Okruashvili Comments on New Assignment

Georgian Defense Minister Irakli Okruashvili, who was assigned yesterday by President Saakashvili to promote Georgian wines on new markets, said that he has a plan to help solve problems stemming from Russia’s ban on the import of Georgian wines.

Okruashvili was speaking with Georgian reporters in Brussels, where he and Foreign Minister Gela Bezhuashvili will participate in a discussion about the implementation of Georgia’s Individual Partnership Action Plan at NATO’s North Atlantic Council on April 13.

Okruashvili also said there are several illegal wine producing factories in Georgia, which should be immediately closed down in order to curb the falsification of Georgian wines. He also said that wine producing companies should improve their marketing and managerial skills. 

“We discussed the issue before the President’s departure to China and my proposals regarding [overcoming the current wine problem] were welcomed [by the government members]… Many Georgian wine producing companies are very bad at marketing and management and I think the government should help them in this regard,” Okruashvili said.