Saakashvili Speaks of Infrastructure Development
Speaking at a news conference on March 16 President Saakashvili said that the current government should “leave well-developed infrastructure” in the country.
He hailed launch of construction of a new high-speed motorway linking Tbilisi with the western part of Georgia.
“By 2008 construction of the section linking Tbilisi to the point where there is a turn to Tskhinvali [breakaway South Ossetia] will be over. In 2009 construction of Tbilisi-Khashuri section will be over and by 2011 construction of a section [linking Tbilisi to] Batumi and Sokhumi [breakaway Abkhaz capital] will be over. Construction will cost about USD 500 million. Tbilisi-Gori section will cost USD 150 million,” Saakashvili said.
He said that the construction of new highway became possible as a result of increased revenues. “By the way according to the data of the first two months [of 2006] there is a surplus in the budgetary revenues,” he said without specifying figures.
Saakashvili also said that a final project of the new airport in Batumi has already been confirmed. “The terminal, runways and entire airport will be new in Batumi,” he said.
Consortium of the Turkish companies TAV and Urban pledged last year to invest USD 15 million in reconstruction of the Batumi airport.
“This new airport means regular flights to different directions. Because of the fact that this airport will become part of Turkey’s network of internal flights, Batumi-Istanbul-Batumi flight will cost maximum USD 100-150, while currently price of Tbilisi-Istanbul flight is at least USD 400-500. These [cheap prices] mean that Georgians will have more chance of movement more chance for business activities,” Saakashvili said.
“So this year we will have new airports in Tbilisi and Batumi, next year I want to attract investments for the Kopitnari airport [in Georgia’s second largest city of Kutaisi],” he added.
He also said that “Georgia becomes very attractive country.”
“Hundreds of millions from the Central Asia, hundreds of millions from Europe, hundreds of millions from Israel are being now invested in Georgia… American capital will gradually start to flow as well.
He also estimated that economic growth was more than 9% in 2005 and “this year economic growth will exceed 10%.”
