First of all, I would like to welcome you.
I would like to tell you that my objective is very concrete.
The Georgian government, which I represent, has always refused to serve the interests of a “handful” of people, who were well positioned with every government during their entire lives.
Every government would care only about them: a good education, good quality treatment, nice apartments and good roads had just belonged to them and their children. The government and parliaments had belonged to them as well, and no matter who would come into office, they had to bow before them and do everything for them.
In no other period of Georgian history did the government have enough time to create basic conditions for the hard-working and thoughtful Georgian people.
That is why, no matter how many times the former elites gather, no matter how many times the former officials point their fingers at us, I do not care about what they think, just as they do not care about the rest of society.
I am interested in what you think; I am interested in the opinion of those who have contributed the most, those who have been motivated the most throughout the generations and who have made today possible. That is why I would like to listen to you, but before that, I want to say couple of words.
One of the principal issues for us is our security. I have come to you after a two day meeting with the U.S. State Secretary, where several important things have been stated.
Very important statements have been made with regards to Georgia during the recent period.
Certainly, Hilary Clinton’s visit and the fact that she stayed for so long, vividly demonstrates how important a small country, and perhaps geographically detached from many centers, is for the rest of the world. This means that no matter what kind of problems there are in the world, Georgia still remains at the center of attention of the most influential powers.
This visit did serve a purpose of someone condoning me – we aspire neither towards it, nor do I urge foreign leaders to do so.
We indeed enjoyed this initially, and we are told today that we are serving a good cause, but it is no longer sufficient for me.
The main thing is what we will receive as people and what will we receive as a country.
First is the security issue.
The State Secretary has stated that the U.S. will assist Georgia in the defense field and will train the personnel of the Georgian Armed Forces; it will help us to cover the air, land and sea space and it will equip the Georgian Armed Forces with helicopters. We will also work in other fields.
The U.S. very rarely does this with any region and in relation to any country.
This already means that an additional, rather important element has emerged in terms of our security, which is the long-term guarantee of our development.
With regard to our territories, the U.S. has used the word “occupation” and recognized the status of neutral documents e.g., the small number of remaining population of the Abkhazia and Tskhinvali Regions will be able to travel to America and consequently, to most of the developed world with a document issued by Georgia.
This is a very important step forward in legalizing our rights with regard to our occupied territories. Only three or four European countries and Japan has done it so far, while now America has done the same, which means that all other countries will follow suit.
Third – She stated that we are beginning work on the Free Trade Agreement.
When the agreement is signed, we will be the only country in Europe, which will export products to America tax free. Neither Germany, nor the Czech Republic or Poland has this regime, let alone the post Soviet countries….
Exactly in the same manner, Europe has begun work on the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement, i.e. we will export our products to Europe tax free as well.
We might not have lots of products today to sell, but this means that when the investor sees that Georgian products enter developed countries tax free, they will invest money in our economy, open many factories and create jobs for people, as it is a direct ticket to the American and European market. While this, in turn, means that there will be concrete jobs created for concrete citizens.
In fact, Europe stated two days ago that the negotiations have begun which will allow Georgians to travel visa free to all European countries, thus if we go to visit our relatives, we will no longer need to stand in queues in the cold and heat outside of the embassies and then be refused. Those who have had such experience know this very well.
A great number of your family members and relatives are in Greece, while some are in Germany and other countries. We will now be able to travel freely, while our children – will be able to study with ordinary passports.
For instance, there is only a small part of society traveling by plane today. Despite the increase in the turnover of goods, the same people are traveling by planes today – 7-8 percent of the population.
This is happening because a ticket from Georgia to Europe is very expensive. The price of ticket starts from 100-150 Euros and goes up to 1500.
The Tbilisi Airport belongs to a Turkish company and it manages and regulates the prices itself. We neither had the experience to build, nor a way out.
We are now building an airport in Kutaisi and it is even better than this one. The flights will operate in all directions from this airport and the price will start from 50 GEL to one destination. This will be a price for instance to Kiev, etc.
Basically, this is being done so that our people come out of poverty once and for all and unemployment to be defeated.
The elite, that handful of people, were given visas and passports before and would get the tickets easily too.
What is being done today is for the people, so that we no longer look out to other’s hands, so that we are able to move and function and create jobs for ourselves.
Our main objective is still to create employment opportunities for 100 percent of the population that can work and have the ability to work. We should give them such opportunity.
Precisely because of this we have created several technical institutions in Tbilisi and we are still creating them, where people of all ages have an opportunity to acquire their desired profession. I have seen for myself 40-50-60 year old people who are going through training.
Specifically with this aim, we have opened accessible courses on computers and the English language.
They say that it is impossible to find a job without English and computer skills, so the time has come for such queues in Tbilisi.
This also is step forward.
Every child receives a computer and we are working towards the goal that children in Georgia go to schools like those in Switzerland, the Netherlands, Belgium or any other developed country.
Every hospital has to be similar to those that are in the developed world.
They existed in Tbilisi Center before, while now, we have opened them everywhere in the regions and will promote Tbilisi as well.
In fact, there will be a new clinic opened in Isani on the airport road – the construction of the largest medical center in Europe is commencing, which will finish in two years. This means that the best clinic in Europe will be few kilometers away from here.
The important thing is for everyone to be able to go and receive service there. If the people are not able to get treatment there, nothing will be of importance.
That is why, we automatically insure every person over 60 and this insurance will cover everything.
One might help some people, but the function of the President and government is to create a system, which will be accessible for everyone.
It is very important for us to have universal insurance. We are now insuring people over 60 and children up to 5, as well as every student.
It would have been good to insure the school children too, but everything depends on resources and we have to progress step-by-step.
The people below 60 should not be left without insurance, which is why we are now working with the representatives of business, so that they insure their employees. We need to insure state officials, teachers…
We have to prioritize in favor of socially vulnerable people.
There was a flood in Tbilisi a while ago and a collector busted, the water flowed out of the bed and 5 people died. People were living in unbelievable conditions and the accident was the result of it – people had lived in barracks behind the garages of multi-floor apartments buildings for 10 or more years. I was stunned when I saw this. ..
First, we have to implement the program “Tbilisi without Barracks”. Besides this, it is necessary to fortify the houses, which have always been a problem in Varketili. In this regard, there is a relatively better situation in Gldani, as even the foundations were not made for the houses and the building had leaned. When the asphalt burst, it turned out that it was paved right on the ground.
There was a very difficult situation in terms of the water system as well. It is nonsense not to have water for 24 hours a day in our country in the 21st century. We are already working on this issue and we will surely take it to the end.
We have to get rid of the barracks here as well, but besides this we have to create such conditions so that people have an opportunity for a normal life. Here too, there are people coming from different regions of Georgia and especially the working people live here, but given today’s conditions, people should not need to go from villages to cities.
We are building good roads to all villages. There is water running in every village and if there is not, we will surely develop it.
In 80 percent of villages natural gas will be delivered towards the end of the year.
There will be the best schools in every village.
There will be at least one ultra-modern hospital with the best medical equipment in every district center, where everyone will be able to go for treatment, with insurance.
We are developing the infrastructure so that political decentralization has taken place as well. That is why the center of authority is not only here.
It is here, in Kutaisi, in Batumi too, many functions have been delegated to Kakheti, one of the ministries is moving to Gori as well.
We have to create such conditions that; for instance, the residents of any village of the Senaki District are able to go to Poti for work.
There has to be such a good road that going to Poti should not be problem. The residents of Poti and those in the surrounding villages too will all have jobs.
Besides, they should have exactly the same living conditions in villages, that there are in Batumi, or we are creating as a result of the development of Poti; we will similarly create Akhalkalaki and Lazika, which by no means is my whim. We will create new jobs in Lazika using our geography.
All of this is being done for our people.
This is what our success is measured by and not with what kind of glass buildings we build, or especially what we plan to ruin, or which organization hails us.
All of this is a good foundation to attract more investments and for more money to be invested in our economy.
My friends, I assure you that I know just as well as you do, that we live neither in Singapore nor in Hong Kong or California.
I know very well that we are still living in a very poor country, where people have hardships too.
But, on the one hand, we should not forget that we have poverty in the country, while on the other hand, we must look at how we are overcoming this poverty.
That is why, if I see something that I like very much, I show it off a lot, yet it does not mean that anyone has to applaud us and we should not do anything. This is what our objective is.
Everything that we are talking about now – hailing of Americans, gestures of Europeans, statements by the international organizations that Georgia is moving forward, excitement of Ukrainians and Russians (Medvedev said that he has to learn from Georgia), we have to translate into real life and use it for the creation of a better future for our people.
I came here to listen to your problems and then the government has to work day and night to solve these problems.
You see that there many good things being done in Tbilisi, but there are still many things to be done here. This is not as relevant in every house, as what people have for breakfast every day, what they have in the refrigerator and what is happening at their workplace where they might be working for 100-150 GEL.
This is all I wanted to say.
Thank you.