The Chair of the Diaspora and Caucasus Issues Committee, Beka Odisharia addresses Georgian citizens with the recommendation to, to a maximal extent, abstain from using fireworks for their own and others’ safety.

“We may resort to far safer, more creative and acceptable means to make the celebration of New Year colorful and beautiful for our friends and neighbors abstaining from cheap fireworks that pose a hazard to our bodily and mental health and carry absolutely no esthetical value. Fireworks have never been a part of the Georgian tradition of celebrating Christmas and New Year and Georgian feasts. Thus, I humbly appeal to you to ponder how to consume a certain amount of the money that you intend to spend to blow in the air in a better manner, for instance, to use it for the aid of people with special needs, or our friends, relatives, children, parents, siblings etc. I will stand as a great benevolence in spiritual and secular terms during the Christmas festival days”, - he stated.

According to him, the damage inflicted by fireworks has a particularly evident reflection on his constituency – Old Tbilisi district, since it is especially crowded during the holidays.

“However, fireworks pose damage not only to Tbilisi but a whole country and I believe, it shall be subject to strict state regulation. Although the amendments adopted by the preceding convocation of the Parliament, prohibit the use of noisy fireworks, it seems, we failed to deliver this message to our population, which makes me particularly worried as the author of the amendments. It is noteworthy that neither the administration appeared to be simple and easy. Thus, the leaders of the “Georgian Dream” take active steps to convert goodwill into the deed; meanwhile, I appeal to you all to abstain from using fireworks”.

As he noted, preferably, the dates and places for using fireworks shall be strictly designated and delivered to our citizens.