The Rise and Fall of Lazika (The Tuqay)


In December 2011, the Georgian president announced—to widespread surprise—the construction of a new city on the coast of the Black Sea, to be called Lazika.
As bulldozers rumbled to life in the middle of an immense swamp, the Georgian Constitution was amended to suit the occasion. NGOs pointed out the irrationality and lack of transparency associated with the project, which, while no more than an idea, occupied a growing place in the political strategy of President Mikheil Saakashvili.
But the unexpected defeat of his party in the parliamentary elections of October 2012 have changed everything. Lazika is the ultimate evidence of Saakashvili’s “whim,” according to his political opponent and the current Prime Minister, Bidzina Ivanishvili. The city will not be built, to the great chagrin of its architect. (Read More