2019-07-23
Without regional development, defeating poverty in Georgia is unimaginable, which is why we must set even more ambitious goals in this direction, and I am confident that the rest of the year will be even more successful, Georgian Prime Minister Mamuka Bakhtadze stated in his speech at the presentation of the biannual performance report on projects financed under regional projects, mountain funds, and programs in support of educational infrastructure and agriculture.
According to the Head of Government, the financing for infrastructural projects in 2019 will increase by 20%, a record-breaking indicator in the history of independent Georgia.
"Stronger regions means a stronger Georgia, which is why regional development is our Government's top priority. Six months ago, we, together with the Ministry of Infrastructure, presented a very ambitious plan for 2019, fully understanding that reaching this goal would pose numerous challenges. When I was nominated to the office of Prime Minister in the spring of 2018, I singled out several directions in which we planned significant changes. The first was the governance structure with its imperfections-there were issues manifesting themselves in failure to use up implemented and allocated investments. We have made a lot of changes, like changing the structural of regional governance, numerous procedures, and today we have significant results," Mamuka Bakhtadze stated.
The Prime Minister emphasized the fact that the actual investment made by the Ministry of Regional Development and Infrastructure in infrastructure has exceeded the planned amount by 200 million GEL.
"We expanded the budget of the Ministry of Regional Development and Infrastructure by 20%, and the statistics for the last six months show that the ministry has been perfectly equal to the task. Reginal development is a vitally important direction, and we must achieve inclusive growth in Georgia, which is only possible through the equal development of the regions," Mamuka Bakhtadze said.
The Prime Minister thanked Minister of Regional Development and Infrastructure Maya Tskitishvili and her team for excellent work.
"Besides projects of nationwide importance, we still have to implement regional projects that are crucially important to our citizens in various regions of our country. These are local roads, infrastructural programs for water supply systems, development of athletic and educational infrastructure, and others. We have significant progress in this direction as well. By the end of 2022, Georgia will boast most advanced infrastructure to enable us further to develop our economy, to engage more citizens in economic development, and ultimately to join forces and defeat poverty," Mamuka Bakhtadze emphasized.
The audience at the presentation was also addressed by Vice Prime Minister, Minister of Regional Development and Infrastructure Maya Tskitishvili. The biannual performance report on projects financed under regional projects, mountain funds, and programs in support of educational infrastructure and agriculture was delivered by Deputy Minister Ilia Begiashvili.
The event was attended by representative of Georgia's executive and legislative, state representatives in the regions, and representatives of local government, NGOs, and the expert community.
Prime Minister's Press Office