Messages from the Prime Minister

Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili made a number of positive statements at his governmental meeting this week. Check out the summary below.

NATO Days in Georgia

The annual NATO Days, which are very important in terms of raising public awareness, started in Georgia on April 16 and will continue through May 1.

"This year’s NATO Days celebrations are special in the regions and, importantly, in the ethnic-minority regions," said PM Kvirikashvili.

The Information Center on NATO and the EU, together with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other institutions, carries out numerous events to ensure proper public awareness, so that the county's citizens may familiarize themselves with the benefits offered by Georgia's NATO integration, and to understand, in the PM's words, "how important stability is to Georgia."

"This very cooperation brings about the stability we have today," Kvirikashvili added. "Cooperation with NATO today is as active as ever. Of greatest importance is the progress we have in the implementation of the Substantial Package, and equally invaluable is the support Georgia enjoys from NATO’s member states and Secretary General. That is why we believe that these days must be celebrated duly, and our population’s engagement and awareness is what matters most, so that our citizens may have correct information about today’s processes in our country."

14 More Villages Granted High-Mountainous Status

14 more villages have been recognized as high-mountainous settlements, as the concessions defined by the Law on High-Mountainous Regions becomes available to the residents of the villages of the Chiatura, Sachkhere, Kharagauli, Borjomi, Marneuli, Kareli, Baghdati, and Tkibuli municipalities.

“Upgrading the living standards of the populations of mountainous areas is one of the top objectives of the government,” the PM said.

“14 villages have been added to the list of high-mountainous settlements, which means that doctors, pensioners, mothers with many children, and enterprises operating there, will enjoy additional concessions,” Kvirikashvili noted. “Tens of thousands of households are already using these concessions, which is essential not only for keeping the local population there but also for returning people to the mountainous areas. This task is not only social and economic but also security-related in nature.”

The status is said to have been a success. Besides legally defined concessions, 10 million GEL has been allocated for the development of traditional mountainous cultivars and local economy.

ADB’s future work will focus on regional cooperation projects

On Wednesday, the Asian Development Bank’s Director General for its Central and West Asia Department, Werner Liepach, held a visit to Georgia during which it was announced that the Asian Development Bank (ADB), in its future work, will focus on regional cooperation projects.

“In this case, ‘regional’ refers to our country’s neighborhood, along with the countries of Central Asia, other Asian regions, and the Gulf States,” the PM said. “Most importantly, emphasis is to be placed on the effect of each Dollar or Euro spent in terms of attracting investments from the private sector. In other words, greater emphasis will be placed on the development of the private sector, on the development of green economy- alternative energy sources, and on the fulfillment of our international obligations related to the UN SDGs.”

He concluded the announcement by thanking the Asian Development Bank and its local office for their “excellent cooperation.”

By the GT Team