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Hi Looed. I checked earlier this week and no change. I only check using the frontera name. It is possible that another company has been set up under a different name that we don't know about.
more flesh on the bones - sadly not good reading.
Legal Company News
Hogan Lovells secures historic win for Georgia before international arbitration tribunal
April 24, 2020 Stacie Munroe Hogan Lovells
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Media: Press Releases | 24 April 2020
Munich, 24 April 2020 – A cross-border International Arbitration team at Hogan Lovells has secured a historic win for its clients JSC Georgian Oil and Gas Corporation, and LEPL State Agency of Oil and Gas of Georgia, in a high-profile, USD 3.5 billion ad-hoc arbitration. This involved disputes under a production-sharing agreement against two affiliates of the U.S. oil & gas exploration and production company Frontera Resources Corporation.
In a unanimous award, the arbitrators ordered Frontera to immediately relinquish the oil & gas fields in dispute -an area of more than 5,000 square kilometers in Eastern Georgia that Frontera had exploited for more than 20 years, declared that Frontera had materially breached the contract, and ordered Frontera to pay certain damages, interest and attorney’s fees. The tribunal also accepted the withdrawal of and dismissed Frontera’s counterclaims.
The Hogan Lovells team included David Dunn (partner, New York), Karl Pörnbacher (partner, Munich), Thomas N. Pieper (counsel, Munich) and Nata Ghibradze (senior associate, Munich).
https://www.companynewshq.com/company-news/legal-company-news/hogan-lovells-secures-historic-win-for-georgia-before-international-arbitration-tribunal/
The press release from the GOGC is as clear as mud. It is impossible to tell the complete legal position without sight of the FULL judgment. What we have been shown in essence is a bald man professing to a have a full head of hair which may be no more than a comb over.
I must be barking mad but my heart didn’t sink after reading the GOGC press release. If it was a complete victory, rest assured the press release would have been a lot more euphoric in my view. It didn’t appear to be.
I never expected anything other than the GOGC obtaining a successful award. The writing was on the wall for that in the way the parties behaved during the arbitration and the rhetoric after it. The question was always what the award would be. The press release doesn’t scream a resounding victory. For example:
“satisfied a vast majority of the claims raised by JSC Georgian Oil and Gas Corporation and LEPL State Agency of Oil and Gas of Georgia" – not all then. What wasn’t satisfied?
Yes there appears to be a finding of a material breach. There are many breaches which can be found but the key question is ALWAYS what damage is caused by the breach. The award says FRR are “obligated to reimburse the amount of the mineral usage tax payed by JSC Georgian Oil and Gas Corporation on behalf of Frontera Resources Georgia Corporation as well as the costs incurred by the claimants with regard to the arbitration proceedings.”. So that’s tax and the costs. No award returning the 99%, or other huge damages sum. If that was part of the award, wouldn’t that have been the headline grabber?
The final paragraph of the press release it interesting. It makes a distinction between enforcement of the award and the implementation of the rights and remedies under the contract. The award, as far as I can tell based on the press release only, is for reimbursement of the tax and costs. I have no idea how much that sum is and if FRR are in a position to pay that. That is fairly straight forward to enforce. The second part relates to the rights and remedies under the contract and the impact that a finding of material breach may have on these rights and remedies. These rights and remedies, if available under the contract, DO NOT APPEAR (and we have no way of knowing without the full judgment) to have been exercised by the arbitrators and I expect the GOGC thought they would. The award has meant that the GOGC may need to take this step unilaterally and I bet they are currently taking legal advice on that.
Link reposted below
https://www.haynesboone.com/-/media/files/energy_bankruptcy_reports/oil_patch_bankruptcy_monitor.ashx?la=en&hash=D2114D98614039A2D2D5A43A61146B13387AA3AE
If you go to the table on page 12, suggests the bankruptcy process is completed for the above entity
www.haynesboone.com › media › Files › Energy_Bankruptcy_Reports
PDF
22 hours ago - FRONTERA RESOURCES CAUCASUS CORP.***. $. 2,200,000. $. -. $. 2,200,000. 202 10/26/2019. N.D. Tex. 19-33545. HOACTZIN PARTNERS, L.P.*. $.
During APPEX 2020 in London, EPI Group together with Georgia Oil and Gas organised a Lunch & Learn to present one of the most exciting plays in onshore Europe. The event that was held at the Fox on Green pub was attended by over 50 attendees representing over 40 companies.
Photo - see caption
Georgia’s exploration and production basins share the world-class Maikop source rock with Azerbaijan’s mega-fields in the east and the North Caucasus fields. An even more intriguing (and little known) fact is that at the end of the Soviet period, Georgia was producing 70,000 BOPD per day. Adding to Georgia’s romance, mid-tier AIM explorer, Block Energy has recently quadrupled production on its West Rustavi field where one of the wells tested at 1,100 BOPD. Georgia Oil and Gas is one the country’s most respected oil and gas companies and largest license holders.
A data room at EPI Group’s office in Cobham will be open to all companies who wish to further view the available opportunities that Georgia has to offer starting on April 15th. The data room is free of charge.
Please contact andrea.miscia@epigroup.com to organise all visits.
Original article link
Source: EPI Group
Although Georgia is mostly a subservient state to NATO, any rise of Ivanishvili can see this be reversed, undoing Washington’s increased influence in the Caucasus, a pivotal region that connects Russia to the Middle East.
The pressure against Ivanishvili did not end with Olson’s comments and was followed by a Bloomberg piece published on Friday that described Ivanishvili as Georgia’s “shadow boss,” and claimed that the country slid into “authoritarianism” and regressed “into repression.” Of course, the author of the article, Eli Lake, did not explain how Georgia has become authoritarian or returned to repression, but that is not the purpose. Just as Olson never explained how Ivanishvili broke any human rights, neither did Lake explain why he used the words he did – rather, these buzzwords are meant to stir emotion in the reader and prepare a path to justify to the American public any upcoming U.S.-backed upheaval in Georgia, just as was done before the regime change wars began in Syria and Libya. Although Bloomberg disclaims that “this column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of Bloomberg LP and its owners,” the purpose, as mentioned, is to stir emotion within readers using buzzwords. Bloomberg was founded and is owned by Michael Bloomberg, a former mayor of New York City (2002-2013) and currently a candidate in the Democratic Party primaries for the 2020 United States presidential election. The Olson tweet and Bloomberg article suggests that there is consensus against Ivanishvili across the U.S. political spectrum which can mean upcoming dangers for Georgia.
This bares resemblance to the Ukrainian crisis that emerged in 2014 with relentless planning from opposition figures with the U.S. and other Western hegemonic powers. Inevitably, what follows are accusations of corruption and human right abuses (as has already occurred), disorders and upheavals (protests have been ongoing since June 2019), and eventually a coup. Although there are no suggestions that a coup attempt may occur to install pro-NATO figures, Georgia is walking along a shaky path, especially now that U.S. political figures and the media are playing the narrative of corruption and human right abuses while also pointing the finger against Russia for being responsible for these so-called regressions in the Caucasian country.
It begs the question, is a regime change war coming to Georgia?
*
Is U.S. Sponsored Regime Change War Coming to Georgia?
By Paul Antonopoulos
Global Research, February 17, 2020
Region: Europe, USA
Theme: Intelligence
1 1 0
2
Former Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili (October 2012 – November 2013) is leading his party to dominate the Georgian parliament in the upcoming Autumn elections, if they actually go on schedule and not earlier as many commentators are speculating. Ivanishvili, Georgia’s richest man, ended his stint as Prime Minister on 20 November 2013 coming under extreme pressure from the West, but returned to politics in 2018 when he was elected as leader of the ruling Dream-Democratic Georgia Party who are expected to win the upcoming elections. This extreme pressure came because he maintained friendly relations with Moscow and was not subservient to NATO demands. As Ivanishvili is becoming a serious candidate to become the potential next leader of Georgia, the U.S. has begun applying pressure against the Russian-friendly politician knowing that his election will see NATO plans stall in the Caucasus.
At the end of January, U.S. House of Representatives, Republic Congressman Pete Olson (R-TX) slammed Ivanishvili on Twitter over so-called human rights, stating
“I have a question. What does Oscar the Grouch from Sesame Street have in common with Republic of Georgia’s oligarch Bidzina Ivanishvili? What they have in common? Answer – they are both puppets who trash their own homes. Vladimir Putin’s puppet [Bidzina Ivanishvili] has attacked the investment in Georgia and crushed basic human rights.”
By investments, Olson was referring to Texan oil company Frontera Resources who are in the middle of a bitter dispute with Georgia’s Oil and Gas Corporation. Georgia’s ambassador to the U.S., David Bakradze, hit back at Olson’s tweet, saying “the tone, in which the Congressmen supporting Frontera Resources address the (former) Georgian Prime Minister – the Prime Minister of the United States’ strategic partner state – is absolutely unacceptable.” It becomes clear then that the attack against Ivanishvili is not because of supposed human rights abuses but rather to protect U.S. oil corporations in the Caucasian country. Olson claimed that it was Vladimir Putin who “is happy to control Georgia’s oil,” again suggesting that Ivanishvili acts without independence and is a Russian puppet.
U.S. Now at War Against Iraq and Iran
With Olson mentioning supposed human right abuses in Georgia, this could set a dangerous precedent for the U.S. to remove Ivanishvili to protect their geostrategic and economic interests in the Caucasus. Supposed human rights abuses have been used in part of campaigns to legitimize and justify regime change wars in Iraq, Syria, Libya and elsewhere. Although it is unlikely the U.S. will employ such drastic measures as a direct regime change war like in the case of Iraq and Libya, human right abuses have also been used to justify crippling sanctions against independent sta
Mike Pompeo pledges $1 billion for EU energy projects to reduce Russia reliance
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Saturday said Washington pledged "up to $1 billion" to boost energy projects in eastern Europe as part of efforts to reduce reliance on Russian natural gas.
"The United States -- through our International Development Finance Corporation, and with the support of the US Congress -- intends to provide up to $1 billion in financing to the Central and Eastern European countries of the Three Seas Initiative," Pompeo told the Munich Security Conference.
https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.deccanherald.com/amp/international/mike-pompeo-pledges-1-billion-for-eu-energy-projects-to-reduce-russia-reliance-804943.html
https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/news/press-releases/us-commits-1-billion-dollars-to-develop-central-european-infrastructure/
Look at the CC list - very impressive - secretary of state, secretary of state for commerce, US secretary of Treasury and US Secretary of Energy
https://twitter.com/TXRandy14/status/1227320673598615553/photo/2
Back in Cayman court this Wednesday - summary judgement application by our old lawyers. Bit of a side issue now
https://www.judicial.ky/wp-content/uploads/courts/grand-court/GrandCourtList10thFebruary2020(F).pdf
Heritage Foundation: Top 5 Priorities for US - Georgian Relationship in 2020
The American research and educational organization Heritage Foundation has released a report, titled 'Five Top Priorities in US-Georgia Relations in 2020'.
The author of the work is Alexey Mrachek, an assistant researcher on issues related to Russia and Eurasia.
The report notes that 2020 will be an important year in US-Georgian relations. Parliamentary elections will be held in Georgia in October 2020 and Mrachek points out that given the active protests in 2019, these elections will most likely be noisy and tense.
"Other matters for 2020 include the fate of the Anaklia port project, making a US–Georgia free trade agreement (FTA), and Georgia’s NATO aspirations. In order to advance the US–Georgian relationship in 2020, the US should support free and fair parliamentary elections, push for a free trade agreement with Georgia, support Georgia’s NATO aspirations, strengthen the bilateral defense relationship, and prod Georgia to find a new investor for the Anaklia port project," the author notes.
He then points out that Georgia is of great importance to the United States. First of all, the country has proven to be a reliable ally in Afghanistan and Iraq, with thousands of Georgian fighters having been deployed in support of both missions over the years.
The author also highlights Georgia's strategically important location.
“Georgia’s location at the crossroads of Europe and Asia is extremely strategic. Running through Georgia are key oil and gas pipelines and rail lines, which are important to European security. These pipelines include the Baku–Tbilisi–Ceyhan pipeline, the Baku–Supsa pipeline, and the coming Southern Gas Corridor transit, and the main rail line running through Georgia is the Baku–Tbilisi–Kars railway," the report reads.
Moreover, according to the report, in terms of democratization in the region, Georgia is an example in Eurasia.
"Georgia also serves as an example for the Eurasia region in terms of its democratization efforts. It has remained committed to the transatlantic community for nearly 20 years, and it strongly values territorial integrity," the author notes.
"Georgia will be faced with multiple challenges this year," Mrachek writes. "The fate of the October parliamentary elections and the Anaklia Port project are uncertain. However, they could be successful if the US encourages Georgia onto the right path. Fortunately, the bilateral defense relationship, Georgia’s future NATO membership, and the possibility of a US–Georgia free trade agreement are already making progress. The United States should continue strengthening its relationship with Georgia by making these five issues a top priority in 2020," the author of the report concludes.
Source: heritage.org
Read the full report here
It’s hardly surprising that the client partner at a firm whose client has just funnelled £6m pounds of fees his firms way agrees to put out a statement when asked to. It’s not dissimilar from FRR wheeling out congressmen they have personally lobbied to aid their cause. The key difference is POLITICAL. A partner at a law firm carries zero weight whereas the same cannot be said for congressmen.
It was helpful to have confirmation that the Block has not been appropriated and I always thought that would have been legal suicide for the GOGC to have done when legal proceedings were afoot. Would have looked awful.
Legally the GOGC have the upper hand I personally feel and they’ll be confident of a favourable award. However, the political arena will supersede that. Parties can come to deals at any time for different reasons. FRR have a small window before the arbitration decision is reached to get the politicians to squeeze the pips in Georgia. If they can the arbitration will fall away. They know this hence the ramping up of pressure. Politics is where this will stand or fall.
I like this bit:
“Due to negative trends, calls to consider sanctions and other fines are heard louder. I joined the growing number of congressmen calling for reform and co-authored the “Law on Sanctions for Fair Business Practices in Georgia,” the letter says.
The Georgian opposition was jubilant and almost celebrated the victory, predicting that the days of the "Georgian Dream" were numbered. And Saakashvili’s ally, the leader of the European Georgia party, David Bakradze, warned the Georgian people that “the security and economic development of Georgia depends entirely on the Americans and Europeans”, therefore, it is necessary to clearly follow all the instructions received, which the current Georgian government forgets.
https://translate.google.co.uk/translate?hl=en&sl=ru&u=https://cont.ws/%40georgiafree/1572203&prev=search
Article today suggesting some activity by FRR
Generally, Frontera transports supplies via rail, but Georgian Railways has deemed the relevant section of track unsafe. These workers report that they heard there were further plans to remove reserves via truck, and in response have vowed to stop any oil trucks from leaving Dedoplistskharo. Given their deteriorating relationship with the company, workers in the town believe that Frontera has little intention of ever paying their salaries. The whole town, they claim, is unified in stopping the company from taking out the rest of the reserves
https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/odr/investor-standoff-georgia-brings-workers-us-congressmen-conflict/
Must watch the video
News
U.S. Congressman Slams ‘Oligarch’ Ivanishvili over Frontera Resources, ‘Crashing Basic Human Rights’
29/01/2020 - 01:05 0 Less than a minute
TagsBidzina IvanishviliCongressman Pete OlsonFrontera ResourcesGeorgiaheadlineU.S.-Georgia relations
On January 28, in his remarks made in the U.S. House of Representatives, Congressman Pete Olson, [R-TX] slammed Georgia’s ruling party chairman, ex-Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili over Frontera Resources, as well as for “crashing basic human rights.”
“I have a question. What does Oscar the Grounch from Sesame Street has in common with Republic of Georgia’s oligarch Bidzina Ivanishvili? What they have in common? Answer – they are both puppets who trash their own homes,” Congressman said, adding that “Vladimir Putin’s puppet [Bidzina Ivanishvili] has attacked the investment in Georgia and crashed basic human rights.”
He then noted that “coming from Texas, Frontera Resources, has been drilling in Georgia for years and years and years. They’ve created great jobs in America, great jobs in Georgia. They’ve created freedom…. Now they are drilling zero wealth in Georgia.”
Rep. Olson then stressed that “of course, …. Vladimir Putin is happy to control Georgia’s oil. This puppet oligarch Ivanishvili is getting rich off the backs of the Georgian people.”
“It’s time to wake up as protesters in Georgia need our support. Join me in raising our voices for freedom in Georgia,” he concluded.
Frontera Resources, U.S. company with headquarters in Houston, Texas, has dispute with Georgia’s Oil and Gas corporation. Several other Congressmen before Rep. Olson also criticized Georgian government for the country’s dispute with Frontera Resources.
On January 26, David Bakradze, Georgia’s ambassador to the U.S. said “the tone, in which the Congressmen supporting Frontera Resources address the Georgian Prime Minister – the Prime Minister of the United States’ strategic partner state – is absolutely unacceptable,” noting that “we have long experience of relations with the Congressmen supporting this company.”
Georgia’s Ambassador Bakradze Assesses U.S. Congressmen’s Letters
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Like this:
https://civil.ge/archives/336451
Professor of the Georgian University of Public Affairs Tornike Sharashenidze believes that the growing US pressure on the "Georgian Dream" is an attempt to balance the balance of political forces within the country before the parliamentary elections. "Through letters, the Americans are trying to put pressure on Ivanishvili and convince him to return to democratic tracks. For relations with Moscow, they threaten to deprive the" Georgian Dream "of support. For Ivanishvili, ties with Russia are beneficial. But this is not the scenario that will lead his party to victory. For a balance of power, a country needs a US presence, "argues Sharashenidze. The political scientist draws attention to the fact that the tonality of letters from American politicians is noticeably becoming tougher. And if the “Georgian Dream” ignores the recommendations, the threat of sanctions is very real, Sharashenidze believes. "The United States may impose restrictions not against the whole country, but against certain Georgian businessmen or officials. Take Ivanishvili too. He owns the shares of many leading American companies, and sanctions can pose a personal threat to him," the expert explains. Sharashenidze is sure that the losing Georgian Dream will have to heed the advice from Washington. Otherwise, its ratings will fall even lower. "If the party follows the recommendations of the congressmen, then by the end of the election it has a chance to join the ruling coalition. However, it will not work to get a majority in the parliament. The last straw was the refusal of our own promises to reform the electoral law and switch from a mixed election system to a proportional one," explains Sharashenidze. Archil Sikharulidze, a political scientist and founder of the Georgian SIKHA Foundation research center, does not rule out the possibility that the Georgian lobby may be behind the letters of American congressmen. "Mikheil Saakashvili was friends with George W. Bush. Then a group of Republicans began to form in the Congress, which supported and pushed the interests of Tbilisi in everything. Many congressmen received rewards from Saakashvili," At the same time, Sikharulidze believes that the "Georgian Dream" really has something to present. "The ruling party failed many of the promised reforms. Not everything is smooth and with democratic institutions. But it is wrong to believe that under Saakashvili the country was in full order with liberal values. The ex-president, no less than the current government, backed away from democracy, but in the West this found excuses all the time, "he says. Assessing the content of the letters, the expert concludes that the congressmen do not have a full understanding of what is happening in the country. He does not believe that sanctions will follow against Tbilisi.
https://translate.google.co.uk/translate?hl=en&sl=ru&u=http://rusonline.org/gruziya-ignoriruet-sovety-amerikancev-otvetyat-li-oni-sankciyami&prev=search
David Bakradze, Georgian Ambassador to the United States, commented on the letters sent by the U.S. Congressmen to the Georgian government.
In the interview with Imedi TV on January 26, Ambassador Bakradze divided the letters into two categories – the letter sent by Adam Kinzinger and Gerald E. Connolly, Co-Chairs of the U.S. Congressional Georgia Caucus and the joint letter sent by four Congressmen, together with the letter by Congressman Mullin, which also mention the dispute between the Georgian Oil and Gas Corporation and U.S. based Frontera Resources company.
“The tone, in which the Congressmen supporting Frontera address the Georgian Prime Minister – the Prime Minister of the United States’ strategic partner state – is absolutely unacceptable,” he said, noting that “we have long experience of relations with the Congressmen supporting this company.”
Ambassador Bakradze explained that Texas (home state to the Republican Michael McCaul , one of the signatories of the letter of four) and Oklahoma (home to the Republican Congressman Mullin) are the places of origin of Frontera Resources and “accordingly, these Congressmen have their own reasons to support the company, which has a legal dispute with Georgia.”
“In this context, we have seen a lot of letters, draft resolutions, including draft legislative acts [that] had been submitted twice against the Georgian government, which received no followup in the U.S. Congress,” the Georgian Ambassador said.
Concerning the letter sent by the Georgia Caucus, Bakradze noted that it contains “factual inaccuracies” regarding the country’s economic growth, investments and country’s foreign policy orientation. Ambassador Bakradze said certain people providing the congressmen with inaccurate information “are putting them in an awkward situation.”
Bakradze noted that the Georgian side has already started working to provide the U.S. partners with comprehensive and accurate information, as well as to underline the inaccuracies outlined in the letter.
MP Nazvlishvili reproached members of the US Congress for bias
Tbilisi , January 27, 2020 , 11:53 - REGNUM Independent deputy Beka Natsvlishvili will send a letter to members of the US Congress and the American ambassador in Tbilisi urging him to closely monitor what is happening in Georgia before making accusatory statements. On January 27, the people's representative spoke about this at a press conference with former employees of Frontera Resources, according to Channel One of Georgian television.
Natsvlishvili pointed out that 84 employees were immediately dismissed at Frontera Resources in December. He noted that, speaking in defense of such a company, congressmen cast a shadow over all the rest of their accusations.
“I share their pathos in connection with democratic values, where attention is paid to the fact that the authorities did not keep the election promise in connection with the proportional election system,” said Natsvlishvili. “However, all this must be separated from the problems caused by the activities of American companies . ”
As REGNUM reported , a number of congressmen have previously stood up for Frontera Resources. Also in their appeals addressed to the Prime Minister of Georgia Georgy Gaharia, they indicated that they saw in Georgia’s domestic policy a deviation from the course of democratic reforms.
https://translate.google.co.uk/translate?hl=en&sl=ru&u=https://regnum.ru/news/2840562.html&prev=search
Phillim
My deepest and sincere sympathies to you. It is heart warming how this board has rallied around one of our own. We are here for you.