During the interview with “Forbes Week”, founder of TBC Bank, Mamuka Khazaradze spoke about the ongoing processes around Anaklia project. According to Khazaradze, their partners are being discredited by Georgian government:
“Our partners are being discredited by speaking about their work as if it was not important. They are receiving such messages from the government. For example, the company which processes 250 ports around the world is being underestimated to the level that it supposedly sends five people here and establishes local llc and turns out this is not acceptable for the government. This is not the correct approach towards the investors. This issue has been discussed many times. The Vice President of SSA Marine met the Prime Minister, members of the government and he made the presentation as well. He did not stop for a second from talking about their involvement in the project and the same goes for Conti Group.
Contri group is one of the largest construction company and he is our actioner in this project. The owner of Conti group is a college friend of mine and I’ve had good relations with him throughout years. It was his own initative to make an investment in Georgia. What are we dealing with when the actioner is the owner of the construction company? International rules demand that this company should not construct the port in order to avoid conflict of interests, because the investor should not be the constructor. That is why we announced the tender in which 6 international construction companies participated. I can say directly that the two companies, which are left are from Turkey and France.
Of course, Conti group did not participate in this process so that there would not be any questions asked. Banks are also looking at this subject with caution. We are serious businessmen not to make such mistakes, that’s how I consider myself and Conti as well. Nothing else has changed, Conti is the same kind of partner as TBC Holding”, stated Khazaradze.
In regards to state-business relations Khazaradze also spoke about Vice PM Tskitishvili and her involvement in these processes. He stated that it is not serious when the Minister has not been in Anaklia before
“I know what partnership means in business. It is standing side by side together. This should involve daily communication via phone or emails. When the minister is not communicating and she hasn’t even visited Anaklia - this is not serious. I am not competing with anyone. I am just saddened that the things are not done in the way with which the country would move forward”, stated Khazaradze.
Khazaradze expressed the readiness to invite Vice PM to Anaklia and show her the results of the work that has been carried out so far, as it would be good if she ‘sees the perspectives we have been talking about on her own’.
On question whether the previous government was more involved in the process or not, Khazaradze responded:
“There was more involvement because we were signing the contract and you know what we were told in the end: ‘take it or leave it!’ they have turned the project into a non-bank product and we are now in the process of making these changes. I remember the dialogue with Baker&Mckenzie by heart. They told me directly that they were not giving a recommendation to sign this deal, because we wouldn’t be able to attract the money”, said Khazaradze.
Khazaradze also commented on POG’s decision to seize he signature rights for him and deputy chair of TBC Bank’s supervisory board, Badri Japaridze. He once again stated that it was an orchestrated attack from the side of the politicans.
“if this was a discussion with one institution it would be fine, but the entire government is behind it. You can’t win with the government in a country, in which it is very hard to find justice. This is very bad. . . We were unlawfully thrown away from the organization that we established”, stated Khazaradze.
