GEORGIA FORCED BENETTON TO BACKED AWAY FROM ITS ORIGINAL PLANS

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
01.06.2009 18:31 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Benetton Turkey has backed away from its original
plan to open a store in Abkhazia, a breakaway region of Georgia,
after coming under heavy pressure from Tbilisi, the Wall Street
Journal has reported.

"The fashion company’s controversial plan to launch a fashion shop
in a war-ravaged corner of the former Soviet Union has drawn it into
a bitter political dispute," the newspaper wrote in its weekend
issue. "Benetton Group has revoked its decision to open the shop
in the disputed Black Sea region of Abkhazia after senior Georgian
politicians expressed anger and Benetton retailers in Georgia closed
their stores in protest. This is the first time an international
brand has been targeted over its links to Abkhazia."

The plan to open up shop in Sukhumi, the capital of Abkhazia, met
with protest from seven Benetton shops in Georgia, which closed their
doors in protest, the Journal wrote.

Georgian Foreign Minister Grigol Vashadze described Benetton Turkey’s
proposed move as "outrageous," the newspaper reported.

Added the newspaper: "In Abkhazia, this will be seen as another example
of Georgian intimidation aimed at economically isolating the region
and thwarting its desires for genuine independence."