Poti residents complain of unbearable fish smell
Demonstrators blocked the road near the administration building of the City Hall. Photo: IPN.
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Residents of Georgia’s Black Sea port town of Poti are protesting the 'unbearable smell of fish in the city.'
Demonstrators blocked the road near the administration building of the City Hall, saying that the unpleasant smell spreads during November-February, during the fish processing period.
Demonstrators urge the government to take appropriate action and call on MPs to meet them.
We ask for air, we demand existence”, said the head of the initiative group, Vladimer Ambalia.
Later the directors of fish factories said that they agreed to halt work until concrete decisions are made.
A special team will visit Poti tomorrow to meet these people and then together they will decide how to solve the problem. All parties are focused on the well-being of the population of Poti", said the First Deputy State Representative, Davit Partsvania.
There are four fish processing companies in Poti, whose licenses are valid until September 2026.
Factory managers claim that all enterprises are equipped with the appropriate filters.
Georgia’s Black Sea port of Poti is hosting a group of military vessels of NATO member states, as the Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 is set to hold sea manoeuvres with their Georgian counterparts this week.
HNLMS Evertsen of the Royal Netherlands Navy, TCG Yildirim of the Turkish Navy, BGS Drazki of the Bulgarian Navy and ROS Regele Ferdinand of the Romanian Naval Forces are part of the group led by Commodore Boudewijn Boots.
The PACE group, the largest transportation company in Georgia, has launched the construction of a new, modern terminal in Poti Port, western Georgia, the project worth of $120 million. The group, which operates eight Poti port berths and Pace terminal, has received $50 million in funding from the US Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC), which is the largest investment by OPIC in the Caucasus.
A deep sea port in Georgia’s Black Sea port town of Poti will not be built as the construction permit for the port has been cancelled, says Georgian Economy Minister Natia Turnava.
Georgia and China are strengthening cooperation within the ‘One Belt, One Road’ initiative – a vast development strategy starting in China and spanning across Eurasia.
Georgian Agriculture Minister Levan Davitashvili has stated today that if fish factories in the Black Sea port town of Poti do not follow sanitary standards, work will be stopped.