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Tina Kaidanow said primary obstacle to further economic development was lack of progress on rule of law – Wikileaks

July 20, 2011

Primary obstacle to further economic development was not the threat of Russia’s military presence, but a lack of progress on rule of law issues.

According to the cable published by Wikileaks, the above-mentioned statement was made by U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Tina Kaidanow at the meeting with the Georgian President in 2009.

Tina Kaidanow told President Saakashvili that she had met with board members from the American Chamber of Commerce during her Tbilisi visit.

“They had agreed that the primary obstacle to further economic development was not the threat of Russia’s military presence, but a lack of progress on rule of law issues and concerns about domestic political stability in Georgia. She noted that the business community had specifically referenced the direct influence of the government in the judiciary as a hindrance to good government and rule of law,” the cable states.

Saakashvili replied that Georgia's judiciary was less corrupt than others in the neighborhood, including Turkey's.

“He described Georgia's reform efforts as a "process." He said that Georgia has young, ambitious judges who are paid well, but they need further education and more exposure to the West in order to improve judicial independence. He noted that there was no longer any presidential involvement in the judicial appointment process.”

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