rmen; Charter 1991 Party, Tedo
PATASHVILI, chairman; Peace Bloc; Unity; October 11
Other political or pressure groups:
supporters of ousted President Zuiad GAMSAKHURDIA (deceased 1 January
1994) boycotted the October elections and remain a source of
opposition and instability
Member of:
BSEC, CIS, CSCE, EBRD, ECE, IBRD, IDA, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, IOC,
ITU, NACC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission:
Ambassador Petr CHKHEIDZE
chancery:
(temporary) Suite 424, 1511 K Street NW, Washington, DC
telephone:
(202) 393-6060
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission:
Ambassador Kent N. BROWN
embassy:
#25 Antoneli Street, T'bilisi 380026
mailing address:
use embassy street address
telephone:
(7) 8832-98-99-68
FAX:
(7) 8832-93-37-59
Flag:
maroon field with small rectangle in upper hoist side corner;
rectangle divided horizontally with black on top, white below

@Georgia, Economy

Overview:
Georgia's economy has traditionally revolved around Black Sea tourism;
cultivation of citrus fruits, tea, and grapes; mining of manganese and
copper; and a small industrial sector producing wine, metals,
machinery, chemicals, and textiles. The country imports the bulk of
its energy needs, including natural gas and coal. Its only sizable
domestic energy resource is hydropower. Since 1990, widespread
conflicts, e.g., in Abkhazia, South Ossetia, and Mengrelia, severely
aggravated the economic crisis resulting from the disintegration of
the Soviet command economy in December 1991. Throughout 1993, much of
industry was functioning at only 20% of capacity; heavy disruptions in
agricultural cultivation were reported; and tourism was shut down. The
country is precariously dependent on US and EU humanitarian grain
shipments, as most other foods are priced beyond reach of the average
citizen. Georgia is also suffering from an acute energy crisis, as it
is having problems paying for even minimal imports. Georgia is pinning
its hopes for recovery on reestablishing trade ties with Russia and on
developing international transportation through the key Black Sea
ports of P'ot'i and Bat'umi.
National product:
GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $7.8 billion (1993 estimate from
the UN International Comparison Program, as extended to 1991 and
published in the World Bank's World Development Report 1993; and as
extrap