On November 27, 2002, environmental activists held a protest outside the Georgian Oil Corporation building. Their main demand was to reroute the 20-kilometer section of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline that was planned to pass through the Borjomi Valley, proposing an alternative route to avoid environmental risks. At the rally, protesters even brought bottles of Borjomi water filled with oil as a symbolic warning.

Local residents voiced their concerns, stating, “If there’s a leak and the mineral water gets contaminated, Georgia will be doomed. If the pipeline bypasses the Borjomi Valley, we have nothing against it—quite the opposite.”

On November 30, Environment Minister Nino Chkhobadze and representatives of British Petroleum reached an agreement. The pipeline owners promised to ensure additional safety measures and consider alternative routes.

Finally, on December 2, the Ministry of Environment granted construction approval for the oil pipeline. The decision was made with the direct involvement of President Eduard Shevardnadze, who personally assumed responsibility for the safety of the Borjomi Valley.