Rutaveli Statue Was Illegally Set Up in Batumi

On May 6, the president of Georgia opened a statue of Shota Rustaveli (Georgian poet of the XII Century) in Batumi. However, the Batumi municipality board had not released permission on the statue. Although it is required by the law, nobody has appealed to the local self-government and requested the permission to set up a statue.

Furthermore, the board-members did not have information about the statue. According to the law, the municipal board is entitled to take similar decisions.

“The board did not discuss the issue at all; neither it has issued permission on setting up the statue,” said the board members from the opposition parties.

The statue of Rustaveli was prepared on the moulding of the statue by famous Georgian artist Iakob Nikolade. The analogue of the statue was set up in the Vila Borghese Park in Rome a month ago with the initiative of the Georgian government and Rome Mayor. Supposedly, the idea of setting up the same statue in Batumi was born then.