Mikheil Saakashvili made a comment today regarding the agreement reached with the Turkish side and spoke about the importance of the joint dam project of Georgia and Turkey in the territory of Georgia. According to the President, the new electric power plant will contribute to the development of the two countries even more. The Head of State noted that the Georgian side conducted intensive diplomatic negotiations with Turkey and called the agreement a victory for both sides.

“This was a very important, critical issue for us because in the beginning the construction of the dam it was being planned so that it would alter the bed of the Kura River. This river has as much importance for Tbilisi as Seine for Paris and Thames for London and altering its bed or even lowering the level of water was unacceptable. We worked intensively with the Turkish side” – stated Mikheil Saakashvili.

As the President noted, such a problem also arose with the previous government regarding the Derinari dam but no one attempted to do anything about it. As he said, exporting electricity based on Russian channels was one of the main sources of income of the previous corrupt government.

“This entire clan was gaining income in such a corrupt way and they did not even try to avoid the ecological damage which the Derinari dam brought to the Delta of the river Chorokhi. The situation is completely different now. Georgia has a strong diplomatic position. We have a transparent relationship with the government of Turkey, which is based on mutual cooperation and brings benefits to the both countries. This was a bilateral diplomatic victory. Not only will the bed of the river Kura not change, but we will build a new dam through joint efforts; A new dam which will assist in the process of developing the economies of Georgia and Turkey, creating jobs in our country, and increasing the export potential of Georgia. This is what it means to have a government that is not involved in the corruption scams of any other country and cannot be blackmailed. We have good and cordial relations with our large neighbor. I am grateful to Prime Minister Erdogan because this negotiation ended correctly in terms of politics” – stated the President.

As Mikheil Saakashvili noted, the project will bring the two friendly states even closer.