The President of Georgia met the Mayor of New York Michael Bloomberg. They discussed the major principles of municipal work. When the meeting was over the information was spread that smoking might be prohibited at public areas in Tbilisi like it is in New York and using seat belts would become mandatory.

"New York is the largest city around the world. We have offered Bloomberg to carry out the same campaigns in Georgia what they carried out here against smoking and against secure traffic.

Together with our photographer Irakli Gedenidze we took photos wearing the seat belt and personally it saved my life several times.

We have reduced criminal in Georgia, but we weren't able to reduce the number of accidents. This is why we have to learn a lot from New York.

The Mayor sits in the room himself and all his staff sits around him. Intrigues never happen in this room, everybody is looking at one another.

No one can do anything behind the back.

Now the American people are getting interested in Georgia from economic point of view.

Half an hour ago CNN broadcasted a program in which the journalist said: "I have traveled all around the world, I have never seen a miracle that happens in Batumi happens anywhere else". We may live without noticing a lot and thousand times more needs to be done, but these are not my words, neither it is the so called PR. You know that it is impossible to tie up a deal with CNN.

When I first arrived here it was a city that could be eaten by rats. I witnessed how everything was changing. It is very important who is in the leadership", stated the President of Georgia.

Press Office
of the President of Georgia