Steve Peacock's U.S. Trade & Aid Monitor

Georgia (and Arab Royals) On My Mind (Commentary)

A private contractor will be hired by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to assess the agency's project-portfolio over five years in the former Soviet Republic of Georgia (Solicitation #SOL-114-13-000001). U.S. Trade & Aid Monitor proposes that the contractor (or, better yet, the USAID Inspector General's office) take a good look at U.S. "investments" in Georgia that are slated to benefit the United Arab Emirates. See "House Tells Russia to Get Out of Georgia, While Quietly Building Up UAE Presence" (Monitor, 09/20/2012) and "U.S.-Financed Pipeline Benefiting UAE Royal Family Moves Forward" (Monitor, 05/04/2012).

House Tells Russia to Get Out of Georgia, While Quietly Building Up UAE Presence

 
The U.S. House of Representatives this week condemned the Russian Federation's occupation of disputed land in the former Soviet republic of Georgia, which the Russians bombed in 2008 and whose Abkhazia and South Ossetia regions remain occupied (see the above video statement from House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-FL).

What the U.S. government is playing down, however, is the fact that the Obama administration simultaneously is helping to finance power infrastructure projects in Georgia that directly benefit U.S. ally United Arab Emirates, whose Ras al-Khaimah monarchy controls a sprawling industrial complex undergoing expansion on the Black Sea coast.

As this writer reported this week via WND:

Although the Obama administration claims U.S.-funded power infrastructure projects in the nation of Georgia will boost energy security and stability in the former Soviet republic, WND has uncovered corollary beneficiaries of this foreign assistance: Arab royals...

However, the agency is not advertising the fact that one of the United Arab Emirates monarchies manages the zone. Indeed, Poti FIZ is an investment project of the Ras al-Khaimah Investment Authority, also known as RAKIA...

The latest USAID action undertaken under the GIPT program was an $18 million contract awarded earlier this month to rebuild a stretch of power lines and substations that ultimately will benefit the zone... USAID additionally intends to provide an unspecified level of financial support to build a 47-kilometer natural-gas pipeline [See: "Arab royals profit from U.S. power project"].

It must be noted that the UAE's presence is made possible under a business agreement with the Government of Georgia, whereas the Russian presence is by military aggression.

Ros-Lehtinen also said of the Russo-Georgian controversy, "“Russia’s aggression against Georgia poses a threat to the security of the entire region.  This resolution sends a strong message that Russian actions and continued military presence in these areas are unacceptable and must end immediately.”

The House approved H.Res. 526 by voice vote.

UAE Touts Helping U.S. Coalition Forces... USAID at Same Time Building Gas Pipeline Benefiting UAE

The United Arab Emirates embassy in the U.S. a little while ago bragged in a tweet that "UAE participated with US in 5 coalition actions in 20 years: Afghanistan, Libya, Somalia, Bosnia-Kosovo, Gulf War." U.S. Trade & Aid Monitor in response poses the question, "Does that possibly explain why the U.S. Agency for International Development is planning to build a 47 km. pipeline extension in the former Soviet republic of Georgia -- a project whose goal is to promote the UAE-owned Poti Free Industrial Zone near the Black Sea?"

Just a thought.

Related: "U.S.-Financed Pipeline Benefiting UAE Royal Family Moves Forward" (Monitor, May 4)

U.S.-Financed Pipeline Benefiting UAE Royal Family Moves Forward

The U.S has taken the next step in carrying out plans to help finance a gas pipeline-extension benefiting royals of the United Arab Emirates.

As U.S. Trade & Aid Monitor reported late last year, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) intends to provide an unspecified level of financial support to build the 47 kilometer natural-gas pipeline in the former Soviet republic of Georgia. The agency claims that the Kutaisi-Abasha project, as it is known, will provide “energy security” in the region.

The  endeavor as originally described was to promote the development of the Poti Free Industrial Zone on the Black Sea coast, “and secure power exports through reliability related infrastructure improvements," USAID said in the initial solicitation.

Despite releasing some details about the infrastructure project, additional research was needed to discover that the Poti FIZ is owned by UAE’s Ras al-Khaimah monarchy.

USAID today issued a Special Notice to potential contractors alerting them to the project—which now has a different solicitation number (#KUAB47-GW07) and instead refers to the construction of a the “Abasha-Senaki” pipeline extension.

The notice refers interested parties to a link leading to the website of the Georgian Oil and Gas Corporation.

Contractors must submit their bids to the company from June 18-22.

RELATED: "USAID-Georgia Pipeline Project to Benefit Arab Royals" (Monitor, Nov. 26, 2011).

FOR ADDITIONAL REGIONAL COVERAGE, SEE THE MONITOR'S GEORGIA PAGE.

FOR FURTHER REPORTING ON THE U.S. AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVLEOPMENT, SEE THE MONITOR'S USAID PAGE.

USAID-Georgia Pipeline Project to Benefit Arab Royals

The U.S.-backed construction of a 47 kilometer natural-gas pipeline is being touted as a means of promoting "energy security" in the former Soviet republic of Georgia; the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), however, is not advertising the fact that a corollary beneficiary of this assistance package includes the Ras al-Khaimah (RAK) monarchy, rulers of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) principality that owns the Poti Free Industrial Zone (FIZ) in Western Georgia.

USAID, on behalf of the Government of Georgia, this past week issued a Request for Proposals (Solicitation #KUAB47-GW07-PU-BID-00001) to provide tens of thousands of pipes, caps, and related infrastructure for the Kutaisi-Abasha project. The RFP did not state whether U.S. taxpayers partially or entirely will shoulder the cost of the equipment, nor did it disclose the estimated price tag of the assistance package.

The endeavor directly will benefit the Georgian Oil & Gas Corporation (GOGC), a limited liability company that the Georgian government formed in 2006. GOGC in recent months legally was changed into a joint stock company.

GOGC plans to "replace the existing undersized and leaking pipeline sections, thereby improving natural gas deliveries to the Western Georgia," according to a USAID/Georgia "Energy and Environment" projects summary. The USAID solicitation, which U.S. Trade & Aid Monitor discovered had been posted to the FedBizOpps database on Thanksgiving (Nov. 25) -- a federal holiday -- points out that the project will help promote "the development of [Poti FIZ] on the Black Sea coast, and secure power exports through reliability related infrastructure improvements."

While USAID did not hide its goal to give a boost to the Poti FIZ, deeper digging was necessary to reveal that the Zone is an investment project of the RAK government-owned RAKIA-Georgia.

 Photo caption: His Highness Sheikh Saud bin Saqr al Qasmi, Ruler of Ras Al Khaimah