PM says state will own 51% of shares of Anaklia deep-sea port

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili on Monday said that the Government would get involved in the construction of Anaklia deep-sea port in the country’s west and own 51 percent of shares in the controversial infrastructure. 

He also called a previous tender-winner – the Anaklia Development Consortium – a “so-called” investor and noted businessmen Badri Japaridze and Mamuka Khazaradze, who are now the leaders of the Lelo opposition party, had spent only three million dollars on the construction although they had attracted 20-25 million dollars from investors.

“After they abandoned this project after four-five years and failed to implement it, they decided to rob our country. They sued and took the case to arbitration and today they are disputing 1.5 billion dollars. Can you imagine what is happening?!” Garibashvili said. 

“This project is abandoned, the place is desolate. They turned this place into a nest of dust”, he noted. 

At the beginning of 2020, the government of Georgia announced that it was terminating the investment agreement for the construction of the strategic deep-water port with Anaklia Development Consortium because the latter had failed to fulfill its obligations under the investment agreement. 

The consortium denies the allegations and claims the founder of the ruling Georgian Dream party, Bidzina Ivanishvili, deliberately disrupted the project “per the instructions of the Kremlin”.