said.

However, this is not the only problem for the Georgian authorities. Four senators and a congressman addressed US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo and US Treasury Secretary Stephen Mnuchin with a letter expressing concern about the deterioration of government in Georgia, the impairment of American business, the intensification of Iranian business in this country bypassing American sanctions, as well as the connection of an informal ruler Bidzina Ivanishvili countries with Moscow.

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