The President of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili met the leadership of Georgian Road Department together with the Prime Minister of Georgia Grigol Mgaloblishvili. Mikheil Saakashvili considered necessary to inform the society about road management and construction. As Grigol Mgaloblishvili has stated it is one of the major part of anti-crisis plan to increase investments in infrastructure projects. He said that road construction was the request of those donors that will issue money to Georgia. The Prime Minister has noted that 521 million will be spent on road construction in 2009, this is two times more of the last year's indicator. Two times more people will be employed in this sphere this year in comparison of last years. Municipal development fund will spent 60 million GEL in this sphere. Grigol Mgaloblishvili has mentioned that Road Department became more active recently because the new head of department. He said that about 315 million GEL tender will be announced in about a month.

"It is very important to appoint Ramaz Nikolaishvili as the head of department, because he was a very good governor. He gave live to Guria region. I want to apologize before Gurians to take him away from them, but we have grand infrastructural projects to execute. This is why we need a person, which can seriously take care of this project. This is very important", stated the President of Georgia.

Mikheil Saakashvili has noted the share of Roman Dalakishvili and expressed his gratitude to him, but at the same time he has mentioned that the highway construction process caused some satisfaction discontent, because it was out of cycle of the whole year.

"To connect Azerbaijanian borders to Tbilisi with modern highway and then to connect Tbilisi to the Black Sea and the major highway of Turkey is a very important infrastructural project. Simultaneously we will construct modern fast train from Tbilisi to Batumi and afterwards from Tbilisi to Sokhumi. These are the projects that will lead our economy and level of life to the new stage", stated the President of Georgia.

Ramaz Nikolaishvili said that the tenders will be announced from January 15. He has mentioned that 80% of those projects that will be balanced from 521 million is ready for now. Tbilisi-Gori 25 km distance is already finished, construction will begin from the end of March. The Road Department will announce tender on January 23, famous foreign companies will be participating in this project. Ramaz Nikolasihvili said that road construction till Gori will be finished in two years. 10 km distance to Shavshveti will be opened soon. He has explained that only 45 million GEL will be spent on tunnel only. 7 million GEL will be spent on Ricoti tunnel rehabilitation this year and by August rehabilitation will be mostly over - lightening and ventilation problems will be provided thoroughly.

After new road will be finished on Tbilisi-Telavi distance it will be possible to get to Telavi in 55 minutes. This will reduce time to Telavi by hour and ten minutes.

Three different possible routs were discussed for this part of roads. One of these projects considered building tunnel on Gombori, but finally decision was made and new road will be constructed that is close to urban territories. This road will be connecting tens of villages, among them resort Sioni.

50 million GEL will be spent on the construction on the roads in the direction of Samtskhe-Javakheti, this project will be executed by the government together with the "Millennium" program.

Mikheil Saakashvili noted that from the viewpoint of the development of infrastructure this part of Georgia has a great importance because the road on Goderdzi pass crosses exactly the very sector where in future it's possible to develop ski resort like Gudauri. It will be possible to get to the place in 40 minutes. Mikheil Saakashvili stated that the ski resort will be an additional infrastructure for Batumi and Poti, where the number of the population in ten years will be about 150-200 thousand. He said that the above mentioned resort will be convenient for this city as well as for the tourists from Armenia, Turkey, Azerbaijan and what's most important local population will be employed.

The Head of the Road Department plans to finish this project in a month and a half and the resort will start functioning in three years.

Mikheil Saakashvili listened to the information about the construction of the country roads. 120 million GEL will be spent on 618 km road in total.

The Prime Minister of Georgia Grigol Mgaloblishvili spoke about repairing of 160 country roads in the scope of this project, thus the country population will easily get to the center. The rehabilitation of the country roads will give Georgia a chance not to be torn from urban territories. The construction of these new roads will improve the social level of the country population.

Ramaz Nikolaishvili stated that the President tasked the Department to send specialists to various countries in order implement new technologies in the construction of the country roads. In March foreign specialists are going to come to Georgia with the aim of implementing the technology of mixing earth and cement to construct the roads. Three regions will be chosen where as an experiment alternative technology will be used for road surfacing.

It is important that in the process of the realization of this project 25-30 thousand people will be employed, and they will be local population mostly. The Road Department offers the foreign companies wishing to participate in the tender to develop joint enterprises that will provide the defense of the interests of the local firms. Ramaz Nikolaishvili stated that the contractors will be about 100 Georgian companies who will participate in the tender. Starting from January 15 TV campaign will start in order to spread information to all the groups working in this sector at most.

"We will stand firm, there are certain difficulties existing, this gives us time to restore economic activeness. We have to start as soon as possible. We have to give out cheap credits, but this is foreign assistance. We could have "eaten" this assistance or spend it in the sake of our country. The money invested in infrastructure is the money invested in the future of each family, each firm. I do not think that Barak Obama took after us something, but the American stimulation package is based on the road construction, infrastructure and energy. In the period of the crisis this is the best method to avoid the worst events - the syndrome of Ukraine, Russia or Eastern Europe. We managed to start the energy sector up and we hope that we will pass the winter well prepared and won't resemble the countries that are being frozen. We kept our credit system and foreign currency firm. Infrastructural projects must defend economy from depression. Last two or three months we have a threat of reducing the results in economy, so the following several months will be hard. All the tenders will be held on time, in April and May we will come to the point that we have been discussing and Georgia will turn into the construction field.

When we form agreements with concrete firms, these firms will take out credits from the banks. This will make our banking system work. This engine has to start up again. We will not be able to make this work for two years, but this will somehow improve our economy. When the economy in Russia and other countries is being collapsed, our economy increases at least by one or two percents. This is decisive point for us. This is the best way to solve strategic problems", stated the President of Georgia and wished them success in their work.

Press Office
of the President of Georgia