On December 29 President Saakashvili visited Akhalkalaki, a town in the southern Georgian region of Samtskhe-Javakheti predominately populated by ethnic Armenians.
During this meeting with the local population in the center of the town President Saakashvili spoke about the necessity of integration of the ethnic Armenian population within the state.
?Our Armenian population is a real patriot which needs more attention and care. You should be integrated, but with the preservation of your language and your culture. I know that there are many problems here but we will solve them if we stand together,? Mikheil Saakashvili said.
He said that the construction of a new highway connecting Tbilisi with Akhalkalaki will be launched next year. ?We have already invested funds for this project,? he added.
Saakashvili also said that scholarships will be available for those students willing to continue their studies at the Tbilisi universities.