In their New Year messages President Giorgi Margvelashvili and new PM Giorgi Kvirikashvili have both mentioned “freedom” and “free citizens”, spoke of “new step” and “new reality” for 2016 and addressed residents of breakaway Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

President Margvelashvili made his address from stage of outdoor New Year concert on Freedom Square in Tbilisi center.

Noting that 2016 will mark 25th anniversary of restoration of Georgia’s independence, Margvelashvili said: “We should turn independence, that we have gained, into freedom. Freedom means to be what we are – to be talented and special that we are. Freedom means to forget strife that we had, to forget mistakes that we made. Freedom means to love each other and make Georgia the country our ancestors were dreaming of. Today we are celebrating launch of this epoch and of this new step.”

“I want to congratulate our compatriots in the occupied territories and I want to tell them that we have common future,” Margvelashvili said.

On the New Year’s Eve President Margvelashvili visited Ministry of Defense from where he addressed via live video link Georgian soldiers serving in Afghanistan and the Central African Republic.

PM Giorgi Kvirikashvili also mentioned Georgian soldiers serving in the international missions in his televised New Year address, saying that they “are defending Georgia’s interests far from their homeland.”

Addressing Abkhaz and Ossetian “brothers and sisters”, Kvirikashvili, who was approved as new PM on December 30, said: “I want you to know that Georgia’s every achievement and success belongs to you too; but this success will only be perfect through our unity.”

“Georgia enters 2016 with new reality – Georgia has made a historic step on the path of the European approximation. That’s why we should believe that we will build the country where our families, our children have better future,” PM Kvirikashvili said.

“I want to congratulate especially the youth. 2016 will be the year of your success. You have the greatest potential and we will support all of your initiatives and ideas. I believe that strength of Georgia depends on your success,” he said.

“Despite of difficulties our homeland will definitely become economically strong. Georgia will be country of opportunities, country of free citizens, where everyone will be able to realize their own ideas, where success of the country will depend on efforts of each of us.”

“For that to happen we should direct a huge positive charge that we all have solely towards one goal – our homeland… Wish you peace, forgiveness, love and faith in better future, which we need so much,” the PM said. “I believe that together we can do everything.”