GOG NEEDS STRATEGY FOR THE DEVELOPMENT AND

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 TBILISI 003046 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR EUR DAS BRYZA AND EUR/CARC E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/19/2016 TAGS: PREL PGOV GG RU SUBJECT: GOG NEEDS STRATEGY FOR THE DEVELOPMENT AND INTEGRATION OF AKHALKALAKI Classified By: Ambassador John F. Tefft for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (C) Summary: On November 7-8, PolEcon Chief and Poloff traveled to the multi-ethnic region of Samstkhe-Javakheti to meet with newly-elected local officials, NGO leaders, media representatives, and university students. The purpose of the visit was to reinforce the USG's commitment to increased integration of ethnic minorities in Georgia's political and economic development and to urge the newly-elected officials to use their increased powers to address the needs of their constituents. The key obstacle to the development of Akhalkalaki, the region's most volatile city and home to a Russian army base which is set to be withdrawn by 2007, is geographic isolation and pervasive poverty. Despite promising ideas from newly-elected officials, local authorities need to do more to coordinate a regional economic and political development strategy in order to reduce ethnic tensions in the region, increase investment, and create jobs. Local authorities also need to identify economic opportunities that will grow out of the Millennium Challenge Compact's $100 million road-building project linking the region with Tbilisi and Armenia and other USG assistance activities. GOG officials need to spend more time in the region and appoint a new Presidential Representative for Civil Integration who can focus government efforts to incorporate the region's ethnic minorities. The Embassy team passed the first two messages to the local authorities, NGOs, and the public, while Ambassador passed the last to Presidential Chief of Staff Giorgi Arveladze. End Summary. -------------- USG Message -------------- ¶2. (C) On November 7-8, PolEcon Chief and Poloff traveled to the multi-ethnic region of Samstkhe-Javakheti to meet with newly-elected local officials, NGO leaders, media representatives, and university students. PolEcon Chief underlined the USG's commitment to increased integration of ethnic minorities in the nation's political and economic development. PolEcon Chief cited the Millennium Challenge Compact (MCC) road-building project which will link Akhalkalaki with Tbilisi and Armenia and USAID projects supporting newly-elected local officials as evidence of the USG's commitment to the region. ¶3. (C) PolEcon Chief also urged local government officials to use their new budgetary and political authority, enacted as part of this year's local government reforms, to address the concerns of their constituents. PolEcon Chief advised them to look at the MCC road project as a catalyst to attract investment so that once the project is complete investors and infrastructure would be ready to take advantage of it. In meetings with NGO leaders, media outlets, and university students, PolEcon Chief encouraged people to consider how to make profitable businesses out of the highly prized goods of Akhalkalaki: cheese, trout, and milk. She urged the community to work with newly-elected local governments to develop a strategy for economic growth with a focus on getting Akhalkalaki's produce to market in Tbilisi, Armenia, and beyond. -------------- -------------- Meeting with The President's Rep for Samstkhe-Javakheti -------------- -------------- ¶4. (C) In a meeting with PolEcon Chief and Poloff, Giorgi Khachidze described his role as the President's Representative to Samstkhe-Javakheti as that of a "supervisor" over local government activities in the region. He said he has the right to suspend any Sakrebulo (municipal council) decision but acknowledged that the Sakrebulo could challenge his suspension in the courts. Khachidze sees his role as a "motivator" for local governments. He described a program he proposed to Parliament to increase local government activity in his region by measuring Sakrebulos against each other on their success in meeting budgetary targets and fighting corruption. ¶5. (C) On minority issues, Khachidze said that elements in the ethnic-Armenian city of Akhalkalaki play the ethnicity card to foment tensions and operate outside Government controls. He said that his Government has had to scale back tax inspections and unpopular business registration drives in order to avoid claims that the GOG is "suppressing minorities." He believes that the "rule of law" will be easier to establish once the Russian military base in the city is withdrawn at the end of 2007, but acknowledged that the withdrawal would also have a negative effect on the local economy. TBILISI 00003046 002 OF 003 -------------- Meetings with Akhalkalaki's New Government -------------- ¶6. (C) The team met with the newly-elected Chairman of the Akhalkalaki Sakrebulo, Khachatur Aivazian, in his unheated and sparsely furnished office. Aivazian, an Armenian, offered a rose-hued assessment of the situation in Akhalkalaki and lavished praise on the Saakashvili administration for bringing "democracy to Georgia." Aivazian described Akhalkalaki's problems as "economic" rather than "ethnic" identifying agricultural development and reconstruction of the city's sanitation system as critical tasks for the Government. He added that his budget was "too small" and hoped that the central government would contribute more than the planned 50 percent. PolEcon Chief encouraged Aivazian to also consider ways that he could increase the tax base by improving the economy rather than relying only on subsidies from Tbilisi. ¶7. (C) Sakrebulo member Artur Yeremian said that the MCC road would help attract investment in Akhalkalaki as it would link the region with Tbilisi and Armenia. He said the local government needs to focus on energy issues in order to consolidate and capitalize on any investment that develops out of the MCC project. He said the Government needs to target the region's potential for hydro-electric power generation and develop the infrastructure necessary for gasification. He said the region has historically relied on agriculture as the dominant feature of the economy. He believes the Government needs to develop agricultural technology in the region in order to increase yields and guarantee the consistency in the region's produce. ¶8. (C) Opposition Sakrebulo member and former-Mayor of Akhalkalaki Nair Iritsian known for his inflammatory rhetoric, told PolEcon Chief that the October 5 local elections had been "rigged" by the government. He claimed that his independent group of candidates -- who are linked to Armenian nationalist groups -- won 70% of the vote while the National Movement picked up only 30% - the opposite of the official election results. (Note: We doubt this claim as Iritsian was unable to provide any clear evidence to support his assertion and USG and NGO election observer teams in Akhalkalaki reported no irregularities which would have completely reversed the results of the election. End Note.) -------------- The NGO Community -------------- ¶9. (C) During a meeting with a large group of NGOs in Akhalkalaki, community leaders expressed the need for economic development and job growth in the region. The leaders voiced concerns over recent cuts in public sector jobs as the numerous local governments consolidated into regional structures as part of recent local government reforms. PolEcon Chief delivered the unpopular message that the Government could no longer build a factory to employ citizens, as in Soviet times. Rather, the local government, in concert with civil society groups, need to take steps to make the region more attractive to investors by re-building the infrastructure in order to increase investment in the region. PolEcon Chief described USG assistance projects which are providing technical assistance to local governments, civil society, and small businesses to help them do this. The NGO leaders said that more funds needed to be allocated to civil society groups from the local budget and from assistance organizations in order to develop the capacity of local NGOs to serve as watchdogs on local government activities. -------------- Media and University Outreach -------------- ¶10. (C) In interviews with Akhalkalaki TV and the news journal Southern Gates, and in a meeting with University students in Akhaltsike, PolEcon Chief reinforced the USG's commitment to see the region play a more active role in the political and economic development of Georgia. PolEcon Chief emphasized that the October 5 elections were a key step in the consolidation of democracy in Georgia. PolEcon Chief also expressed the hope that the newly elected representatives will use their increased powers, including budgetary powers, to address the concerns and needs of their citizens. PolEcon Chief also underscored how U.S. assistance is helping toward that end and reiterated the importance of using USG assistance to help build the local economy. TBILISI 00003046 003 OF 003 -------------- Comment: The Need for Strategy -------------- ¶11. (C) Comment: Although many promising ideas for economic development and civil integration were proposed by the local government and NGO leaders, a clear strategy needs to be developed in order for residents to make the best use of economic assistance from abroad and from Tbilisi to rebuild an economy based on their natural assets - highly prized produce - rather than an unprofitable factory put their by the Government. It is also clear that the role of the appointed Presidential Representative needs to be worked out in a way that allows local governments to act independently to achieve locally-defined objectives. ¶12. (C) The pervasive poverty, isolation, and the withdrawal of the Russian military base weigh heavily on the minds of local residents and make them susceptible to Russian efforts to foment instability in the region. The local government, the Presidential Representative, and especially central authorities from Tbilisi, can help to neutralize Russian efforts by simply meeting with local residents and listening to their concerns. We are encouraging the GOG to take this step and also urging them to appoint a new Presidential Advisor for Civil Integration - preferably from an ethnic minority community. End Comment. TEFFT