Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili today received pop singers who participated in the making of the musical video clip "Hello Abkhazia" at the State Chancellery. He praised Nani Bregvadze, Zaza Korinteli (Zumba), Mirza Davitaia, Kakhaber Bukhrashvili and Aleksi Kavtaradze (Lekseni) for their contribution to elevating the patriotic spirit of the Georgian people and awarded them the Order of Vakhtang Gorgasali of the Third Rank. The remaining participants in the project received the Order of Merit. The Georgian president noted that "Hello Abkhazia" was not just another pop music video, but rather an epic event.

"Clips such as this are created by the epoch in which they originate, not just by composers and directors. A new ideology has taken shape in our country. There is a new spirit, a new mindset, a new mentality. This is the new Georgia's message to Abkhazia and the rest of the world. Everything in this clip is very beautiful. Georgia is an especially beautiful country and it is getting more and more beautiful with each passing day. This clip was a joint project. It is hope, it is energy, it is youth and it is the new Georgia. It is an indicator of how far we have come and what great prospects we have. It is a juxtaposition of where we were and where we are now," the president said.

Saakashvili added that the clip was a message to the people expelled from Abkhazia.

"I have not seen anyone, including Nino Burjanadze, who did not cry while watching this clip. However, these are not tears of desperation, but rather tears of hope and joy. There is one woman in the clip whose child was tortured and murdered in front of her. This woman agreed to take part in the clip. That which you have done for these people and that which we must do for them now is their main hope and driving force," Saakashvili told the musicians.

Press Office
of the President of Georgia