The President of Georgia attended an opening ceremony of the Rabat Castle in Akhaltsikhe. Mikheil Saakashvili walked around the renovated city-castle with the Prime Minister, toured the restored buildings, and spoke to the local residents. Mikheil Saakashvili also prayed at a church dated from the 9^th century, which was restored from the ruins, and given its original appearance for the orthodox parish.

The Head of State addressed the gathered audience and spoke about the importance of the place. He called the Rabat Castle a “crown of rehabilitation of Georgia”, and focused attention on finished and ongoing projects in the country. As the President noted, the restored castle will attract a lot of tourists to Aklaltsikhe, which means betterment of conditions for the local people. Mikheil Saakshvili also talked about new projects and stated that rehabilitation of the Gori Castle will begin shortly after Rabat.

According to the President, there are still a lot of things to do in the country including the most important one – overcoming poverty. Mikheil Saakashvili also touched on the issue of developing tourism, and noted that this is one of the prerequisite things to solving the problem. The Head of State later spoke about the role of the youth, and noted that exactly this generation of young persons should continue the development process of Georgia.

The city castle, which is often called the symbol of tolerance, is occupies around 7 hectares and was given its original appearance. A Christian Church, a Mosque, Minaret, Synagogue, Jakelebi Palace, a historic museum, old baths, and a citadel have been restored in the territory of the Rabat Castle. Monuments of national significance have also been restored. Additionally, a tourism center is functioning at the Rabat Castle and a wedding house; The Avenue of Love is also there as well as an amphitheater, expositional halls, hotels, cafes, restaurants, a wine cellar, water cascades and etc.