Badri in historical homeland of the Turkish

Emzar Jgerenaia

Why don’t the Turkish leave him alone in historical homeland – super version of the Turkish Gambit. This is the story of the way Turkish have blotted out Free Trade Agreement. A bitter economic plot of a story about a Georgian who have exiled to Khataeti.

I wasn’t so delighted to see spring coming with its glory and boom, as to see January and February statistical data on foreign trade. At last, Russia is not our major foreign trade partner. It is even excluded from the top ten export list. To put it in my students’ words – we kicked it off. Excluded just like Top Muller. By the way, import is dieing too, it’s temporarily on 7th or 8th position. Gas from Azerbaijan that cost so expensive to Tbilisi residents with the greatest help of ‘KazTransGaz’ (What was that!? What a winter. ‘KazTransGaz’ increased prices on gas three or four times more. Even David Copperfield would have envied this trick – the company took away lots on money from each Tbilisi residents using its low quality gas and no one opposed. So what?) We got rid of this huge Russian market after all and moved to Turkey. It occupies the first position at historical pedestal. We are directed to Turkey in foreign trade. Well, we are. As for Turkey, it is not directed to us at all (perhaps the issue of orientation does not really matter to the modern world at all). Let’s remember the fact of singing free trade agreement when our previous Minister of Economics informed with the voice of Didgori traveler – That’s it. Our good will flow to Turkey and taxes will not be imposed on us. Well, it turned out the agreement with Turkey doesn’t actually work yet. Scandal is breaking. This type of agreement doesn’t seem convenient for Turkey. The issue is quite troublesome and there is no light at the end of tunnel. Now let’s take a look at our and out major partner’s trade balance – during two months of 2008 Turkey imported goods of USD 26292,6 thousands from Georgia, including :
Wastes and scrap metal – 13 millions;
Wastes and aluminum scrap – 2 millions;
Wastes and copper scrap – 1 million; woods etc. It mainly takes scrap. Its Georgia’s cleaner. Neighboring Turkey cleans this country. On the one hand, there is nothing to quarrel about. Although on the other hand it brings serious garbage back to Georgia. Namely, import from Turkey: paper, metal construction, family chemicals. It means that turkey takes materials, processes it and gives back with 5 times higher prices. This is not the right way of country’s development. Free trade agreement will obviously not work this way. We have put an end to Russia, although this kind of relation of the Turkish to us, or our relation to Turkey will put an end to us. Import amounted to USD 882 in January and February in Georgia. It is about Gel 300 million due to this year’s exchange rate. Last year indicator (663.3*1.82) of the same period of time amounted to 1 billion 207 millions. Growth in comparison with the previews year is Gel 100 millions, it means 9%, not 33%. The same is true with export. Last year during the same period of time it increased form 250 millions to 288 millions with the help of ores, copper ore, ferroalloy and scrap. Excluding Russia from the list and putting Turkey instead is quite a painful issue. Turkey should have signed the Open Door Policy agreement with us instead of Free Trade Relations. But they don’t understand Georgian attitude to neighborhood and push to Turkish- European attitude, when you should let it have all (make compromises) and they let you have only some things. Besides, please, take into consideration that if Gel exchange rate equaled last year’s level, exporters would have gained Gel 100 millions more from export revenues. The Turkish have gained and lost about 100 million Gels now. Do you really understand it? No, you don’t. Mr. Badri (one of the honorable Georgians) entered Middle Asian market – Turkmenistan and Kyrgyzstan, with Georgian tea (I don’t want to discuss problems of Georgian tea now. I have heart troubles. Besides, its spring, a difficult and changeable season and I dot want to have high blood pressure). It’s a fact that Bardi has lost Gel 254 000 per each million Gel for exported goods to Middle Asian marker. It’s also a fact that he doesn’t know what to pay to peasants in Guria. As he states, he doesn’t care about his own profit any more. Turkish tea ‘Mariam’ has flooded Georgian market. It has long had an advantageous supporting regime and throws Georgian product from market with its damping prices. Still they don’t sign quite well cut agreement on free trade. Where does this strange type of friendship and neighborhood come from? Well, it’s their type of friendship! As for our type, actually it does not exist! I didn’t imagine the Turkish would oppress us after centuries. I didn’t expect it from them. Although, I guess, they are not to blame. It’s only us! Caspian Sea from one side and Black Sea from the other side. We have a wrong foreign trade policy. We have taken off all our clothes and meet visitors naked – come, dear sirs, and enjoy yourselves! As for them, they don’t even show their face and walk on the world market with yashmak. Can you give me the name of this new approach in economic theory? Can some scientific economist write to me or to Badri about his tea export and ‘Mariam’ tea that has pushed him away from here, lead him to Avitsena country, to Buhara and Samarkhan deserts. He tried to seek his fortune there. But No! Gel exchange rate ran after him, we made ‘Mariam’ tea so happy. The same exchange rate enables to drink Turkish garbage nearly for free and makes your health and Badri’s nerves pay a fatal price. No, dear sirs. I suppose even Adam Smith would find it extremely difficult to understand this foreign trade system. Therefore, Badri moved to Khataeti. Nestan has changed to ‘Mariam’ and feels free and healthy here.