Gov’t plans to hire consultants to build controversial Anaklia deep-sea port

Georgian Economy Minister Levan Davitashvili said on Monday that the Georgian Dream Government had plans to hire consultants which would ensure support in the selection process of “right investors” in the construction of the Anaklia deep-sea port near the Russian-occupied Abkhazia region, after allegations in 2019 that the founder of the Georgian Dream ruling party, Bidzina Ivanishviili, “rejected the port construction as he was instructed by Russia”. 

In comments to journalists, Davitashvili claimed that large investors from Abu Dhabi, Persian Gulf and Central Asian countries were interested in the constitution of the deep sea port, noting that “professionally drafted criteria for selection of investors, as well as clear formulation for state-private partnership is critically important”. 

Anaklia Development Consortium, the winner of the previous tender in 2016 to build the deep sea port in Anaklia, was unable to attract funds for the 2.5 billion USD project, with TBC Holding as its principal partner and its top figures Mamuka Khazaradze and Badri Japaridze, accusing Ivanishvili and the current authorities of “deliberate moves to hamper the construction of the port disliked by Russia.” 

Khazaradze and Japaridze claimed that the country’s Prosecutor’s Office filed “absurd, money laundering charges” against them for a case dating back to 2008, to discredit their image, the holding and finally hamper the consortium to attract necessary funds.