Bidzina Ivanishvili can not offer a time frame for his election promise to increase pensions to the same level as the minimum wage, 220 lari (USD 132). (IPN.)

The future Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili on Wednesday visited parliament to meet with the minority and answer their critical questions about the future plans and goals of the government and the government’s plan.

Most of the questions were about the time frame for implementing promises given to the Georgian population during the election campaign and how to deliver on the promises.

Ivanishvili couldn’t specify an exact time frame for most of the promises. He said increasing the pensions to 220 lari (USD 132) or more is dependent on increasing the flow of investment.

“We have many times made statements that pensions should not be less than the minimum wage, but we never observed specific dates. I cannot specify it now whether it will be in the next year or later,” he said adding that in the next few years it is entirely possible that pensions will be increases to a minimum wage level.

As for decreasing the fees for natural gas and electricity, he said as soon as the government is approved they will start analysing prices.

“We already have numbers for how much gas we are buying, how much we should have for free, what the commercial price of natural gas which we buy from Azerbaijan is. The average price before distribution is about USD 143-153, but we also know that there are companies, which artificially increase prices.”

He said the same happens with electricity and it is possible to decrease tariffs.

Bidzina Ivanishvli evoked the memory of the flood in the Kakheti region, which inflicted losses for thousands of people. He said as soon as the budget is reviewed they will help people affected by the disaster.

“If it turns out that expenses aren’t enough to help them, we will find other ways. This may be a charity fund or something else, but it will be a legal way and an appropriate way to our legislation. We will compensate losses fully.”

He said some families may receive USD 30 000, some less.

Ivanishvili also gave same answers about solving the problem of unemployment, and said that there will be significant changes in the next three to four years and that it is partly dependent on increasing the flow of investments.

“We should assure investors that Georgia will be politically stable. We will create conditions to get rid of elite corruption blooming in government. No officials should be able to illegally interrupt private property.”

Ivanishvili could not name dates for when his programs to help villages and refugees will be implementated. He said that if expenses aren’t enough for implementing certain plans and promises the government will find other sources to legally finance them, including using his own money.

Akaki Bobokhidze, from the minority National Movement party, was critical to today’s meeting because there were no answers to their questions. He expressed hope that the new government will soon present real plans and ways of implementing them.

Giorgi Baramidze, also from minority, said that National Movement as opposition has a responsibility on behalf of the Georgian people to find out when Georgian Dream will fulfill its promises, which he said is not just a knee-jerk reaction of trying to catch the new government, but a result of a desire to known what will happen and when it will happen.

Giorgi Baramidze also said he wishes Georgia was just like Chorvila, the hometown of Bidzina Ivanishvili. It is believed that the population in this town live under very good conditions and the place has been developed with the help of the former businessman. Baramidze believes Georgian people all over the country should live no worse than people there.