Saakashvili: We Provide ‘Special Opportunities’ to Ethnic Minorities

Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili said on December 9 that the Georgian authorities are providing “not simply equal opportunities,” but “special opportunities” to the national minority groups residing in Georgia.

Saakashvili was speaking at the opening ceremony of the School of Public Administration in Kutaisi, which is named in honor of late Georgian Prime Minister Zurab Zhvania, who would be 42 on December 9. Parliamentary Chairperson Nino Burjanadze also attended the opening ceremony.

The school, which is based in Georgia’s second largest city, will mainly focus on training representatives of the ethnic minorities.

“This is a country where the representatives of many religious confessions live and which is distinguished by religious tolerance; this is a country which is strong because of its diversity… because our country belongs to everyone who lives here.  In this view this school is of crucial importance. For the first time, we create not simply equal opportunities but we give special opportunities to those representatives of our population who still do not speak Georgian well and this is not their fault,” Saakashvili said.

President Saakashvili also said at the opening ceremony that the cutting of the staff of state structures by 10% is planned for 2006.

“The state apparatus should be very small… But after this [planned decrease] we should stabilize [the process] and cuts should take place only in case of special necessity,” the President added.

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