The government of Georgia “pays” 126 million GEL for augmenting defense ability of the state in 2005. The progress in the issue of financing the Defense Ministry will become even more visible if one recalls that “just” 91 million GEL was allotted for this agency in 2004. Apart from this, the government plans to receive approximately 200 million GEL from the privatization process next year, out of which 80 million will be allocated for the military.

Despite such dynamics, the government still cannot impress members of the Defense and Security Committee of the Georgian parliament. According to Nika Rurua, deputy chair of the committee, pursuant to the version offered by the executive branch, only 1.16 percent of the Gross Domestic Product will be spent for the defense of the state, while according to the standards set by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, this benchmark should not be less than two percent.

“Deriving from the Individual Partnership Program with NATO, Georgia has assumed this commitment,” Rurua reminds the government and comes up with an initiative to officially adopt allocation of the two percent share of GDP for the defense sphere in 2006.

MP Ivliane Khaindrava doubts this initiative and thinks that, as Georgia has already assumed the international commitment, Nika Rurua’s initiative is unnecessary. “This should happen only in case the government refuses to implement this commitment,” states the Republican MP.

Rurua considers Khaindrava’s argument incorrect. In his turn, deputy chair of the Defense and Security Committee noted that ”this commitment is not upheld even now, which is also confirmed by the fact that the government allocated just 1.16 percent of GDP for the Defense Ministry instead of two percent.”

In short, roles were changed during yesterday’s committee hearing: Nika Rurua assumed the functions of an oppositionist, while Ivliane Khaindrava was championing the government’s “interests.”

Lasha Gotsiridze, deputy Finance Minister, was driven by agency interests in this dispute. “Such legislative initiative will destroy the budgetary system,” Gotsiridze was claiming. That similar steps were not ensued by negative effects in a number of states – Romania, Bulgaria, Estonia, Macedonia, et cetera – did not mean much for the deputy finance minister.

As for other “power” structures, according to the 2005 budget draft, they will be financed as follows: the Internal Affairs and the Security Ministries, being in the process of merging, will receive 155 million GEL, the State Security Service – 30 million GEL, the bulk of which will be spent on ensuring security on pipelines.