Saakashvili Vows to Build ‘New Singapore’ on Capital Flowing from Russia and Turkey

During the Mercury 2011 Business Award ceremony, Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili vowed that Georgia, on account of Turkey and Russia, will soon become the “new Singapore.”

Prospects for turning the country into a regional hub are great because corruption reigns in Russia and flowing out of there is capital, which Georgia must attract since there’s no corruption here, he said.

Saakashvili also noted that likewise there is a surplus of capital in Turkey and Georgia should take advantage of both of these opportunities.

Seven years have passed since the Rose Revolution and that’s not enough time for a complete change of mentality. Georgia is now “unacceptably poor,” but it has the chance to become the fastest growing economy in Europe, he said.