“We will build Anaklia – no matter what!” – declared Mamuka Khazaradze, leader of the political party Lelo, in his social media post.

His statement follows a recent announcement by Georgia’s Ministry of Justice, which reported that Khazaradze and his former business partner, Badri Japaridze, have lost their legal battle over the Anaklia Port case in Washington arbitration.

According to the Ministry, the ICSID tribunal fully upheld the Georgian government’s position, confirming that the failure to implement the Anaklia Port project was solely the responsibility of Khazaradze, Japaridze, and their partners.

The Ministry also noted that Bob Meijer, a Dutch partner of Khazaradze and Japaridze, demanded USD 64 million in the arbitration but had his claims fully rejected.

Instead, he was ordered to pay USD 6.5 million to the Georgian government.