GEORGIAN STATE DEBT RESTRUCTURING COMMISSION TO

UNCLAS TBILISI 001944 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PARM PREL KNNP GG SUBJECT: GEORGIAN STATE DEBT RESTRUCTURING COMMISSION TO CONSIDER SAKAGROBIOMRETSVI INSITUTE TAX LIEN REF: SECSTATE 80250 Per reftel request, Post delivered letter to Minister of Finance Alex Aleksishvili on July 6. In a follow-up meeting with the Minister on August 3, Kendra Chittenden, Deputy Director of the BioIndustry Initiative, raised the issue of restructuring the tax lien on the Sakagrobiomretsvi Institute, so that the work of converting the Institute into a food grain mill can proceed. Aleksishvili said that the Ministry was waiting for the proper tax and ownership documentation and remaining debt obligations from the Institute so it can properly evaluate the lien. Once the Ministry has all the documentation, he said, it would be examined by the state debt restructuring commission to determine what type of restructuring would be feasible and a decision would be made. He emphasized that he was supportive of the project, but could not move the issue forward without having the documentation first. A representative from the Institute told Aleksishvili that they planned to submit all the necessary documents to the Ministry by August 10. PERRY