The Eurazianet as well made a remark about the recent dealing in Gerogia, conserning TV-Radio Center.
In the market for an extravagant, 275-meter-tall property that lights up at night, and can come in handy for candlelit dinners with a view on snow-capped mountains? Well, until August 1, the Georgian government had a deal for you: the management rights to Tbilisi's Soviet-era TV tower, all for your very own.
The asking price? A mere $60,600 (100,000 lari). Nearby amenities include a theme park and a broken-down funicular.
But, wait, there's more! Along with the mother tower in Tbilisi, the successful bidder also receives access to 36 baby television towers across Georgia.
And, yes, there was a successful bidder (110,000 lari or $66,566) -- the TV tower auction's only bidder.
But here is the fine print: the buyer only gets four-year management rights to the tower and needs to invest $12 million in updating its infrastructure. Also, the winner should mind a group of protesters, who think the sale may put the kibosh on the country's government-critical broadcast media by raising broadcast-signal transmission fees.
Georgia's free market-worshiping government has long been busy auctioning off all and sundry to private owners, but many journalists and civil society activists think that such privatization auctions should be preceded by public discussions. Jet-setting Georgian officials, their eyes on the goal of making Georgia into another Singapore (or Dubai), don't always heed those calls.
Tbilisi's city council requested an official explanation and details about the TV tower sale, but Economic Development Minister Vera Kobalia and her deputies reportedly were not available on August 1 to make the case for privatization.