The President of Georgia opened one more world brand hotel - Radisson Blue - in Batumi
Greetings!
Today it is a historic day for this city and is very important day for the major industry of Georgia - the tourism.
Not only a masterpiece of architecture is being opened here today, but what really turned into the symbol of Georgia's success, development and better future.
First was Sheraton, now Radisson Blue, during future two years Holiday Inn, Kempinsky, Novotel, Hilton, Conrad, Ritz-Carlton and other hotels will open.
We say this for those people, who never believed that it was possible in Georgia, for them who do not believe that Georgia is special country indeed.
Yesterday I skied together with Alberto Tomba in Svaneti Mountains and if someone doesn't believe that we have a special country they can listen to him. I heard his words by TV: there is no other place like this in Europe and the only competitor that Mestia has in Mont Blanc.
By the way I was told today that he made a decision to open Alberto Tomba's skiing school in Mestia and we will arrange skiing slope named after him as well.
This will give us a chance to develop skiing resort in Georgia that have center named after the world's greatest skier, historically the greatest champion Alberto Tomba. We all welcome this decision.![](-/~/m/u/ck/ov/gamosvlebi/DWT2011024G0720A-0447.jpg?200)
I want to inform you that we didn't go to Svaneti for fun, we didn't come here for our pleasure as well. We only do this because we want to show everyone what our enemy knows well and why it tries to possess our country so badly.
They know the value of our country and they did everything during the centuries in order for us to understand our value as well.
You know well what Georgians say - go out and they will tell you themselves better than me, because Georgia is proud with these places, but I want to show you and read you what Georgians wrote about the development of Georgia - I specially took these pages from one small edition color magazine:
"It is a kitsch how we try to turn Agmashenebeli Avenue into Paris and Mestia into Switzerland. No matter how many mansards' will be added to Agmashenebeli Avenue it will never look like Paris. No matter if they will arrange ten piazzas in our old, humid Batumi - it will never turn into Nice or Rome. Who want this kitsch and this architectural bijouterie, I refuse to visit Sighnaghi to see this kitsch".
I have only one answer to this: poor you!
I don't want to say anything abut the mental capabilities of this person - I don't want to criticize anyone indeed, but he or she believes that she is very educated person, he is a classical arqetype of Russian slave in Georgia.
He believes that we all are unlucky, we are the most backward, most ugly, most incorrigible and nothing will help us ever. This is what they put in our minds and Radisson or Sheraton destroy this today.
All this mentality is destroyed today by this reconstruction in Georgia today. The mentality of slave is being destroyed by all this innovations, by this reconstruction that takes place in Batumi today...
By the way I was in Nice several days ago on a business meeting. I want to tell you that Batumi is better than Nice today by many components - by public spaces, cultural centers, moving comfort, greenery - in 2-3 years it will be better than Nice and Cannes by all living components. This is not a story created by me - this is absolute elementary reality.
"It is difficult to part you car in Rike Park on the weekends. Friday night all this territory: Metekhi Bridge, pedestrian "Peace Bridge", new park, rayon of bathes, was full with people. I didn't realize what were they dong there, they brought their children as well... something brought this young generation here... they were browsing back and forth... like our parents used to say - we were walking on Rustaveli Avenue... I don't understand why is it nice to take a walk? Why are these people so happy?"
These people will never understand them, but our people and we will and we go forward.
Today everyone who can see something in Georgia, in regions speak about the economic miracle of Georgia and not only because our people are very wealthy.
There is still huge poverty in Batumi. Sure there is unemployment still, but it had reduced a lot. We started rehabilitation works of sewage and water systems in Batumi and we had changed it fully here already.
It means that 300 thousand families in Europe will have the best sewage and water system.
It means that Batumi population that will be 200 thousand by next year will reach 300 thousand by modernization plan in 2015.
New international class airport will open in Poti next year and we will have the second airport in Kutaisi by fall of next year.
In 2014-2015 new fast railway will be passing here. The first stage of the construction of this railway will finish by 2013... It means that Batumi will become available for everyone very soon... New company Ryanair and other cheep companies start launch flights here as well.
Next year the larges cruise companies will enter in Batumi - like Rayal Caribbean that enters only three cities in Black Sea region: Batumi, Italy and Instanbul.
It will all condition the flow of additional millions of tourists.
It also means thousands of employed people, with improved living conditions.
Who could imagine that Aslan Abashidze's dark, humid, destroyed Batumi - like the author in that magazine describes it - would become a city of these standards today.
However in the mind of that author Batumi remained the same and we moved forward.
Who could imagine that Batumi would become a place like it is today; who could imagine that CNN correspondent Jim Clancy said last year: I visited many countries of world, I saw so many miracles, but in regard of development this is the biggest miracle that I ever saw somewhere.
These aren't my words, this was not said on Rustavi 2, Imedi, Caucasia or Public Broadcaster as well - CNN is a world-leading channel and Jim Clancy is the leading correspondent working there.
This is why my aim is to turn irreversible everything what goes on here.
Sure, everything that was done here didn't fell from the sky.
This is the merit of local government - Levan Varshalomidze and Robert Chkheidze.
It is merit of a fact that there are very good partnership relations between the business and government.
It is a merit of a fact that we built everything with great faith and enthusiasm; we have energy, joy of living and optimism.
20 percent of our territories are occupied, we are daily threatened and during last several years our country went through so many tornadoes turned into the fastest developing, reform's pattern throughout the world.
It happens because the government doesn't steel any more, not a single minister, or deputy ministers, governor or civil person is corrupted here and if there are such persons, we will find good place for them.
When the government doesn't steel, we act in an organized way and people work day and night - we will be able to achieve anything. For example people worked on this construction day and nights, at two or three AM - I often came here and say it by my own eyes. By the way the construction hadn't stopped at New Year as well. What you see here today was made in these conditions indeed. We had achieved everything not because we have good legislation, however we have good legislation indeed - not because we have strong and organized government, however we have strong and organized government indeed, but because we all stand together and we believe that everything is possible.
I want to thank our Kazakh friends. We started this construction together with President Nazarbayev several years ago after his visit to Batumi.
I also want to thank George Ramishvili and the whole Silk Road Group.
There are people in Georgia that are building better future of Georgia with their own hands.
The construction of this hotel is one row in the future of our country.
I once again want to congratulate you.
Thank you very much.