Saakashvili seems to see invasion of Russian banks

Georgy Kalatozishvili, Tbilisi. Exclusively to Vestnik Kavkaza

After the victory of the coalition Georgian Dream in the elections, the Russian topic became a keynote of the Georgian policy, but in a strange form: the lost team of Saakashvili is permanently accusing the prime minister and his government of secret plans on giving Georgia away to the Kremlin and rejection of Euro-Atlantic integration. Ivanishvili’s team has to make excuses: “We are pro-Western government and European integrators, while you let Putin capture 20% of Georgia in August 2008.” It appears Saakashvili is “the Kremlin’s agent”, while Ivanishvili permanently tries “to rescue the motherland from the arms of the empire and show it a right direction” to Europe.

The favorite topic for mutual accusations is economic expansion by Russia and Russian capital. Companies of the north neighbor possess assets in the energetic and financing sectors of economy, chemical, metal mining, and food industry, and in the sphere of telecommunications.

For example, Inter RAO UES has 75% of stock in Tbilisi distribution company Telasi and 50% in Gruzenergo. The water power stations Khrami-1 and Khrami-2 were given under control of this company till 2028.

LUKoil-Georgia has 20-25% of retail of diesel fuel and gasoline of various kinds.

One of the leaders of the banking sphere is Bank VTB (Georgia), while the major metal mining producer of Georgia, Madneuli, belonged to the group Industrial Investors until quite recently.

The Russian mobile phone service provider Vympelkom possess 51% of stock of the local provider Mobitel.

Energy Invest purchased 90% of the chemical factory Azot – one of the major producers of mineral fertilizers in the CIS.

Russian investors also own several food producing enterprises, for example liquor producer Ushba belongs to the group of companies “Russian Alcohol.”

Most of these purchases took place in times of Saakashvili’s full-scale presidency. He thought that rubles like dollars didn’t smell. But when Saakashvili was defeated by Bidzina Ivanishvili who gained a huge capital in the 1990s in Russia, the topic of “economic expansion” became acute for President who tried to show mercantile interests of his main rival.

It is no surprise that Saakashvili began to threat compatriots with invasion of Ivanishvili’s former colleagues with whom he had recently had breakfasts in Davos.

President used a press conference for heating the atmosphere: “Several days ago the negotiations on purchasing of the major Georgian bank Liberty by Sberbank of Russia have almost been completed,” Saakashvili was indignant. Moreover, according to him, “Russian Alfa-Bank is buying TBC Bank; Carty Bank is already Russian (Carty belongs to “the Russian oligarch” Ivanishvili – author’s note); Gazprombanks indents to purchase several Georgian banks!”

During the press conference all Georgian banks mentioned by President denied Saakashvili’s statements through the mass media. Few hours later Sberbank and Gazprombank denied these facts as well. Only Alfa-Bank keeps silence, as it has recently bought Borzhomi which belonged to the family of late businessman Badri Patarkatsishvili.

The next day Saakashvili went to Azerbaijan. To the airport he headed without guards, accompanied by his wife Sandra Rulovs. He was driving a car himself. It was a protest to the fact that the state service is now controlled by Premier. When he came to the airport, he told journalists that he got worked up with invasion of Russian banks. “I was told about their activeness by our Central Bank. But if it is not so, it is good. However, I will follow the process attentively,” President said and entered the plane.