Welcome everyone,

This medical centre has finally become operational, yet it took quite some time.

I have not just come here today to open this hospital; first of all, I came here to see you.

I also plan to see a very beautiful hotel, which will be one of the most comfortable hotels in Georgia.

The construction of this hotel is not anyone’s caprice. The main idea is not only to create good conditions for visiting guests in Georgia, but it is also a fact that the people who will stay in these hotels, will go to the local stores, buy local agricultural products, spend money, which will in turn be used here.

For Kazbegi and its residents and for all of us this is an opportunity to develop this region of Georgia as well.

I would like everyone to think about how the geography of Georgia has changed - - there were places in our country that had been abandoned by everyone. 

Mestia was such a place, while it is one of the fastest developing places in Georgia today.

Kazbegi had been turned into gridlocks, where basically everyone was ready to run from it. Such was the intention of the Russian government as well.

Russia would hit us exactly in the most vulnerable spots – such was the case of Kakheti, which was blocked against the wine market and the export of agricultural produce to Russia was entirely halted. 

They thought that Kakheti would be devastated by this and nothing would help it – while breaking Georgia’s backbone.

Such was the case with Javakheti, where they thought that people would rebel and starve to death after the withdrawal of the Russian military base.

Such was the case with Stefantsminda-Kazbegi, where the customs check point was shut down. They thought that by doing this it all would be annihilated and would evaporate here.

Whereas now, which is the fastest developing regions of Georgia today?

It is Javakheti, where the railways, tourist attractions, roads, and recycling factories are being constructed – no one even remembers the Russian base. People have found a thousand times more opportunities in this place today and much greater prospects have been opened for them.

The largest reconstruction process that has ever taken place in any region of Georgia is underway currently in Kakheti. For the author of the embargo, who then elaborated the plan of breaking Kakheti’s backbone, it would have been impossible for them to even imagine this.

On top of all of this, we have to turn this place into the best and strongest region, so that no one will ever imagine in the future that poverty or misery were ever the case here.

There are very nice and hospitable people living here, we have beautiful nature as well, geography-wise it is a very good place too.

I intend to go to the custom’s check point from here.

This place is the main transit point in terms of geography. Given the adequate development of tourism, agriculture, transit check points, trade centers and finally the social infrastructure, it is impossible for people not to overcome poverty.

We are designing this year and will be starting the construction of a great tunnel by the end of the coming year at the latest, which will connect Stepantsminda with rest of Georgia.

Stepantsinma will no longer be an island. If it takes three hours to arrive here today, it will basically take an hour and a half to get here from Tbilisi, once the tunnel is constructed.

This will create an entirely new prospect for this place.

But before that, all of us together need to resolve the existing problems and do everything with regard to what I have just talked about. 

Kazbegi is known for its harsh winters and there are other problems as well; many families are still in hardship, but no one can close their eyes on the prospect of a better future and the hope is based on reality, the job started, the development process, concrete plans and tangible progress.

Thank you very much.