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Who Owned Georgia English.pdf

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director of GeoProMining. In 2009, Kalandaze and Nakopiawere involved in GeoProMining’s controversial buyout ofLondon-based Anil Agarwal, in Lake Sevan, Armenia, which hadenvironmentalists in an uproar. 366There is reason to believe that the Caucasus Mining Groupmay have exclusively benefitted from another tender onFebruary 29, 2012, when the Ministry of Energy and NaturalResources held an auction for a 27 year extraction license forgold, copper and other precious minerals. The starting price was110 million GEL, quite a nominal sum for mining a territorythat accounts for most - if not all - of <strong>Georgia</strong>’s gold and copperexports (3.9 & 5% of <strong>Georgia</strong>’s total exports in 2011). <strong>Georgia</strong>exported $110 million of gold and $85 million in copper in 2011alone. 367 Yet, only one company participated in an auction thatlasted one minute. 368 LLC Mining Investments was awarded thelicense for 500,000 GEL above the starting price. The companywas registered just two weeks before the auction was announced.Alvydas Brusokas, a Lithuanian citizen, is the sole owner anddirector of the company. His legal address, Gudiashvili Square4, Tbilisi, is also the address of the law firm, BLC. TransparencyInternational <strong>Georgia</strong>, which had monitored the auction,recognized a gentleman who they believed represented LLCMining Investments and GeoProMining 369 .While the privatization of Chiaturmanganese and Madneuliraise ethical questions regarding transfer of ownership, theoperation of the Tkibuli coal mines concern issues of a morecorporeal nature.366 Armenia: Trying to Find a Balance Between Economic Need andEnvironmental Responsibility. Gayane Abrahamyan. Eurasia.net http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/insightb/articles/eav060309a.shtml Accessed on04/12/2012367 “Attend the largest mining auction in <strong>Georgia</strong>n history!” TransparencyInternational <strong>Georgia</strong> http://transparency.ge/en/blog/attend-largest-miningauction-georgian-history-0Accessed on 04/12/2012368 Mining Auction Fails to Attract Major Investors Transparency International<strong>Georgia</strong>. http://www.transparency.ge/en/blog/mining-auction-fails-attractmajor-investorsAccessed on 04/12/2012369 Ibid91

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