On November 22, 2012, the Prime Minister of Georgia, Bidzina Ivanishvili, met with mass media representatives at Radisson Blu Iveria Hotel. The press conference was carried out in questions and answers regime and attended by up to 150 representatives of local and foreign media means. At the meeting, the Prime Minister emphasized economic and social issues.
We present extracts from the Prime Minister's speech:
• Economy is a top priority and a key of everything in our country, issue of restoration of our territorial integrity, inter alia, can be settled by this way. Our country shall become economically interesting. We are working and will make certain corrections on legislation; we will not allow monopolies and management by cartel agreement in the economy. We will restore antimonopoly service and create labour code close to the international standards.
• The elite corruption thriving in our country will not exist any more and if such facts appear again, we will have a sharp response. No official will dare to misappropriate private property. Desired investment environment shall be created in Georgia and private investments and private property only shall create hundreds of enterprises and thousands of jobs. 
• Our economic team works intensively to create two foundations. One of them is an investment foundation, in which rich Georgians will participate. Of course, this participation will be voluntary and not compulsory. This foundation will help both local and foreign private investors, who will have desire of this. This will be especially interesting for foreign investors, as local capital will be their partner. Any investor, both local and foreigner, who makes at least 25% investment and has an interesting project, will have 75% partnership from this foundation. This will mainly assist all commercial projects. A strong business group will work with this foundation. This foundation will render partnership to everyone, who has an idea, a project and at least 25% for its funding. This foundation will encourage flowing of investments. A creative group will be established, which will determine where this will be more interesting to make investment, according to the fields. This will be a precondition for real economic rise of our country in several years.
• We have already made contacts with international organizations to attract additional sums for development of agriculture. In Georgia, 80% of population has not registered plots of land in private ownership. We would like to work out an unprecedented program of cultivation of agricultural lands for spring, although, unregistered plots of land hinder this program. The Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Agriculture work on this issue and this problem will be settled very soon. Apart from this, we will purchase new tractors and necessary technique from a one billion foundation and till spring, we will bring in additional technique for cultivation. We are also planning to bring in special technique for melioration works. We are starting restoration of irrigation systems. From this foundation, we shall purchase up to 60 medium and small processing plants in order to arrange one new plant in each region. We are forming a system, through which preferential credits will be issued for farmers. Steps are taken towards opening Russian markets. 
• In healthcare field, a state medical insurance foundation will be created till the end of January of 2013. At the first stage, for 3-4 months, this will be comparatively small insurance package, and from the end of July, a complete package will become effective and as we have committed, all citizens of Georgia will be insured. This will become possible by optimization of the budget and changing priorities.
• From April 1 of the next year, this will be possible to appoint the same amount of pension to persons under 67 years of age, as to those above 67 years of age. Respectively, the pension will amount to GEL 125 instead of GEL 100 from April 1. From September 1, 2013, amount of pension of pensioners by age and that of sharply expressed first grade invalid persons will equal to minimum living wage of today - GEL 150. From September 1, pensions of people of significantly expressed limited abilities and children, those who have lost breadwinners and are politically repressed will rise amounting to GEL 100. Discrimination in pension ensuring of employees dismissed from power structures in 2005, will be eradicated and there pensions will be calculated. Specifically, from April 1, 2013, there pension will depend on the amount of pension by age and their record pf working in the power structure, according to the ranks. Pension of employees of aviation will be calculated in analogical order. For this purpose, GEL 19 million will be additionally allocated from 2013 state budget. From July 1, amount of social assistance will be doubled, regressed pension will be appointed for regressed pensioners, and social assistance for refugees will be doubled as well. 
• The state has doubled the amount of grants designated for students, which means that education became more expensive for the state only. This rise in price does not apply to education fee of students in any way. Fees will not rise for students; on the contrary, more students will get the state grant.
• We have decided that no responsibility is to be imposed on public officials, who have exceed their authorities but have not committed a criminal offence.
Prime Minister's Press Service