Welcome everyone!
It is indeed is a miracle what we see here. The majority of you are residents of Kvareli. You know that the filth and muck in the lake was dredged four months ago. It was a swamp, an old water reservoir. I do not fly around on a plane simple to avoid traveling by road, but because Georgia is much more visible from the air. Yet, the best way to perceive Georgia is when I stand in front of you, when I look into your eyes and listen to what you have to say. When I fly in a plane, amazing landscapes are unfolding. That is when I see how small our country really is. Any side you look towards, right or left, its natural borders, the hills of Caucasus are to be seen. The country needs special care as it is so small. It is our duty to well restore every inch of this country. When you look down from the helicopter, you see how beautiful and mesmerizing our country is and at the same time you see how much is still to be done. The sections of the land are yet to be cultivated and cultured. Since we don’t have much land we need to fully cultivate it. While cultivating the land, more income and prospects will become available for our families.
I arrived a little late here today as the EU’s high commissioner of foreign and security issues, the Vice President of the European Commission, visited Georgia and talked about Georgian citizens having an opportunity to travel visa free to Europe soon. We will have free access to the EU markets. That is why we are partially fighting on the foreign front too. This battle is for the independence of Georgia. It is the continuation of the battle which we are in. No one should say that Georgia has lost any war. Georgia will stand on its feet, until it is defeated, it will fight for victory as long as we desire, until we drop our hands, until we give up, until we believe that our country will unite in the end.
We are here in the homeland of Ilia. The principal political science for me comes from Ilia Chavchavadze even up to now. The Georgian magazine “Tabula” published Ilia Chavchavadze’s letters awhile ago. It is astonishing what a modern thinker Ilia is. It is astonishing how he writes about ethnic groups and religion, Georgian wine. He wrote that Georgian’s have the best and most exceptional wine in the world, but we need to learn to produce, age and export it to the markets. It is amazing how the banking sector had worked then. There are many banks that are being opened in Georgia today. I opened a beautiful bank building yesterday. It is incredible, how precisely Ilia comprehended the significant role of the Georgian system.
There are several lakes in Kvareli. There is already Lopota and Kvareli Lake. Together with friends from Kvareli, after long consideration, we have decided that no name would suit this lake better than Ilia’s name, as this lake is exceptionally beautiful and attractive.
When we talk about Ilia Chavchavadze, we should remember that Georgia was not independent back in Ilia’s time. The Russian Gendarmerie, Russian soldiers stood here then, just as they stand in Abkhazia and the little city of Tskhinvali today. Despite that, Ilia never doubted for one moment that Georgian should be free and independent.
Then what on earth has happened to today’s Georgians, to whom God gave a free state basically, not the whole territory (though it is whole legally). Those Georgians who today still cry for slavery and vassal treatment who still want to be under someone’s dependency and to receive instructions from someone moment to moment. They might have a feeling that their country does not appreciate them much which they have deserved, but it is not sufficient grounds for despising and selling out their country.
Perhaps the reasons for this are in the minds of such politicians, in their inability. Maybe it is that many politicians devote more time to enjoying themselves than thinking about their own people. The bulk of them, unfortunately, do not care at all how a person gets through the day here.
These are not the grounds to refuse the independence of our country, run away, and embrace the enemy, as nothing stands higher than freedom. Everything that is being done in Georgia – this lake, the renovated center of Kvareli with its museums, Nekresi, Gremi, everything that we have done in recent years and will do in the future -is the direct outcome of tireless work for Georgia’s freedom, our independent nation.
We started the painting works in the center of Tbilisi in 2005. They used to say often that we only care about Tbilisi. Yet, we have certainly carried on with refurbishing the Tbilisi Center. In none of the previous epochs, during any Kings, any government or any short period in Georgian history has there been so much built in Tbilisi, as during the past five years. Twice as much than was done in the past 5 years will be built in the next 2 years. Yet, Georgia is not only about Tbilisi. We switched to the reconstruction of Batumi after that. Batumi is not only the pride of Georgia. Starting from the Black Sea shore, and ending with Central Europe and Istanbul, there is no place where the reconstruction on such a scale is taking place, as it is here. There is no place with such beautiful architecture, such rapid development. More economic activity in reconstruction will yield results. The residents of Kutaisi, for example, used to say last year that the president flies over Kutaisi and does not even pay attention to us. This is not so. It turned out that Kutaisi has become a parliament hosting capital in parallel with the Batumi development. There are the nicest buildings being built in Kutaisi, with the most advanced infrastructure. The development of the city is underway. When the reconstruction of Kutaisi had started, naturally, a question was posed “what has Kakheti done wrong? Everything happens in Western Georgia, namely in Anaklia, Poti, Batumi and Kutaisi. When will you come over the hill?” Despite renovating Signagi and the center of Kvareli just as we came to power, there still was a lot of work. The renovation of this lake has started and is already being renovated. “Ilia Lake” is the beginning of a new stage for the entire Kakheti region, as all of this is accessible for each one of you.
Next year will be the year of Kakheti in Georgia. There will be more construction work carried out in Kakheti next year than what has been done in any other region of Georgia during the last 7-8 years.
The genetic code of the Georgia statehood was created here in Kakheti, in the Alazani valley. Together with this genetic code, our alphabet and our vine has been also created here. There are exceptionally skilled, hardworking people with incomparable patriotism living in Kakheti, on this fruitful land, which due to the mountains was a relatively protected place from enemies. That is why, all of us, just as Kakheti and the rest of Georgia, did not waver to assist the unified Georgia, we should not waver to revive Kakheti.
My friends, I would like to tell you that we have grand plans. Huge reconstruction is to begin next year in Telavi. We have very interesting projects detailed in the field of agriculture for Lagodekhi, Gurjaani, Sagarejo and Dedoflistskaro. The restoration work of the most importantance for us, historic monuments, are to begin in Akhmeta, Tusheti and Kevsureti. The repairing of roads continues to be carried out. The Gombori road has been completed; work is underway on other roads, including the most difficult Tusheti part. We are working so that the water system is operational. You know that in many districts of Kakheti, including Telavi, the rehabilitation works are underway. You know it well that the water issue had always been a huge problem for Kakheti. There will be nothing more pleasant than swimming here in this lake next year, when there will be a pressing heat and the rivers run dry. Just when this period arrives, I will join you as well. But before that, this lake will be fully filled and become entirely blue too.
I want to also tell you that we are working hard on the sports infrastructure. We are working on building a swimming pool in Kakheti. You know that a sport infrastructure was built here. What you saw in Kvareli, the so called “Geocell Class”, I saw on TV in a “Geocell” advertisement and thought to do the same for Georgian pupils. I met the representatives of the company and asked them: do you want to do an honorable deed? This is not “terrorizing” a business; I have asked them to create similar classes. Where else should these classes be created if not in Ilia’s homeland? We need to have classes like that in all principal schools of Kakheti. A child that lives in a very poor family, in which every penny matters, should have an opportunity to receive an education with the latest technologies. It is noteworthy that every second citizen in Georgia, i.e. 52 percent of the population of the country, was poor prior to the Rose revolution. As a result of our immense efforts this official figure has gone down to 17 percent. Yet, it still is not enough, as about every fifth Georgian is still below the poverty level.
I have seen many poor families. Many of them have unfortunately learned to live with this condition. Many of them have given up. I have thought a lot on how to change this attitude. First of all, we should increase the social packages and pensions. I also thought that the child that has a computer, a child, who is being taught by an American, Englishman or Australian with new methods in the first class, whose teacher is getting a higher salary, (when a teacher passes an exam, he can have a salary of 1000 GEL or higher) will walk into the house entirely differently, when he will return to his poor family with this small net-book, small computer, play these games, will tell his family members with pride, “how do you do?” etc. He will be bringing an entirely different psychology into his family. We have to overcome poverty by all means. We cannot allow any child or any 80 year old grandmother or grandfather to suffer from poverty. My grandmother is also over 80. I want to say that I have a great sympathy towards the generation that has brought us here. I have sympathy towards the generation that has lost the most, as when people had thought in the 90s that they had reached something, it was all destroyed and ruined then. Unfortunately, people got the feeling that the whole generation was lost. It was not that the generation was lost, but people had lost opportunities, which they deserved. Our principal aim today is to maximally return those opportunities.
My friends, apart from all other reconstruction work which we are starting, an incredibly beautiful new hotel is to be built on this hill. One man, whom I have met recently, is building this hotel – Gia Piradashvili, who started a business precisely in the winemaking field since the 2006 Russian declared embargo. He has founded a company “Teliani Valley” that despite the embargo has created the best distribution network in new countries, new markets, new export lines and the company that was built practically from nothing, has become very popular across the world. They might have different opinions on the quality, but the fact is that anywhere you go in the world, you see Gia’s “Teliani Valley” wine. Then he established another company and built his own chateau, which is working today, developed it and sold it. He has built a similar chateau now in Telavi, near Shuamta. Despite traveling a lot and seeing many great hotels in France or Italy, I can say that it is the best in that style of hotels. Do you know why? It is because it is a result of being built with love and heart. The project is his creation and every detail is handmade. He is building another chateau now near this lake, on this mountain, where many tourists will come for visits and holidays as well, will spend money here, will purchase many souvenirs made here, while all of these will be a source of income for our people. That is why we can say that Gia is not only working for himself. New businessmen like him are building the future Georgia. They neither fear embargos nor hopeless situations. They know that their homeland has to be built with their own hands; it has to be built with their determination and love. Hence, I want people like Gia to be many. But, so far we have very few such people in Georgia and if there is a term that depicts what Gia Piradashvili is doing with its reconstruction, I believe this term is Excellent. We have one of the highest state orders – the order of Excellency and I would like to decorate Gia Piradashvili with this order on your behalf.
I would also like to greatly thank all those people, who have built this. As I know that such things are not built in 5, 4 and 3 months. But everyone knows that I, just like each one of you are impatient. There was so much inactivity all these years that everyone should work at night, strengthen their hands, do the impossible and still build something. Meanwhile, we have become the fastest in the world in building everything. Both impatience and anxiety have their positive results. We give the example of this to the whole world.
I would like to thank Ramaz Nikolaishvili, your governor, and especially thank those engineers, and workers who have worked tirelessly day and night, as they did it for Georgia and knew that they were contributing to the reconstruction of Georgia. I have not brought orders for them here with me, but all of them deserve this word – Excellence.
Thank you very much.