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Georgian TPP to be built in Vanadzor will not affect
Georgian-Azerbaijani-Turkish relations
September 3 2014
On August 21-22, Georgia's Prime Minister, Irakli Garibashvili, was on
an official visit to Armenia (in the photo, from the left). After the
visit, it became clear that an agreement was signed on building a
thermal power plant in Vanadzor. TPP will be built by Georgian Anaklia
IEP Holding. As reported by the Armenian community website in Georgia,
the owner of this company, Teimuraz Karchava, at the press conference
on August 26, in Tbilisi, has said, "During the construction and after
operation of the TPP, the Armenian Government exempts the Georgian
company from paying taxes for five years. Moreover, the whole
electricity consumed for the construction of plant will be exported to
Georgia." To the question of Georgian journalists "why this plant is
being built in Armenia and not in Georgia," Teimuraz Karchava
responded as follows, "For implementing construction in Anaklia
seaport and other projects, we need 400 megawatts of electricity.
Today, the Georgian energy system does not have this amount of free
electricity. It requires 18 months for the operation of the Armenian
TPP, whereas it requires 8 years for the construction and operation of
a hydropower plant in Georgia. Building a hydro power station in
Armenia, 18 months later, we would already have the required
electricity for us." It is written in Georgia's Armenian community
website, "Building a Georgian TPP in the territory of Armenia has
become an active topic of discussion for the Georgian media, and it is
impossible not to comment on the question of "Newpost" daily addressed
to the reader, "whether the construction of the hydro-power plant to
be built in Armenia would not generate tension in relations between
Georgia and Azerbaijan." Surely, it would. In the event of
implementation of the anti-Azerbaijani project by Georgia, Azerbaijan
will have to introduce a whole series of sanctions against Georgia.
The transfer of oil and gas Turkey through Georgia will be terminated.
The construction of a railway connecting Azerbaijan and Turkey will be
terminated. Azerbaijan will close the border with Georgia and thus the
country will appear is a strict blockade. The entire Azerbaijani small
and large capital and businesses bringing hundreds of millions of
dollars revenue per annum to Azerbaijani treasury will be withdrawn
from Georgia. In the face of introduced sanctions against Georgia by
Azerbaijan, Azerbaijan and Turkey will find a new, alternative way to
carry out so vital for them mutual communication." With regard to
these pessimistic and sarcastic remarks, "Aravot" asked the Regional
Research Center researcher, also analyst, Johnny Melikyan, whether
escalation of the Armenian-Georgian economic relations could truly
become an opportunity for counteractions in Azerbaijan, and whether
generated from the fear of this counteractions, the planned and
current Armenian-Georgian projects may fail or be terminated.
According to the analyst, "After the change of power in 2012, a
positive move in Armenian-Georgian relations has been observed. This
trend is directly related to Bidzina Ivanishvili's giving a new
impetus to Georgian-Russian relations and starting a dialogue.
Georgia's leadership views the relations with neighboring countries,
purely from the prospect of national interests of the state. Hence,
understanding how Georgian economy is dependent from Turkish and
Azerbaijani investments, trade and energy cooperation, the Georgian
government is trying to balance these relations with strengthening
Russian-Georgian and Armenian-Georgian relations. In this event, on
one hand, participating in Georgian-Azerbaijani-Turkish tripartite
partnership format, the bases of which were still laid in
Saakashvili's presidency, in 2012, by the foreign ministers of the
three countries in Trabzon, Georgia at the same time is trying to
deepen economic relations with Russia and Armenia, especially in the
last 8 months. With regard to the construction of TPP in Vanadzor by
Georgian Anaklia IEP Holding and 600 million US dollar investment,
then I must say that despite the fact that Georgia receives natural
gas from Azerbaijan, and in the end a decision has been made to
implement the project in Armenia thanks to the gas and labor force
provided by Armenia, which shows the development of good neighborly
relations between Georgia and Armenia. Talking about the development
of relations and its impact on Georgian-Azerbaijani or
Georgian-Turkish relations, I must say that despite the fact that our
neighbors would be jealous to it, however, it will not leave any
impact both on the Armenian-Georgian relations, nor there will be a
review or termination of Georgian-Azerbaijani-Turkish projects: the
Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline, Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum gas pipeline,
Baku-Tbilisi-Akhalkalaki-Kars railway. Even our neighboring countries
declare that deepening of relations is expected in
Georgian-Azeri-Turkish trilateral partnership format, including
military partnership. But, eventually, no matter the Georgian
relations be with the neighbors, they will be within the national
interests: economic development and the status of a transit country
work for the benefit of this country."
Melania BARSEGHYAN
Read more at: http://en.aravot.am/2014/09/03/166762/
Georgian-Azerbaijani-Turkish relations
September 3 2014
On August 21-22, Georgia's Prime Minister, Irakli Garibashvili, was on
an official visit to Armenia (in the photo, from the left). After the
visit, it became clear that an agreement was signed on building a
thermal power plant in Vanadzor. TPP will be built by Georgian Anaklia
IEP Holding. As reported by the Armenian community website in Georgia,
the owner of this company, Teimuraz Karchava, at the press conference
on August 26, in Tbilisi, has said, "During the construction and after
operation of the TPP, the Armenian Government exempts the Georgian
company from paying taxes for five years. Moreover, the whole
electricity consumed for the construction of plant will be exported to
Georgia." To the question of Georgian journalists "why this plant is
being built in Armenia and not in Georgia," Teimuraz Karchava
responded as follows, "For implementing construction in Anaklia
seaport and other projects, we need 400 megawatts of electricity.
Today, the Georgian energy system does not have this amount of free
electricity. It requires 18 months for the operation of the Armenian
TPP, whereas it requires 8 years for the construction and operation of
a hydropower plant in Georgia. Building a hydro power station in
Armenia, 18 months later, we would already have the required
electricity for us." It is written in Georgia's Armenian community
website, "Building a Georgian TPP in the territory of Armenia has
become an active topic of discussion for the Georgian media, and it is
impossible not to comment on the question of "Newpost" daily addressed
to the reader, "whether the construction of the hydro-power plant to
be built in Armenia would not generate tension in relations between
Georgia and Azerbaijan." Surely, it would. In the event of
implementation of the anti-Azerbaijani project by Georgia, Azerbaijan
will have to introduce a whole series of sanctions against Georgia.
The transfer of oil and gas Turkey through Georgia will be terminated.
The construction of a railway connecting Azerbaijan and Turkey will be
terminated. Azerbaijan will close the border with Georgia and thus the
country will appear is a strict blockade. The entire Azerbaijani small
and large capital and businesses bringing hundreds of millions of
dollars revenue per annum to Azerbaijani treasury will be withdrawn
from Georgia. In the face of introduced sanctions against Georgia by
Azerbaijan, Azerbaijan and Turkey will find a new, alternative way to
carry out so vital for them mutual communication." With regard to
these pessimistic and sarcastic remarks, "Aravot" asked the Regional
Research Center researcher, also analyst, Johnny Melikyan, whether
escalation of the Armenian-Georgian economic relations could truly
become an opportunity for counteractions in Azerbaijan, and whether
generated from the fear of this counteractions, the planned and
current Armenian-Georgian projects may fail or be terminated.
According to the analyst, "After the change of power in 2012, a
positive move in Armenian-Georgian relations has been observed. This
trend is directly related to Bidzina Ivanishvili's giving a new
impetus to Georgian-Russian relations and starting a dialogue.
Georgia's leadership views the relations with neighboring countries,
purely from the prospect of national interests of the state. Hence,
understanding how Georgian economy is dependent from Turkish and
Azerbaijani investments, trade and energy cooperation, the Georgian
government is trying to balance these relations with strengthening
Russian-Georgian and Armenian-Georgian relations. In this event, on
one hand, participating in Georgian-Azerbaijani-Turkish tripartite
partnership format, the bases of which were still laid in
Saakashvili's presidency, in 2012, by the foreign ministers of the
three countries in Trabzon, Georgia at the same time is trying to
deepen economic relations with Russia and Armenia, especially in the
last 8 months. With regard to the construction of TPP in Vanadzor by
Georgian Anaklia IEP Holding and 600 million US dollar investment,
then I must say that despite the fact that Georgia receives natural
gas from Azerbaijan, and in the end a decision has been made to
implement the project in Armenia thanks to the gas and labor force
provided by Armenia, which shows the development of good neighborly
relations between Georgia and Armenia. Talking about the development
of relations and its impact on Georgian-Azerbaijani or
Georgian-Turkish relations, I must say that despite the fact that our
neighbors would be jealous to it, however, it will not leave any
impact both on the Armenian-Georgian relations, nor there will be a
review or termination of Georgian-Azerbaijani-Turkish projects: the
Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline, Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum gas pipeline,
Baku-Tbilisi-Akhalkalaki-Kars railway. Even our neighboring countries
declare that deepening of relations is expected in
Georgian-Azeri-Turkish trilateral partnership format, including
military partnership. But, eventually, no matter the Georgian
relations be with the neighbors, they will be within the national
interests: economic development and the status of a transit country
work for the benefit of this country."
Melania BARSEGHYAN
Read more at: http://en.aravot.am/2014/09/03/166762/