Parliamentary Committee Insists on Increased Defense Spending

At the session of the Parliamentary Committee on Defense and Security part of the MPs demanded the government increase the planned budget for the Defense Ministry up to 2% of the GDP.

Despite the authorities? earlier pledge to double defense spending, according to the draft 2005 budget the government intends to allocate only 126.3 million Lari (more than USD 70 million) for the Defense Ministry next year, which is around 1.16% of the GDP. In 2004 defense spending totaled 91.6 million Lari (USD 50.8 million).

?We are trying to get closer to NATO standards, but according to these standards minimum defense spending should be 2% of a country?s GDP,? MP Nika Rurua, Deputy Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee for Defense and Security, said.

In February Prime Minister Zurab Zhvania said, while addressing a parliamentary session, that Georgia’s ?main goal is to increase funding in accordance with European and NATO recommendations. The current funding, which equals 0.69% of the GDP, should increase up to 2% of the GDP.?