Member Info for Madpunter

Posted by Ivyspivey on the 1st Mar :-

Thanks Looed,
This could be helpful as at least FRR are in the main aligned in the terms of their defence although I would not ignore the strong possibility of contact between the GG and Hopes team as it would seem obvious to supporting the Georgian case that Hogan Lovell would engage with any third party likely to be helpful in undermining FRR case.
Conversely the GG case may be undermined by the evidence of the former PM GK who of course had the famous meeting with SN/ZM in 2016.He seems an honourable man and former politicians are often happy to take an opposite view than when they are in govt.
It is up to the GG to prove the case so the burden of proof will be on them including adequate warnings about potential breaches in advance of the actual arbitration.
So I am actually now reasonably positive in the form of some sort of an outcome in that if the GG have a slam dunk case then it would have been thrown out a long time ago or FRR would have conceded so as we are still fighting and with US support counteracting the Russian side I am confident the arbitrators making an independent decision.
I am not saying the outcome here is in in our favour just that we are in with a fighting chance but assuming ZM is still confident and we know we can’t entirely trust him in these matters then it should be an interesting conclusion to this long drawn out saga.

Posted by Looed on the 1st Mar :-

Afternoon Ivy,

I visited the website of the Hague Arbitration Board and they have an "optional rules for state v company" types of cases. Its quite basic but does say -

"Evidence and Hearings (Articles 24 and 25)
Article 24
1. Each party shall have the burden of proving the facts relied on to support its claim or defence.
2. The arbitral tribunal may, if it considers it appropriate, require a party to deliver to the tribunal and to the other party, within such a period of time as the arbitral tribunal shall decide, a summary of the documents and other evidence which that party intends to present in support of the facts in issue set out in its statement of claim or statement of defence."

I read it as any evidence can only relate to the original 'charge' that was lodged in early 2018, all other issues are not related to this original claim.

You can see all the optional rules here - https://pca-cpa.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2016/01/Optional-Rules-for-Arbitration-Between-International-Organizations-and-States-1996.pdf

CORRECTION - sorry I post a now out of date Arbitration rules and regulations. This is the updated version:-

"Evidence Article 27
1. Each party shall have the burden of proving the facts relied on to support its claim or defence.
2. Witnesses, including expert witnesses, who are presented by the parties to testify to the arbitral tribunal on any issue of fact or expertise may be any individual, notwithstanding that the individual is a party to the arbitration or in any way related to a party. Unless otherwise directed by the arbitral tribunal, statements by witnesses, including expert witnesses, may be presented in writing and signed by them.
3. At any time during the arbitral proceedings the arbitral tribunal may require the parties to produce documents, exhibits or other evidence within such a period of time as the arbitral tribunal shall determine. The arbitral tribunal may also, after consultation with the parties, perform a site visit.
4. The arbitral tribunal shall determine the admissibility, relevance, materiality and weight of the evidence offered."

Source - https://pca-cpa.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2015/11/PCA-Arbitration-Rules-2012.pdf

Posted by Ivyspivey on the 29th Feb :-

Morning Looed.
A very good point and whether any “ new evidence” is admissible would be a moot point.
It appears the “ contract breach” does reflect around the definition of declaration of commerciality and the Exploratory vs production stage and timeline if the PSA.
That also explains FRR not making it a major issue at the time but also the huge need to raise money and really start developing the field.This of course being significantly hampered by Hope and the court cases.
Part of a “ co ordinated” campaign well certainly FRR seem to indicate as part of a geo political play.
Still unsure as to how this will pan out but if judgement is based mainly on pre 2018 then as you say a lot of recent stuff is irrelevant and the argument revolves around whether FRR or the Georgian govt were right over the size of the box.
As the GG are still fighting hard then I think we know the answer to that one.Actually that fact gives me more confidence as FRR held the PM meeting in 2016 during the KK spat so their positions were divided then and relevant to the arbitration.
So if FRR argue the GG was restrictive then and stopped them from carrying out the necessary development of the field and here the evidence of GK could be important then I think they would have a good case for at least a split of the spoils.

Posted by Looed on the 29th Feb :-

For anyone interested in Ukraine PSA history and background
This is from 23 Dec '19, so apologies if already shared. It's long and is in English. FRR are mentioned in relation to the Dolphin tender.

The article is titled - "Future of Production Sharing Agreements in Ukraine: Expectations vs. Reality"

source - https://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=9e329471-d7ab-4d38-aa9b-fdfa4fb7e95a

Posted by Looed on the 29th Feb :-

From 18/4/18 -

"LONDON (Alliance News) - Europe-focused oil and gas company Frontera Resources Corp on Monday said it has received a request for arbitration from Georgian Oil & Gas Corp and State Agency of Oil & Gas.
Shares in Frontera Resources were down 8.4% at 0.52 pence on Monday. Frontera said it was confirming recent press reports about the arbitration and potential territory relinquishment.
The request is related to certain terms of Frontera's production sharing contract in Georgia, the compay said; however it said the full statement of the case has not been submitted, and the times for any hearing are currently unknown.
In respect of potential territory relinquishment, Frontera said it has started a program to study the commerciality of block 12 to reach a conclusion regarding the sustainability of commercial production. The program has a five-year term and delineates block 12 as the study area, and pending completion, no relinquishment of any part of the block is due for the program's duration.
Frontera said it considers the arbitration request to be without merit and has started engagements of legal counsel to protect its rights."

Source - https://www.morningstar.co.uk/uk/news/AN_1523871476368279000/frontera-resources-confirms-press-report-of-arbitration-requests.aspx

Posted by Looed on the 29th Feb :-

I went back through some old articles (and granted they may not be 100% - or even 1% - correct). I found this comment -

"...was filed by the Georgian Oil and Gas Corporation and the State Oil and Gas Agency on January 15, 2018. Georgian corporation and agency accuse US company of breach of contract. A foreign company in a lawsuit alleges that it was the victim of a breach of the terms of the same contract by the corporation and the agency."

Perhaps American / Cayman court cases, moving the asset and all the other recent issues / noise are irrelevant to the arbitration this all happened after the case was lodged. Any evidence would need to relate to matters before 15/1/18?

The letter from Hogan Lovells does state -

"Frontera has sought repeatedly to delay and impede arbitration proceedings in various ways, with the result that they have been protracted"

Sources -https://bm.ge/ka/article/frontera-saqartvelosgan--35-mlrd-is-kompensacias-itxovs---yvelaferi-davis-shesaxeb/47269 and - https://www.gogc.ge/en/article/hogan-lovells-claims-fronteras-accusations-against-the-georgian-side-to-be-baseless--/469

Posted by Looed on the 26th Feb :-

Georgian PM - "The Govt is doing its best to create a special business environment in the country
"According to Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia, the government is doing its best to create a special business environment in the country. As Gakharia said at the Georgia and the World 2020 economic conference, the service-oriented economy is Georgia's future.
“First of all, the Government of Georgia is committed to creating a special business environment in the country, a special business climate for ensuring FDI in all areas, especially in the field of services. We all understand that it will take many years. Services need a high level of competence, a service-oriented economy is the future of our country. That is why conferences like this are so important for us all, the business, the expert community, the government, in order to find exactly the role of the country in both global and regional contexts," Gakharia said.
According to him, Georgia's aspiration is Euro-Atlantic integration and creation of a competitive market.
"Today, Georgia is a transit country, the main aspiration of which is Euro-Atlantic integration in the political context and an open, competitive market in the economic context," Gakharia said."

Source - https://www.interpressnews.ge/en/article/105997-giorgi-gakharia-the-government-is-doing-its-best-to-create-a-special-business-environment-in-the-country (lots of similar articles on this site today)

Another article about "Georgia & The World 2020"
'Georgia and The World in 2020' Economic conference has kicked off in the capital of Georgia, Tbilisi, Trend reports citing Georgian media.

The conference, which is organized by the Economist's annual edition 'The World in 2020' and the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia, was opened by Prime Minister of Georgia Giorgi Gakharia.

This year, the event is attended by about 200 participants and guests, including the world-famous economist, professor at the Warsaw School of Economics, former vice-premier of Poland, former finance minister and former president of the National Bank of Poland Leszek Balcerowicz.

The conference participants will discuss several topics such as the model of economic development of Georgia - balanced interests between the state and the private sector; the competitiveness of the Georgian economy in a global context, the development of infrastructure and the role in improving competitiveness; and Georgia in the EU market - achieved results and current challenges.

According to the conference organizers, the event aims to analyze the progress made by Georgia in the economic development and to discuss challenges and new opportunities in a global context."

Source - https://menafn.com/1099760441/Georgia-and-The-World-in-2020-economic-conference-kicks-off-in-Tbilisi

Posted by Looed on the 26th Feb :-

Article - World Bank Regional Director says commitment to economic reforms shown by the governments
According to Sebastian Molineus, Regional Director of the World Bank, the commitment to economic reforms shown by the previous and the current governments of Georgia is a positive thing.
Sebastian Molineus talked to the Georgian Service of Voice of America.
“I have worked in many countries around the world. I like Georgia very much and I’m very positively disposed to it. In Georgia I see a country, whose economic growth model is based on private sector. Despite all the differences that exist within the country’s political circles, everyone agrees that they want open and favorable environment for investors, believes that integration with the European Union is of utmost importance for the country’s development, and no one doubts the necessity of education reforms. If we step back a little and assess the situation, we will see that there are more unifying factors than divisive ones. When you live in Georgia, you can see it very well. The forecast is thus, growth indicator is at 5.2%, Foreign Direct Investments are at 8.2%, as compared to other countries’ 2.5%. The commitment to economic reforms shown by the previous and the current governments is a positive thing. I think the growth will continue,” Sebastian Molineus said."

Source - https://www.interpressnews.ge/en/article/105998-world-bank-regional-director-says-commitment-to-economic-reforms-shown-by-the-governments-of-georgia-is-a-positive-thing/

Posted by Looed on the 26th Feb :-

Articles on Georgian politics, NATO membership, relations with Russia
Lots of articles available on the above. I won't cut & paste as none mention FRR but they are all in English should you want to have a look -

https://jamestown.org/program/impact-of-western-support-and-reprimand-on-georgian-politics/

https://agenda.ge/en/news/2020/582 - What Georgia needs to do to join NATO

https://tass.com/world/1093591 - a Russian press agency article on Georgia-Russia relations. For an example of tone - "Tbilisi severed diplomatic relations with Moscow on September 2, 2008 after Russia had recognized Abkhazia’s and South Ossetia’s independence."

Article - "Nino Burjanadze says dinner organized by US Embassy was informal and friendly"
I wonder if SN and Zaza provided the wine?

"It was not a round of negotiations, it was an exchange of views and an attempt to find a way out of the political crisis, - Nino Burjanadze, leader of the Democratic Movement - United Georgia, told reporters after the meeting organized by Elizabeth Rood.
She said the meeting was informal and friendly.
“There was a desire to find a way out of this situation so that political forces in the country, both pro-government and opposition, could move to a normal electoral mode and achieve an environment as fair as possible. This is very important and it is natural that the exchange of views has a positive impact in this regard. It was not a round of negotiations, it was an exchange of views and an attempt to find a way out of the political crisis,” Burjanadze said.
US Deputy Ambassador Elizabeth Rood hosted a dinner for representatives of the authorities and the opposition, as well as representatives of the diplomatic corps yesterday."

This article - https://www.interpressnews.ge/en/article/105994-nino-burjanadze-says-dinner-organized-by-us-embassy-was-informal-and-friendly/

And an article in similar fashion - https://www.interpressnews.ge/en/article/105993-mp-tamar-chugoshvili-the-meeting-organized-by-elizabeth-rood-was-informal-friendly-and-no-specific-issues-were-discussed/

Posted by PJOHN on the 25th Feb :-

Interesting
https://www.eurasiareview.com/25022020-south-caucasus-role-to-be-overshadowed-by-us-russia-competition-elsewhere-in-eurasia-analysis/

https://civil.ge/archives/338910

Posted by Looed on the 25th Feb :-

Georgian PM - "Georgia deserves membership of NATO"
Nothing on FRR, but shows howe much they want to develop relationships with the west.

The Washington Times publishes the article of Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia titled "Georgia deserves membership in NATO."

Gakharia writes about the importance of the Black Sea Security, amid the fast-growing challenges.

"Renewed hostilities in Ukraine in recent days once again underscore what is at stake for the Black Sea region as a focal point for competing geo-political powers. The Black Sea serves as a buffer along Europe’s southern flank, helping to protect Europe, NATO and vital U.S. interests from

At the same time, the Black Sea is also becoming the crossroads of high value trade seeking the fastest route from Europe to Asia and Asia to Europe, including sizable amounts of American exports, and it figures in the geography of critical energy pipelines to Europe and world markets."- writes the prime minister.

According to the article, the Black Sea represents a strategic waterway for Russia, as its entrance to the distant fronts, it covers, for example, Syria, North Africa and parts of the Eastern Mediterranean. But to move beyond the Black Sea, or to prevent others like the United States from entering it, Russia must exert pressure on other Black Sea states that lie near the Bosporus, the snake-like waterway that links the Black Sea via Turkey to the larger oceans to the south.

It is noteworthy, that Gakharia writes about such matters as Russia's seizure of Crimea from Ukraine and how it occupied 20% of Georgia's territories, including Georgia’s critically strategic coastal territory of Abkhazia.

"Russia continues to oppose full NATO membership for Georgia. Now is the time for NATO to answer our call for membership. Georgia has been promised full membership repeatedly by NATO’s leadership, and we remain hopeful that challenges to our NATO accession will be overcome — and soon. More Georgia in NATO and more NATO in Georgia will strengthen the Black Sea and Western security and also strengthen Georgia’s democracy and growing economy." - states the article.

The article ends with Prime Minister, Giorgi Gakharia saying that Black Sea security is essential to global peace and stability and Georgia is a steadfast partner in Western solidarity.
"For those reasons, our NATO friends should deliver on the promise of Georgia’s entry into this vital security organization."

Source - https://www.georgianjournal.ge/politics/36283-georgian-prime-minister-giorgi-gakharia-publishes-an-article-in-the-washington-post.html

Posted by Phillm on the 25th Feb :-

Morning Sol and thank you for sharing the journey and sincere condolences for the loss of your Son. Been here myself since 2012. Invested c35k over the years, chasing the dream, early retirement and dreams of treating the kids. Lost my own son during this time! After the rise in 2018 my investment peaked at £50k. I stupidly gloated to the missus and shared my investment screen with her. She was of course very impressed and in November 18 she begged me to sell! I told her that it was too soon, we were going to be taken out by BP and it would be worth 5 times more! Stupidly I didn’t listen and then came home in Jan with her holding a letter stating we had delisted......I was not in the good books! So here I am like many others, still working but as well, still hanging on to that glimmer of hope.......you just never know!

Posted by Jekyll on the 25th Feb :-

Phillm, that made me laugh, specially the screen shot and gloating, I’m sure we won’t be the only ones, I’m nearly £60k in and got to £99k, you now the rest, wife thinks I’ve lost my marbles, funny thing is, I’m still gloating when the real good news comes from our resident researchers, reckons I’ll never learn.

Posted by Sol633 on the 25th Feb :-

Not the only retirement f****d up, my story.

2006 I made a career change after 22 Yrs, ended up in the mid east, but prior to that I lost my son, had another little one who was born a congenital Paraplygeic, now 21, my daughter has gone through a host of trials in her life, and is a fighter despite her life now.

I wanted my kids to live the life I didn't, they have never wanted for anything from me, I have done my best and continue to do so. In 2007 I found the share market, borrowed 20k from the ex father in law ( don't go oh know, I paid him back, mind he bought my daughter a car out of it :-) really nice fella)

Since 2007 I have chased the dream of wealth or to be comfortable in the knowledge my kids would be financialy comfortable when I'm gone. I went from nothing to 1/2 Million to nothing chasing the dream, some may say greed, I think that now and again, but just want my kids to be ok. I have had good paid jobs but paid the price, worked away for years, missed them growing up, lost good mates I'm my work.

I have always made sure there is a roof over our heads, food on the table, belived and supported who needed me, and I don't think I have ever let them down. I was in EDL, lost a lot of money, GKP sold at the wrong time, BPC was another dream and moved everything from there to FRR after I saw something in someone who I thought would not let me down. In the end I make the decisions, I listen, I control my money, I make the investments , no one else. Yes I look to blame people or companies etc etc, they may have loaded the gun, but I pulled the trigger. ( Been in a host of other dog s##t shares controlled by Aim crooks, parasites who feed off weakness, nievity.

I will have to work years to get my life back, I will never earn again what I have lost, but my kids will never want for anything whilst I live ( insurance is sorted for them life wise :-) . I do hope we could could recover something, I live on Rainbow riders posative comments now and again, makes me chuckle. I have seen somethings around the world, and to be honest I eat, drink, sleep, breathe, a lot of others don't, that's how I keep going.

If we don't get anything back, Zaza, I have a set of skills :-) Lol. Not everyone is the same, all different needs, stories, but that's a skirmish over mine. Good luck all, and I hope the story has a happy ending.

PS, no need for any all the best etc, was just to show some people you are not alone.

Posted by Looed on the 25th Feb :-

Article - "The right to a fair trial in Georgia"
No specific reference to FRR, but an interesting read if Georgian politics and judicial matters are of interest. This is the opening section only -

"The issue of the right to a fair trial in Georgia has plagued the country since its independence. No government has managed to bring the judicial system to an appropriate condition yet. Currently, the Georgian Dream party is pushing for grand reforms to finally settle the topic. While some may argue that the justice system has become more functional, there is strong evidence raising concerns the ruling government is still unwilling to fully give up on it as a political tool. Transparency International Georgia, as well as other local NGOs, argue that the recent appointments of judges on a permanent basis was flawed and politically motivated. These concerns have been echoed by a number of American congressmen and European actors.

It may sound like a typical story of corruption when the regime tries to subordinate the courts while civil society, in collaboration with external actors, fight to maintain its independence, but as usual, everything is not as simple as it looks in Georgia. When analysing the right to a fair trial, it is important to keep in mind that there always was, is, and probably will be politics behind the justice system. All actors have their own agendas and perceptions."

Full article (in english) at - https://neweasterneurope.eu/2020/02/24/the-right-to-a-fair-trial-in-georgia/

The previous post was posted on the 25th and not the 24th.

Posted by Looed on the 25th Feb :-

Pt.2
The competition for the development of the Dolphin site is planned to be announced in March 2020.
Recall that in 2019, Trident Black Sea was recognized as the winner of a development tender based on an agreement on the production sharing of the Dolphin hydrocarbon section on the Black Sea shelf under PSA conditions. The agreement is valid for 50 years.
Four companies have applied for participation: the American Trident Acquisitions Corp, the American Frontera Resources Corporation, which owns the initiative to develop the Dolphin site for PSAs, controlled by the State Oil Company of the Republic of Azerbaijan (SOCAR) Caspian Drilling International Ltd. and one of the largest private gas producing companies in Ukraine, Ukrnaftoburinnya.
After that, Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman said that the competition for gas production on the Black Sea shelf did not live up to expectations regarding the arrival of powerful world-class players on the Ukrainian market, so a new competition should be announced.
On August 1, Frontera Resources challenged the results of the tender for a production sharing agreement (PSA) for the development of the Dolphin hydrocarbon section on the Black Sea shelf in the District Administrative Court.
In September 2019, the Cabinet of Ministers adopted a decision to cancel the competition for the conclusion of an agreement on the division of hydrocarbons that will be produced within the Dolphin site.
Earlier, the head and co-owner of Trident Acquisitions, an American company that won the competition for the development of the Dolphin site, Ilya Ponomarev announced plans to challenge the decision of the Cabinet of Ministers in court to announce a new contest for the development of this hydrocarbon site."

Source -https://mbiz.censor.net.ua/news/3177516/shelfovoe_mestorojdenie_delfin_razdelyat_na_dve_chasti_gosgeonedr_obnovleno

Posted by Looed on the 24th Feb :-

Russian article -The shelf field "Dolphin will be divided into two parts, - the State Geohedron (upd
Lots of Russian articles today about Dolphin. They are mostly saying the same thing. This article seems to be more detailed and is almost the only one that doesn't have the words "dubious company" in front of Frontera Resources

Pt.1

This was announced by the head of the State Service for Geology and Subsurface Resources Roman Opimakh during the presentation of the results of the service in 2019, the Business Censor reports with reference to Interfax-Ukraine.
"At present, based on the results of negotiations with geologists, potential investors, and those who own geological information, we decided that the most optimal design of the shelf proposal would be just two sections," said Opimakh.
The head of the State Geological Survey said that, in particular, we are talking about "North Dolphin" and "South Dolphin" with a total area of ??15 thousand square meters. km
“For these two sites, we definitely have seismic information, a list of which we are currently collecting. We have it at the state-owned enterprise Ukrgeofizika, Nauka Naftogaz NAK Naftogaz Ukrainy, and also at the international company Schlumberger. Actually, it is with Schlumberger and Duff & Phelps, we have signed memorandums and the NDA. We will jointly try to find investors, both foreign and Ukrainian, to implement this project, "said Opimakh.
The head of the State Geological Survey clarified that the start of this process could be given in March, when the government plans to approve competitive conditions. After that, the inter-commission for organizing the conclusion and implementation of the PSA will have two months to prepare and start the competition. After the announcement of the competition, investors will have six months to study the information on the sites.
"We propose that the volume of investment for each site be at least $ 60 million, that is, these are the minimum obligations, but this is still in the process of discussion," added Opimakh.
According to the head of the department, there is another potential site on the shelf, however, a competition for it is not currently being considered due to the fact that the area is not yet sufficiently explored.
See also: Zelensky called on US companies to participate in the competition for the Black Sea shelf (updated)
As previously reported, Minister of Energy and Environmental Protection Aleksey Orzhel announced earlier that the Dolphin offshore oil and gas field in the Black Sea could be put up for tender in several lots to attract as many international companies as possible to gas production in Ukraine.

Posted by keysersoze on the 24th Feb :-

Georgia concerns over Russia militarisation
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.express.co.uk/news/world/1246629/russia-latest-news-georgia-black-sea-nato-usa-eu/amp

RUSSIA has been militarising and growing its strategic control in the Black Sea and ins response the US and Europe must ramp up their military investment, Georgia has claimed.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.washingtontimes.com/news/2020/feb/24/georgia-deserves-membership-in-nato/

Posted by Welloiled on the 24th Feb :-

Abkaz, that's fascinating, I wasn't aware that work on road was so advance by the Chinese. This article https://www.beltandroad.news/2019/12/21/georgia-gives-geopolitical-forecast-for-2020/ mentions Batumi and Poti and comments on Chinese economic influence on the area:

"Yet another actor for balancing out Russian geopolitical pressure will be China, with its economic role in the region. Tbilisi and Beijing in 2020 will strive to build deeper economic relations perhaps through investments and trade.
All trends show that China will continue seeing Georgia, with its Black Sea ports of Batumi and Poti, as a link for its massive ‘Belt & Road’ initiative.
However, it is also important to note that Chinese involvement in the region will surely continue to be limited only to economics. 2020 will still be early to say that the deeper Beijing involves itself in defending its assets around the world, the greater the possibility that China will eventually become a security partner in the South Caucasus."

It makes one wonder if the Chinese will invest in Anaklia as the Georgian Government is looking for a new investor:
https://www.beltandroad.news/2020/01/10/georgian-government-searches-for-new-investor-for-anaklia-port/

Posted by Abkaz on the 24th Feb :-

I drove along this new Chinese project in November. It's amazing what theyre doing. The road from Tblisi to Batumi is a slow and inefficient single laner which winds through mountains and goes directly through the center of every town and village. The chinese are building an excellent motorway adjecent to this road, despite extreme conditions and terrain. Village shops have chinese signs hanging in their windows to attach business from the workers. It's a big deal.

Adding to this the ports at Batumi and Poti are absolutely garbage. It took about 18 hours to load the RORO cargo at Batumi. No infrastructure whatsoever. Corrupt officials. Angry Lorry drivers. Its a really grim affair. Its pretty stark considering the Ports in Turkmenbashi and Baku and shiny and new and run like clockwork.

The Chinese are coming and the Georgians are being forced to smarten up. The Chinese don't generally attach any political conditions to their infra projects but you'd better not start creaming contracts or putting a block on their plans.

I don't know what this means for us but I'm sure the tinpot Georgian Gov has less power than they think they have.

Posted by Welloiled on the 24th Feb :-

Georgia Returns to the Old New Silk Road
The geopolitical importance of Georgia is underscored by the Belt and Road Initiative, see:
https://www.beltandroad.news/2019/10/30/georgia-returns-to-the-old-new-silk-road/

"Thus, from a historical perspective, the modern Silk Road concept emanating from China arguably represents the biggest opportunity Georgia has had since the dissolution of the unified Georgian monarchy in 1490 when major roads criss-crossed the Georgian territory.
In the future, when/if successive Georgian governments continue to carry out large infrastructural projects (roads, railways, sea ports), Tbilisi will be able to use those modern ‘Silk Roads’ to its geopolitical benefit, namely, gain bigger security guarantees from various global and regional powers to uphold its territorial integrity."

The development of the Anaklia Port and subsequent connection to the new 'Silk Road' would be a tremendous boost to the economy and development of Georgia although I imagine that a certain bordering country would not be best pleased. In who's interest is it to undermine Georgia's territorial integrity, energy independence and economic development?