Mountain problems reached also the parliament at last. Georgian scientists are concerned about a complete disregard for Georgian highland regions and offer the deputies a lot of initiatives. But the deputies still prefer the sea yet.
Georgian scientists do not approve of declaring the sea as the resort of top priority. A scientist Koba Arabuli stated in the parliament about the current condition of the mountains. The scientists think that two third of Georgia makes up mountainous part and I can’t see why they think the sea is advantageous especially when it is impossible to assume “the Black Sea to be superior to the Mediterranean one”.
Koba Arabuli also talked about the research made by him and said that he compared the parameters of Davos and the resort Shovi and it turned out that according to all parameters Shovi is superior than Davos by 2,5%.
“But the problem is that Davos is in Europe, but Shovi in – Ratcha, where we were not able to build a bridge so that the village Glola was not cut off from Shovi every year” - said Arabuli.
Arabuli also talked about Bethlehem uniqueness and said that as a result of proper attitude and proper advertisement it is totally possible to turn Bethlehem into a place for prayers of the whole Christian world. He approves the works launched in Svaneti, but he declared that Svaneti is definitely the only mountainous region in Georgia”.
The government really devotes a special attention to Mestia region. It was found out that the third free zone in Georgia would be made just in Mestia. According to the minister of Finance of Georgia, in 2011 tourist zone will serve in Mestia.
According to Kakha Baindurashvili, in the next year budget 350 million GEL have been allocated for tourism development, but the main priorities are Batumi, Anaklia-Ganmukhuri and Mestia. In the Minister’s words, the key accents were made on arranging the infrastructure just in these regions.
Before Mestia, the first free tourist zone was established in Kobuleti. The presentation of the second one was made by Georgian President in Anaklia the day before yesterday.
Meanwhile, Georgian scientists ask for setting up a faculty of mountain science in the University. The author of “Mountain Bill”, scientist Berdia Goishvili said that such faculty must be founded in the University and the principal guide book already exists indeed.
Besides, it was noted at the parliamentary session that according to “mountain bill” it will be necessary to establish the main school in the mountainous regions even if there are three children there. But, if there are 21 children, a secondary school must be set up and the land must be legally detached for it.
In addition, the bill about mountains envisages to be studied in the 7th form in military training in the mountainous regions in order that the local population can get ready well for border defense. According to the same project, the population living in the mountain must serve in the mountain, but the youth who moved from the mountain to the valley to settle, must do compulsory military service in the mountain.
The above mentioned bill has not been made into perfection yet and the scientists also suggested the MPs to carry out joint works on it.