Destroying Hippodrome recreation area would be ‘very harmful’ for Tbilisi, NGO head

The destruction of Tbilisi’s Hippodrome recreation area would have serious consequences for the city and would be a harmful decision even if a Trump Tower were to be built on the site, Irakli Abesadze, founder of the Center for Civic Participation, said on Tuesday.

“It is paradoxical that Ivanishvili’s puppets, who describe Trump as being controlled by the ‘deep state’ and acting under its influence, are now celebrating the fact that someone has paid several million dollars for the right to use the name of that same President Trump for a building in Tbilisi,” Abesadze said.

He also criticised the proposed development itself, saying the loss of the Hippodrome’s recreational space would be damaging to the city.

“As for the building itself, destroying the Hippodrome’s recreational space would have very serious consequences for the city and would be a very harmful decision, even if a Trump Tower were to be built there,” Abesadze said.