On April 15, 2008, a ceremony was held in honor of the New Poti Port and Free Industrial Zone presentation. The President of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili, the Prime-Minister of Georgia Lado Gurgenidze, the Minister of Economic Development of Georgia, Ekaterine Sharashide and the First Lady, Sandra Roelofs attended the ceremony.
The new sea port will be built in Poti. It will be three times larger than the old one and will be equipped with cutting-edge equipment. The Poti Free Industrial Zone will be created, which will include hundreds of new modern enterprises, container stocks and logistic centers. According to the development project plan, the Poti Industrial Zone will be spread over 305 hectares.
The President of Georgia declared that the industrial zone will attract investments of several billion USD, and will help to create thousands of jobs for Georgian population.
“My strong wish is to develop the economy of the country and create jobs for the Georgian citizens. Georgian people should not lose their jobs any more.” – said Mikheil Saakashvili.
At the first stage, USD 200 million will be invested for building the free industrial zone. In next five years, investment will amount up to USD 1, 5 billion.
After the Presidents speech, a press conference was held in the historical museum of the port. The Prime-Minister discussed the details of Georgian economic development as the result of the project. Representatives of the local business community and foreign businesses attended the conference. Mr. Lado Gurgenide also talked about the Georgian investment climate and economic situation in the country.
After the conference, the participants enjoyed fireworks and a concert.
