I welcome everyone!
I welcome people from Khoni, Gordi, and the candidates for our deputies in the Parliament.
It is a great honor for me that today we begin the construction of the Gordi Canyon.
The new project will create new jobs and I am sure that Gordi will establish its place on the map of Georgia, Caucasus, Europe and the world.
This canyon is of worldwide significance. We had many miracles in Georgia, but we failed to use them to the benefit of people.
Our people are in need of assistance. Certainly, there are many families still in poverty; of course, there are many people still unemployed, but when I became a president, hardly 120 thousand tourists would arrive in Georgia.
The number of tourists reached two million two years ago, while we had 3 million last year. We expect this figure to surpass 4 million this year, and even more next year. As for the income from tourism, we need to redistribute it across the whole country.
You know that we are building many tourist resorts in Georgia. You probably saw how we developed Akhaltsikhe.
We are developing Batumi from the beginning. Not only is Kutaisi being developed today, but Tskaltubo too, and it will become one of the world’s best resorts. People will see it themselves. There is unbelievable poverty in Tskaltubo, but its rehabilitation envisages that we lift its people, each family from poverty.
There has been a lot developed in Sairme, we are working on the revival of Borjomi, we are building Abastumani, we have completed the Prometheus Cave and Sataplia…
We now took up Gordi, and it is going to be incredible. First of all, we will have the best road here.
Finally, we will have much more wealth.
We will develop the Dadiani’s Palace here – we already have the design, which we started 6 months ago with my tasking.
The Dadiani’s Palace will be restored and this canyon, which is unique in all Europe, will attract tens of thousands, and I am sure even hundreds of thousands of foreign and local tourists per year.
Precisely this will bring more income.
People should start businesses, we need to build hotels, create touristic routes, the banks have to give out credits and we have to work hard.
As for the income, we have to redistribute it to the people of Gordi, Khoni, our citizens, in short, to all those people who will be in need of it the most.
They often say that we are doing all of this for foreigners.
As any true Georgian, I like to show off as well – who from Imereti does not like to show off, even with guests? In the end, all of this is being done for us, isn’t it?
There is much talk that everything is in the hands of foreigners here, but it is a complete lie – 95 percent of the hotels are run by Georgians, precisely the citizens of Georgia are opening businesses and the more we train people, build technical universities and schools, the better prepared and the more jobs our citizens will have.
Our people are very smart, they need a helping hand and training, we need better roads and normal water systems, so it is much easier to build hotels, to open restaurants, develop attractions...
You have to care about the rest…
We will build roads, we will install the water and sewage systems, restore the cultural and historic monuments…
We are investing 5 million GEL in the development of this canyon and someone might still say that we should distribute this money to people, build roads everywhere and give it to people, but this money has not come from nowhere.
Had we not invested in the development of Batumi, the budget would not increase; had we not begun the development of the natural balneotherapy resorts, there would have been no income.
Everything is very interlinked. We first invest money in development, and then follow the roads, better education, more jobs, socially protected people, who create capital themselves…
People begin their work in small hotels and restaurants, and then they have more money and open new ones for themselves. I have seen many examples of this.
None of us keep this money at home – this money is the income of Georgia and of course it is yours.
I saw a political slogan the other day: “Do not bug people with the roads built with people’s money” – parties fraught with former officials of Shevardnadze say this!
Where were these “people’s money” during Shevardnadze’s time? Were people less keen to work then? Simply, everyone would pocket the budget money for themselves.
We are not here to annoy anyone, but are here to make sure that corruption and criminals never return to Georgia; we are here to make sure that what did not allow us to fill the budget, and care about people’s prosperity never returns to Georgia.
We will not allow anyone to stop us from providing insurance to everyone, to distribute the 1000 GEL vouchers, to build all village roads, to develop our resorts…
Did not this canyon exist during the Soviet times? Had those places, which we now developed, exist then? And there was no Akhaltsikhe too.
But, they would not develop anything!
When they say that we used to live better then, I am interested, how is it that they lived better then?
There were barely 2-3 recreational places and mainly the people from Russia and the party members would go there for holidays.
We are now developing all of the places, so that there is income, so that we become richer and then we will decide ourselves on what to spend that money.
I would like to tell you one thing – the biggest patriot of this place is Kako Bobokhidze.
He has bugged us all with the idea of development of this canyon.
When we would start talking, for instance, about creating the Dadiani’s Palace in Zugdidi, he would start: “Let us first do the canyon in Gordi”; when we would start talks about building a new hotel in Tskaltubo and again he would ask: “What are your plans about Gordi? Gordia is the best place”.
Indeed, Kako is not wrong – this Gordi is the best place.
My friends, this is both my ambition and wish.
The historians know where Gordi is and I, of course, do too, but the majority of the Georgian population does not know its location.
This canyon will bring this place back on the map.
Many new places have emerged in Georgia: for instance, Anaklia, Mestia, which the majority of Georgians imagined to be so far away that they thought it was impossible to get there. Some still think like that today...
Now we have to develop the village Ghebi in Racha – it is an unbelievable paradise.
I am sure that none of you have ever heard of such a village, but there will be yet another Georgian miracle next year.
We had to present the border document to enter Akhaltsikhe during the Soviet Union times. Most of the people mix Akhaltsikhe with Akhalkalaki.
Yes, the enemy is occupying part of our territory, which we will return for sure, but during this reconstruction, we have discovered many interesting places in our country blessed by god.
This precisely is a place like that.
All of this belongs to Georgian citizens, to the multi-ethnic society of Georgia, irrespective of their origin, ethnicity or belief.
This is what matters and those people, who try to convince us that all of this is being done for foreigners, desire to take us back to the times of imperialism. It is precisely them who preach to us that Georgians are not worth anything – what our occupants have always told us all along during this period.
It is like a “different interpretation” of the same song – Georgians are worthless, the foreigners are the ones who do everything.
No one will come in here and occupy our places, we just have to believe that we are strong and we can do this!
Many will invest money here, but this investment will benefit us all in the end.
Many will take part in the development, but this development will stay here!
We will develop the rest of Georgia and attract many tourists, including the Russians, who are stunned by our reconstruction.
These people are now coming to a free country. We do not want to have links with the occupant, but we have a great desire for relations with the people.
We want to be regarded as a successful country and not as some object conquered by them.
I believe that we will restore relations with Russia through public diplomacy.
Those who say that Georgia’s road towards a better life runs through lack of self-esteem, does not know our history.
It is with self-esteem, development and dignity, through overcoming poverty and unemployment, by reducing the number of socially vulnerable people to the minimum, that we will win the heart of everyone, including the hearts of the occupant county’s population’ of the occupant country which creates so many problems today for Georgia and the population of our regions.
There will be many nice things done next year; even more after that and in 3-4 years, Georgia will be one of the most interesting and the nicest country for international tourism.
I am very much hopeful that we will all join-in in this momentum of work.
Life is not only about elections, yet, of course, these elections are important in order for Georgian citizens to protect themselves from returning to the past.
If you do consider that Georgia, in spite of the numerous problems that still exist today, is a better country than it was 8 years ago, then let us do everything to make it an even better place and continue the process of reconstruction, including in Gordi.
Thank you.