It indeed is a very significant day for Poti.
It is the idea of a Poti free industrial zone that is being materialized and filled with substance.
Together with this factory and its dock here, there will be a billion investment made in the next 4 years here.
This means 1,500 employed residents of Poti, which, incrementally begins today.
This means that in case of another 3-4 such factories, there will be no problem of unemployment in Poti, Supsa and surrounding at all.
I know that even today, for instance, a certain part of the Supsa population goes to work in Turkey for the summer.
But there is a training center in Poti, there are similar centers in Guria, where we will help people to acquire professions that are required to get jobs in these factories.
Besides this factory, there is a metal-construction factory being opened here; we are also negotiating on the opening of 4 or 5 additional factories, as the result of which Poti will become and large industrial center.
The construction of such large factories, with the billion in investment, means that Poti is already becoming an industrial center.
We are incrementally proceeding in all of this – first we adopted a law, then we brought in a high pressure natural gas pipe to Poti, and this had never been done during any government in this city.
It took almost three years and a vast investment, but we made it.
There are roads that have to be built here...certainly, the communications are being expanded in parallel, the railway is already completed…there is a big airport being built in Poti, which will open next year; it will be followed by the enlargement and of a Poti port and the increase of its intensity.
At the same time, you know that we are building a new city Lazika, towards which there are many opinions floating.
I would like to tell everyone that the realization of this project will bring us income 4 times more than the invested amount, which we will redistribute across the rest of Georgia.
It is not anyone’s whim; rather it is a project with a prospect. We want to invest money and make much more out of it.
Here, precisely on the territory of Lazika, between the zones of Anaklia-Kulevi, there is the only deep canyon on the territory of Georgia, which is 20 meters deep.
Besides this, there is only one such port on the Black Sea, it is Constanta, Romania – neither Novorosiisk, nor Odessa, Ilichovs, Trabson, Ochamchire, none of the other ports of the Black Sea basin have such parameters.
We are investing several hundred million in the development of this port, while this port will build the city and will bring us several billion in income in the next few years.
Hence, we are not spending what we do not have, but we are making the least investment, in order to get the most income, in order to create as many jobs as possible, for many people to become wealthy and of course, create port storage industries, factories, which will end up in a single zone and will naturally provide for the creation of a city.
It is a very concrete business plan, which aims at increasing each of our citizen’s wellbeing, the geopolitical significance of Georgia and its economic indicator.
We start the realization of this plan – building of Lazika, in few days and it will only strengthen Poti.
Poti is emerging into an industrial zone.
There was a completely unused territory here – it was a military polygon, and look what kind of factory is being made here now.
Look at the Kulevi terminal, which was build during my presidency.
Look at the city of Anaklia, which was built basically on an empty spot in year and a half. Those who laugh at us now, should come here at least once and see everything themselves.
In the continuation of Anaklia we will surely build the port of Lazika, the construction of which has already begun. This will be followed by the building of a city.
We will not leave even a single inch of our unoccupied territory undeveloped.
For our fellow men in Abkhazia, left on the other side of the occupation line, it will be an important symbol – apart from economic significance, all of this has decisive, strategic political significance for the reintegration of Georgia’s territories and de-occupation of Georgia.
Everything comes into a single system and we certainly know what we are doing.
No one is eternal in this world, and all of this certainly does not belong to any single party or government.
These are long-term, years long plans, and of course it is clear that the process has to be carried on despite of the fact of who takes a specific decision at this stage on specific issues.
Yet, of course we, our team, including myself, plan to continue intensive work in the upcoming years to implement these grand strategic plans.
I repeat once again that this is not a property of one single party or a government – this is being done for all of Georgia, and it should not become a matter of speculation.
The national idea has to be about developing this part of your county’s shore and each person, residing in Georgia, regardless of origin or political affiliation, getting more benefits.
We should all agree around similar issues during the conduct of either political or the pre-election campaign.
This process will soon be over and the construction will continue just as before, as this is our main lesson.
I would like to promise you all the assistance, and tell the residents of Poti that it is a huge thing for Poti.
Several kilometers away from this city, where there was a swamp before, 1,500 jobs have been created today; an industry has been created, a prospect has been created and hence, there will come development and more prosperity for every person residing in Poti and in its adjacent territories.
We are already opening something new, completed objects every day.
Renovation of Telavi was completed 4 days ago, then Kvareli, yet there still are many new things to do; we opened a whole range of objects yesterday in Gurjaani, now we are launching a new construction, we begin the construction of a new city tomorrow, we will again open completed objects in Poti in few days…
The beginning and completion are interchanging and both are equally pleasing.
I am pleased by opening the completed objects as promises are fulfilled, yet beginning of a new means much more, as it is a prospect for the future, it is a new lease on life, including for the abandoned places, for our villages, our lands, our cities, i.e. our people.
That is why I thank everyone that are our partners in this business and who build new Georgia together with us.
Thank you.