Almost all spheres of the Georgian economy appear to be in a difficult situation associated with high risks which are the consequences of a plethora of mistakes committed during the last years. Moreover, the current situation is significantly and gravely aggravated by Russia’s military aggression. The existing threats are seen to seriously hamper a rapid economic rehabilitation of the country in the period following the occupation.

The following is a description of the substance of mistakes which have been made in various sectors and the ways for preventing them in the future.

The military developments which started in South Ossetia in August 2008 have presently converted into a global crisis. Given a three-dimensional nature of the conflict, the elimination of the crisis is expected to be a very difficult task.

On the opening of the round-table “Coverage of the August conflict in the Mass Media of Azerbaijan, Georgia and Armenia” the head of the Tbilisi branch of Conrad Adenauer fund, Katya Plate shared her impressions about Caucasus: “When I was going to the South Caucasus I thought that it was a single region. However, very soon I realized that there are three completely different countries which are separated from one another.”

Interview with the journalist, Idrak Abassov (newspaper “Zerkalo”, Azerbaijan)

On December 2nd -3rd, a round table “Coverage of the Georgian-Russian War in August, 2008 in Mass Media of Azerbaijan, Armenia and Georgia” took place in the center of cultural interrelations “Caucasian House” (Tbilisi).

An interview with the director of the educational complex «Mkhitar Sebastaci», ex-minister of education of Armenia Ashot Bleyan.

“Why don’t you like us so much?!” This question was raised when I entered the study of Artyusha Mkrtchyan who is a head of the “Caucasian Centre on Non-Traditional Methods of Conflict Settlement” Non-Governmental Organization in Gyumri. When I turned around I saw nobody in the doorway behind me. “Yes, yes! That is the reason why you, Georgians, do not like Armenians so much?!”, he made me understand that the question was directed at me, Mr. Artyusha. I began to think. I began to recall when and how I could have offended that man. But I failed to remember.

An interview with Mesrop Movsesyan, a head of an independent Armenian TV Company A1+.

The Parliament of Georgia has at last adopted the law to repatriate citizens forcefully deported from the country in the 40s of the last century. But the fatted calf seems likely to be spared – the current story is in many ways different from the parable of the prodigal son. It is about repatriation of the deported Muslim Meskhetins.

My daughter Yana Bestaeva-Kandelaki, aged 20, was taken for interrogation (directly from her workplace without any sanctions of a prosecutor and informing her parents) by the workers of the State Security Committee of the Republic of South Ossetia in the night of April 4th, 2008.