Welcome.

I am always glad to see you.

We were tasked with the restoration of this park by a pedagogue from Rustavi, Mrs. Natela Skhirtladze. We don’t only receive tasks from you, we also ask you to do some things.

Mrs. Natela, I would like to say thank you – you are the main hero here.

I was visiting one of the patios of Rustavi several months ago, when she told us about this park.

People always ask us about specific things – many have family problems, some need material support, lots of people ask us for employment. Mrs. Natela did not ask us about that, she simply said: “Maybe we could do something for Rustavi”.  

I am not from Rustavi and I admit that regrettably I knew nothing about the existence of this park.

Then we requested the pictures, saw everything and decided to restore it.

This park was built in the 50s. Communists had only done the half of it and just as everything it was ruined as well.

We want Rustavi to be the best residential city.

The population of Rustavi was twice the size of what it is today and I want for people not to leave Rustavi, but to start returning as well.

In terms of social structure, it is a full-fledged special city even with its small, but very sound tradition and special people.

Of course, there are many things that need to be done but I would like to report to you and tell you what has been done throughout the last period.

I do not want to leave anything out, but while I was in opposition, when I came here in the pre-election period, the main problems were water, roads, infrastructure, and of course electricity.

We have spent 22 million alone on the rebuilding of roads. I know that not all of the roads have been built, but 80 percent has already been finished.

We are not adding another 4 streets, we are installing elevators in the 85 multi-floor residential apartments – the problem of elevators has persisted for a very long time.

The issue of water has been entirely resolved in the largest part of Rustavi and Rustavi will be the first city where individual water counters will be installed, so that this problem once and for all becomes an issue of the past. It is very important.

Only three percent of Rustavi was illuminated, while today we only have three percent left to be illuminated.

Even in Europe, there are very few cities that are illuminated like Rustavi.

To tell the truth - I had foreign delegations visiting here a couple of times; we headed here from Tbilisi at night so that they could see how the central streets were illuminated.

Of course the main issue for the residents of this city is employment.

You saw that we have opened 4 new auto markets, where 800 people are employed, but this is only the beginning of the development of this infrastructure.

Similarly, there is a huge shopping center and a few hotels being built; we are beginning to even better modernize the technical institutions.

We have already opened a few, so that the local youth have a profession and qualifications to find employment.

You know that the renovation process of the theater is ongoing and the residents of Rustavi are taking part in this.

The Rustavi Theater is beautiful. A friend of mine told me yesterday, I could not even imagine that Rustavi had such a theater.

The main thing is not the theater building; the main thing is for the artists to work there, for the kids to go there and the circles to start functioning.

There are many interesting singers, dancers and artists who have left Rustavi and we need to restore all of this.

It is a city of creative intelligentsia as well.

We will be able to get to every home with the best roads, every house will have a well refurbished yard.

This place should be no less than any other city, in fact it should be the best.

Similarly, very serious work is being done in infrastructure; the sports palace is being built as well.

You know that construction of a swimming pool is being completed, which we will open soon. The Rustavi youth should have an opportunity to find employment in this field as well.

The rehabilitation process of the hospital is underway;

Every pensioner will soon be insured too;

Technical universities are being founded for our youth;

There are many factories being opened around here and the infrastructure is developing in this direction as well.

We are renovating schools too and every school in Rustavi will be rehabilitated to the highest level.

Everything is being done in order for our youth not to leave this place, including to the capital.

 Of course, there are many things being done in Tbilisi. The capital of Georgia has to be the best, but it is necessary for Tbilisi to be bordered by a city like Rustavi.

That is why this should be the best city and not just a suburb, as it is an industrial base.

We are starting the construction of a wide Tbilisi – Rustavi, four lane autobahn in two months and it will only take 13 minutes to get to Tbilisi from here.

It not only will diminish the travel time, but I hope the transport costs as well, as we will no longer have to travel by a narrow road.

Rustavi will be one of the central cities of Georgia.

My dears, we have grand ideas, the whole of Georgia is being built already.

Donald Trump was visiting here a while ago; who I believe is the greatest builder in the world. He told me: “Your people have gotten used to and probably think that everything that is happening in Georgia would happen anyway. It indeed is an epochal reconstruction – so many countries I have been to, but I have never seen construction like this.

He is not the first one to tell me this and hopefully is not last one either.

We have neither oil, nor gas, besides we took on a ruined country, where merely stopping further ruins would have been an achievement, but starting a reconstruction is the greatest epochal achievement for all of us who live in today’s Georgia.

I was visiting the Kutaisi parliament yesterday, which we are to open on May 26. To tell the truth, I have no idea how they will complete the job by May 26, yet I know it for sure, that it is impossible for them not to finish it.

The same is true about the reconstruction of all of Georgia.

There were so many ruins in Rustavi; there is so much to be built. If we consider the capacities of a state, I do not know how to manage it, but not to finish it is not an option. I know it well that you will not forgive me this, and neither would I.

Everything is being built by our people, but we are inviting the best architects as well. For instance, to build this park we are inviting a Spanish architect so that it is exemplary and all of us are proud of it, even when presenting it to foreign guests.

I met one of the large foreign businessmen today, who went to a Rustavi school. He had not been to Georgia since 1993. He had come to Rustavi before meeting me and had been stunned by what he had seen. I told him to give us another two years and then see what this place will look like.

I certainly have not told him this to show off.

He has promised us that he would invest money in the restoration of this city himself, and this is very good but we are accountable not before him, but before you.

The main thing is not to disappoint you, not to disappoint Mrs. Natela’s expectations.

Now, so to speak, work instead of talk and let us actually move on to do the job.

In fact, I would like to see the new square, which they are already speaking about a lot.

Thank you.