The financial — Two weeks ago I was in the United Kingdom talking to some senior academics in a reputed university on building Georgia as a regional centre for higher education. I argued that Georgia is a jewel in the Caucuses crown and it had all the potential of becoming a centre of excellence in providing world class education not only to Georgians but also to other countries in the region. I told them that this is indeed the time to move into Georgia. A very senior academic in charge of international partnerships however raised an important question. She asked “Is Georgia a safe country to operate in?”.
I was at first stunned by the question. I said that I have been in and out of Georgia for the last 3 years and now live permanently in Tbilisi and that I find that Georgia is perhaps one of the safest and most hospitable countries one could think of living or doing business in. I made her understand that I was simply shocked by her question. She responded saying that the British Travel Advisory on Georgia which provides an early warning of the situation there seems to indicate that Georgia is not a safe place for visitors.
Back in Tbilisi, I met with a senior Australian diplomat to discuss Australia-Georgia trade and investment relations. She too posed the same question: “Is Georgia a safe place?”. I told her about my disbelief that she had asked the question. Her response was similar: “The Australian Travel Advisory which briefs Australian visitors on conditions in each country does not put Georgia as a very safe place to visit”. And she added that the US, British and Australian Travel Advisory on Georgia all point to the same warnings.
Last week I visited the Samegrelo and Guria regions in relation to a major agro industry project, met with the relevant governors, drove hundreds of kilometres and on one fine evening I sat down with some friends in a Cafe in Zugdidi over coffee. Some six young men walked in, somewhat drunk for an early evening, and were happy and noisy. They wanted to order some beers and were in a mood to celebrate. The owner came out to meet them and told them that they were too drunk and noisy and no beer would be served. One by one, each tried to convince the owner but there was no hope in hell that they would get a drink. They all left, but before leaving, one young man walked up to me, apologised to me saying that they did not mean to disturb my peace and went to the extent of shaking hands with me and telling me in a few words of probably the only English that he knew “I love you… goodbye”.
My mission to Samegrelo and Guria, the people I met, the orderliness in the streets and the wonderful sense of balance were all therapeutic and rejuvenating. In all my months and years in Georgia, I have travelled the length and breadth of this country, talked to the governors and mayors and walked the streets with common people, dined with them and laughed with them and at no time in my entire time in Georgia have I ever been made to feel that I was the target of any form of threat or harassment. Two weeks ago when I went to London, I had forgotten to lock my car, as I more often do, and when I came back, the car was there, in the same place, untouched and un-opened. Some days ago, I was booked by the Police for driving while talking on my mobile phone. The booking procedure was polite, efficient and in fact even with a smile.
I am an Australian citizen and I understand why my Government takes full care of its citizens wherever they live. It is a tremendous comfort to know that the nearest Consular Office or High Commission of the Australian Government knows where I live and what I do. Even more, it does keep in touch with us on a regular basis. I cannot however understand how a government, whether it is Australia, Britain, the US or any European country sticks to an old Travel Advisory which may have been, at a certain point in time, valid and meaningful.
It is certainly dispiriting to find that travellers and investors wishing to come to Georgia are stopped at the gates of their own countries on account of an ill-perceived notion that Georgia is not a safe country. The 5-Day war and the problems may perhaps still linger in the minds of most people, but the facts now are totally different. There is perfect law and order, there is a platform of rules and regulations which need to be obeyed, ranging from driving with a seatbelt and paying your electricity bills on time, and the law enforcement agencies, to the best of my knowledge, are far superior and efficient to anything I have seen in over 80 countries I have travelled in and some 15 countries where I have lived.
My mission to the Samegrelo and Guria regions last week was a splendid eye opener, not merely in the context of the massive investment and development opportunities I have seen, but in the level of efficiency and motivation of the governors and their aides I have met. They were genuinely working hard to invite small and medium investments to drive their regional economies – from agro industry to hydro power – and displayed much enthusiasm and effort in convincing me that their regions are ripe with opportunities. One governor aptly said: “Even if your investment gives jobs to just one family, it would be a contribution”. The enthusiasm, the diligence and the pursuit of inward investments was of the highest order. And when I look back at the discussions I have had recently with academics and diplomats on the safety and security of Georgia and the Travel Advisory from developed countries, it makes me feel that the world at large has lost its plot on Georgia and it has not fully understood or appreciated its capacity to move ahead as it has done thus far.
Georgia must now get on the front foot and ensure that its passage of time and progress, its pursuit of law and order, its enforcement mechanisms, its liberal regime and hospitable culture is showcased more strongly to the world. Georgia must now ensure that it is not misunderstood overseas and that its open door policies and the abundance of opportunities in this country are made to work for Georgian peace and prosperity.
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