Government efforts to revive Kutaisi

In an effort to revive provincial towns, officials announced in May that some government offices will be moved to Kutaisi, the second-largest town in Georgia.

The Chamber of Control, the Georgian National Electricity Regulatory Commission and the Roads Department will be the first to start operating out of Kutaisi. The initiative has already sparked a rise in real estate prices in the city, the newspaper Rezonansi reports.

Kutaisi is the focus of a 100-day government program aimed at tackling unemployment and stimulating development that includes repairing and expanding the activity of Kutaisi Airport.

In May President Mikheil Saakashvili said Kutaisi would become the “second capital” of Georgia.