Today President Mikheil Saakashvili met with Georgian academicians and scientists at the National Museum and claimed that next year financing of the museums, as well as the salaries of the museums' employees will increase three-fold.

"People who preserved Georgia's cultural heritage and continued working even in the most dreadful times should not have the salary of 100 lari," the President said, adding that a person can work on enthusiasm only for some time, then he needs a reasonable salary.

"A person, whose salary amounts to only 100 lari is virtually destined to death with hunger. From next year the salaries of people working at the museums will increase three-fold. The financing of museums will also increase three-fold," stated President Saakashvili.

According to the President, building of a new premise for the National Center of Manuscripts will be finished soon, stressing that the National Center of Manuscripts preserves much richer collections than do the similar centers of the neighboring countries, with the difference that they are much well-known to the world.

"Truly devoted people are working at the Center of Manuscripts. They are taking care of the manuscripts for the whole life and have thus brought them to these days. However, when I told them to exhibit the collection, they got upset because they were afraid the climate change would spoil the manuscripts. Soon we will build a new premise for the National Center of Manuscripts that would be equipped to modern standards and where we would exhibit our unique manuscripts without being afraid that they would get spoiled," the President said, stressing that Georgian cultural heritage should create a desirable image to our country.

"Georgia's cultural heritage is a guarantee that many tourists would come to Georgia to see that this is a real Europe, maybe more ancient than many of the today's European states. We should show this in a due manner. If we manage to do this, millions of people would come to Georgia, that would trigger the development of many spheres of the economy," the President said.

President Saakashvili also stated id that in the new cabinet of ministers, Georgia's Education and Science Minister Kakha Lomaia will be appointed as secretary of the National Security Council.

"I believe, that considering those threats that we are having inside and outside the country, we need an intelligent person who is quick at reacting, has enough authority, and is a decision-maker," the President said.

At the meeting President Saakashvili also stated that significant transport and energy projects were being implemented in Georgia and the former secretary of the National Security Council will be in charge of a special unit, created for the implementation of these projects. According to President Saakashvili, this would be quite a big unit with important goals. The President said that Kote Kemularia is an experienced state official and his long-time companion.

President particularly underscored the fact that in several days the building of Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway line will start.

"It is a grand project, the project of the century indeed. There was an oil pipeline project - one more project of the century, but many people can't sense the importance of the pipeline as they do not have direct contact with it, except for those who are directly employed there," the President said, stressing that with the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway line Georgia will connect to the European railway network.

"Georgia is no longer a dead-end. We can sit on a train in Tbilisi and go to Paris or Lisbon, because the railway goes under the Bosporus and in the future there will be express trains coming from Turkey to Georgia," the President said, stressing that this means Georgia is making a geographic revolution. As the president said, it has been proved once again that Georgia is the key spot of the Silk Road.

"Silk Road has revived in terms of the traffic that will be carried from China to Turkey and then to the rest of Europe via the Georgian ports and railway," the President said.

As he said there is a shorter way to Europe that goes via Russia. "I'm sure that sooner or later this road will open but this will happen only after the issue of Abkhazia is solved in favor of the unity of Georgia," the President said.

During his meeting with the employees of the National Museum the President noted that the new government is obligated to design a new social policy, stressing that people and providing them the assistance should not be left behind the country's successful development, investments, digits and infrastructure refurbishment.

"The government should be better relating the country's economic and general success to the success of each family, each person and each sphere. We give this mandate to the new Prime Minister . . . I nominated Lado Gurgenidze for Prime Minister because he is the most successful Georgian businessman. He is a real businessman without oligarchic past, who did not obtain property with someone else's help," the President stated.

Press Office
of the President of Georgia