The President of Georgia – Mikheil Saakashvili opened a “New Neighborhood,” consisting of 32 buildings, for refugees today. 1168 families received well-accommodated living spaces within the scope of the project. The Head of State congratulated the refugees on the new settlement while addressing them. Mikheil Saakashvili recalled the promise that he had made in 2007 and talked about the hard conditions in which the refugees from Abkhazia had lived for years.

“I want to say that 4500 people have moved here and a practically new settlement has been created. I saw the sanatoriums of Tskaltubo in 2007, I opened the doors of each room, and I visited families and had a very heavy, overwhelming feeling. I said that all of us must return to our homes and this is the main goal of my life. But before then, the living conditions should be improved. We have already started working on this along with the European Union” – noted Mikheil Saakashvili.

He thanked the foreign allies for projects implemented with the assistance of the EU and mentioned other donors for their financing of similar social projects. During his speech, the President talked about prospects of employing refugees in detail and noted that this city was chosen especially for this reason; it is the place where important logistical and infrastructural centers are located. The President also focused attention on the Russian aggression and the peaceful politics needed for restoring territorial integrity.

“I want to tell the conquerors, who are currently on our soil and everyone else that their plans have not succeeded because you still exist here. Of course, many people did not survive this but you are here, you are breathing. There are children here who are our future, the future of Abkhazia hence the future of Georgia. We have you – the people who can do much for Georgia” – noted the President during his speech. According to him, Georgia has a chance to peacefully re-acquire its territories with the help of the European partners and its internal integrity:

“It is true that conquerors are on our soil, they do not let you into your homes and provoke us within the country and abroad. In spite of this fact, my main goal is to strengthen Georgia, help every family feel relief, and return what is ours - controlled by others temporarily. Our land must be returned by peaceful means. It is our territory, where the graves of our ancestors are located, our homes, the place where we were born, and the schools where we grew up. It is our obligation to return every one of these places to Georgia. While every one of you is alive, even in such humanitarian conditions that exist in these new houses, we are still called refugees. While every last one of you is called a refugee, every patriot in Georgia and abroad including me, will feel like a refugee themselves. I will be a refugee until our soil is returned to us” –stated Mikheil Saakashvili, who visited the Kopaliani family and personally congratulated them on the new settlement. The 7 person Kopaliani family had been living in one of the rooms of the Tskaltubo sanatorium for years. They now have a chance to live separately, in improved conditions within the scope of the new project, for which they thanked the President of behalf of the other refugees.

“This house may not be grand or very large but it is yours, but your real home will continue to be Abkhazia. You should keep this house as well as return to your house in Abkhazia. I think there are a lot more opportunities in Poti than in Tskaltubo. This city has 100% employment prospects” – stated the President of Georgia during his visit to the Kopaliani family.