"Returning people to deserted highlands is the chief task of the state"

"Returning people to deserted highlands is the chief task of the state"

You, highlanders are similar to Georgian highlands -  firm,  benevolent, reliable and value guardians.  Currently, the state’s chief task is to return people to deserted highlands, and we can achieve it through economic development of mountainous regions and provision of adequate living conditions for its inhabitants, and this process is already initiated – declared Maya Tskitishvili, Vice Premier and Minister of Regional Development and Infrastructure of Georgia at the event dedicated to International Mountain Day.  
“Starting from the next year, we are planning to celebrate Mountain Week in summer.  This decision was made in order to render mountain days more interesting and diverse, we will have an opportunity to geographically cover more regions, plan more events and win more tourists’ interest. Mountain Week should be established as a traditional event, held with involvement of state, as  well as public and private sectors.” – stated Maya Tskitishvili.
The International Mountain Day has been celebrated since 2002 on initiative of the UN General Assembly, although Georgia marks it for the first time ever.
On 11 December, International Mountain Day, the Government of Georgia presented some key directions of the Strategy on Development of the High Mountainous Regions of Georgia 2019-2023 to be adopted by the Government of Georgia after a series of public consultations. The draft document was prepared by the Ministry of Regional Development and Infrastructure of Georgia with assistance from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
Under the named event, representatives of various professions living in mountainous regions were assigned symbolic status of “Mountain Offspring”.