On March 5, Akaki Tsereteli State University of Kutaisi hosted the Visiting, Meeting of the Government of Georgia that was opened by President of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili.
The Prime Minister of Georgia, all the Georgian ministers and governors as well as all the city and region mayors, local government heads and council chairmen of Imereti attended the Meeting.
"This is the first time that we have met in this format today. We are forming an informal state council and each month we'll have meetings with you to make sure that the Government and the President of Georgia are in regular contact with you and feel the pulse of each region and their problems. We must all work jointly on the Georgia without Poverty and Georgian Village Revival programs; we must all jointly work on the program issues common to us. We must realize that Georgia is not in an easy situation. There are the territorial integrity issues which adversely affect the economic development of our country. The world economic situation leaves much to be desired. Prices on fuel and, consequently, on agrarian products have increased dramatically. The only solution to these problems lies in increasing the actual revenues and social allowances to our people through better fiscal administration and economic development. Although prices on agrarian products are increasing, Georgia is the country manufacturing agrarian products. Therefore, our program to establish one hundred agrarian product processing businesses allows us to use on the current world market condition to our advantage and increase revenues in Georgia and bring benefit to our country. On the other hand, the countries engaged on oil production are the major investors in Georgia. If Georgia maintains a stable, peaceful environment and we make even more conditions, a large part of the revenues of these highly performing countries will be invested in the Georgian infrastructure and development. The world is struggling amid the economic storm. We must master these waves and surf on them, not to sink in it, so as to go up and develop," the President of Georgia said.
At today's Meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers, they discussed basically regional development projects. Mikheil Saakashvili discussed the all the specific problems in the regions, asked specific questions and received adequate answers.
The President of Georgia inquired about the situation in distributing diesel fuel and fertilizers. He said that the distribution of diesel fuel and fertilizer required budget changes and those processes must have been completed by 15 March. He said that the people would receive vouchers and be able to get fuel at the nearest filling stations.
Minister of Refuges and Accommodation of Georgia Koba Subeliani will live 2-3 days with the refugees accommodated in Kutaisi. The instruction was given him by President of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili at the Government Meeting. As the President of Georgia said, the refugees in Kutaisi have special problems and instructed the Minister of Refugees to "make his best efforts to identify the problems of the refugees to help alleviate their plight until they return to their homes."
Mikheil Saakashvili signed a letter of application from Gardabani Municipality, based on which the new village Poladaantkari will be established within the jurisdiction of Gardabani Municipality. "Make sure that the village has a school, a kindergarten, a police precinct, a civil registry unit, and healthcare facilities. Let's implement the Presidential Agrarian Revival Program at the example of Poladaantkari," President of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili said.
The President voiced another plan. He said that an investor was interested in building a timber processing plant in Jvari Town, Tsalenjikha Region. "It is important that we encourage employment in this region," the President of Georgia said.
As the President said, the Government also plans to purchase an additional 2000 tractors for the country, as there are serious problems in the apportionment of tractors in the regions. "I do not want anyone to have any feeling of injustice, the feeling that we showed them tractors just before the elections, that we told them the tractors were theirs but after a time the tractors became the property of the representative of the government agency," the President of Georgia said.
Organizational Department of the Chancellery of the Government of Georgia