As President Saakashvili was speaking about his development plans for western Georgia before his term in office expires in 2013, several thousand people were gathered in downtown Tbilisi at, what it was called, “a protest concert” in a lead up to the rallies expected to launch from April 9 to demand Saakashvili’s resignation.
President Saakashvili said on Friday evening that the top priority for Georgia now was “not to allow a large-scale economic crisis” in the country.
“I will tell those, who think that Georgia is already in crisis, what is a real large-scale economic crises; that is when pensioners and teachers will be told ‘sorry, but there is no pension or salary for you’ – that is the economic crisis which is taking place in Ukraine and Russia,” he said.
Saakashvili was speaking at an event at which he personally handed over licenses to the first two firms, which have been registered to operate in free industrial zone of Poti on Georgia’s Black Sea coast. UAE’s Ras Al Khaimah emirate’s investment fund operates the zone.
“I want to tell you now about my vision of Poti and Batumi [main town of Adjara Autonomous Republic] for 2013 – the end of my presidential term,” Saakashvili said. “As far as I already have an experience of delivering my promises pledge four years ago, I now will [tell] how I imagine development of this region in benefit of our country.”
He said that in 2013 Batumi and Poti would be “a single megapolice – not administratively, but economically.”
“There will be about 30, 40 or 50 skyscrapers – probably almost the same number as in Dubai; in Batumi there will be ten buildings of the same class as in Dubai already next year – I am not exaggerating anything, these are now being constructed. This will be the city [Poti and Batumi together] with minimum of half a million people… and this will be the megapolice with almost 100% employment rate in 2013. And it will be the best place on the Black Sea coast,” he said.
He also said that by that time Poti will have “a large airport” and the capabilities of the Batumi airport would be expended.
“Abkhazia and Sokhumi will definitely be linked to all these developments – no one should have illusions about it, because it is simply impossible that such a pace of development is not followed by reversal of disintegration processes, especially in the light of problems which our northern neighbor [Russia] is currently experiencing,” Saakashvili said.
He then praised investors from Ras Al Khaimah as “one of the best qualified people I have ever worked with.” “They have not stopped working here even during the war when port of Poti was bombed; our friendship is firm and will continue permanently,” he added.
Apart of Poti industrial zone, Ras Al Khaimah’s emirate through its real estate developer Rakeen is investing in two multi-million projects – Uptown Tbilisi and Tbilisi Heights. Investors from the emirate have also been associated behind two controversial deals involving take over of a dispute Imedi TV’s shares and leasing of the Mtatsminda amusement park in Tbilisi, also a disputed asset.
As Saakashvili was speaking at a meeting in Sheraton Metekhi Palace hotel, several kilometers away on Rike, an open-air “protest concert,” organized by a so called “protest TV” was held. Protesters – estimated numbers varied from 5,000 to 10,000 – were listening for about two hours to opposition activist and singer Giorgi Gachechiladze, with nickname Ucnobi (Unknown), singing from an imitated prison sell on stage. Gachechiladze, a brother of former opposition presidential candidate, Levan Gachechiladze, put himself in self-imposed ‘imprisonment’ in an improvised cell – a studio of Tbilisi-based Maestro TV – packed with cameras in late January and vowed to stay there unless President Saakashvili resigns.
After the show, which was also attended by some opposition leaders – Nino Burjanadze, a former parliamentary speaker among them – protesters marched towards the Parliament and dispersed peacefully afterwards.
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