In 2020 we have discovered that we have world-class professionals, and our health care system has withstood what countries stronger than us have not been able to endure, said the President of Georgia in her New Year address.

“This year turned out to be the hardest year for the world, for our country, for our population. I would like to express my condolences to everyone who has lost a family member, relative or friend during this tough period.

The pandemic has changed the world - it shook the economy, it closed our borders. It changed us as well - it instilled fear in us. Along with its negative aspects, the pandemic has shown us that survival can only be achieved through solidarity, mutual trust and care.

Professionalism and responsibility are the only way to defeat the disease. The main thing is not to give in to despair, because everything bad is followed by good. First of all, this concerns the field of healthcare. Its representatives - epidemiologists, doctors, nurses, ambulance workers - stood on the front lines, directly suffering all the blows and losses. The number of victims among them is big as well.

However, at the same time, we have discovered that we have world-class professionals, and our health care system has withstood what countries stronger than us have not been able to endure.

We have not been expecting this and we were surprised. It earned us the world’s high esteem, which led to large-scale international financial support.

In the process of managing the pandemic, a great burden and responsibility were placed on our police and defense forces. Here as well, we can be proud of how dedicated and effective they have been in coping with these difficult and unusual situations.

World quarantine has caused a severe blow to our economy, particularly to the tourism sector. However, the popularization of domestic tourism has allowed many families to rediscover Georgia. In many people, a desire to return to the countryside has emerged. With this, we - all together - managed to help one of the most severely affected areas of our economy”, - said Salome Zourabichvili.