Georgia Prepares for Privatization of Ports, Airports

Georgian Prime Minister Zurab Zhvania told reporters on July 5 that the government is working over procedural issues in regards to the privatization of airports and of the ports in Batumi and Poti.

?Privatization of these facilities is a very complicated process. Debts are accumulated artificially in these facilities [ports and airports], also some legal procedural issues need to be carried out in order to prepare them for privatization,? Zurab Zhvania said.

?After these measures are carried out we will be able to pave the way for investors so that they won?t have any problems after the purchasing [ of ports and airports],? he added.

The current Georgia State Property Privatization law lists state-run enterprises that cannot be privatized, including ports. So it stands that, under current legislation, the government would not be allowed to implement these declared measures of privatization.

A list of enterprises to be privatized was submitted to the cabinet by the Georgian Minister of Economics, Kakha Bendukidze. The list included around 240 state-owned enterprises and facilities throughout Georgia.