Infrastructure high on Georgian agenda

President Mikheil Saakashvili met with Regional Governors in Martvili, Samegrelo region on June 8 to get familiar with the situation in the regions after the heavy rains and flooding. The sides discussed the agricultural projects necessary for rehabilitation of the damaged infrastructure especially in Akhmeta, Sagarejo and Gurjaani. Adamant that the agricultural projects have so far been successfully carried out in Georgian villages, the Governors named the most important sectors for their regions.

Rehabilitation of roads, water provision and other everyday services will be essential for each region in a couple of years. Encouraging the Governors to introduce special effective programs to the local people all around the country, the officials promised the President to deal with all the possible obstacles. Saakashvili suggested rapid improvement of the water related crisis in regions. “We have made special maps with signs and we are controlling each tetri necessary for solving this problem. We have defined all the programs and eradicated the problems with roads and water provision and we will finish all the important projects by 2013,” Ramaz Nikolaishvili Minister of Regional Development and Infrastructure stated.

The discussions proved that the villages affected by the rainy weather would be fully restored to normal in a fortnight. Talking of tourism, constructive activities and textile production as the most challenging fields for the regions, the Governors shared the success stories of their local industries to one another. As Vera Kobalia the Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development told the President, special training courses have been successfully introduced to the regions where women are successfully making the local production. With the support of Turkish and other investors the sides hoped that Imereti-Guria project would introduce Georgian goods to neighboring countries.

Stressing the necessity for high-tech equipment, the President announced that highways will be built in Georgia and the country will become part of the European railway system by 2013. Expressing his hopes that the Georgian economy would increase rapidly by next year, Saakashvili stressed that the construction of huge hydro electric stations, increasing number of tourists and agricultural benefits would make Georgia the exemplary country in the region. Encouraging the Governors to inform people about their activities more often, the President stressed that 2013 would be one of the most successful years for the whole Georgian society and expressed his confidence that 2013 would become a historical year for the country.