The Defense and Security Committee Wants 1% of GDP for Defense

(Tbilisi, November 28, 2002, Civil Georgia) On November 28 the Defense and Security Committee of the Parliament presented a draft of a decree, which considers allocation of 1% of the GDP for the Defense Ministry, to fuel transformation to NATO standards.

As it was stated at a joint session of the committees of Economy and Defense and Security, this amount should be 80 million Laris in 2003. The draft decree concerns state budgets for years 2003-2005.

Finance Minister Mirian Gogiashvili, who was invited to attend the session, stated that the Ministry is ready to discuss the issue. He also said that fulfillment of provisions of the draft decree, including allocation of 1% of the GDP for defense purposes, would be possible only on expense of other priority issues, such as education, increase of salaries for teachers etc.

The Defense Ministry lacked 11 million Laris from the total amount of its budget funds. The Ministry also has not received another 11 million, approved by the Parliament in Spring to with purpose to increase self-defense capabilities, after repeated bombings of the Georgian territory by Russian warplanes.

Transformation of the Georgian armed forces to NATO standards have become a top priority issue after official announcement of Georgia’s bid to join the organization by President Shevardnadze at the NATO Summit in Prague on November 22.

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