Gov't Increases Financing of Defense Ministry by GEL 80 mln

In 2019, the financing of the Ministry of Defense of Georgia will increase by GEL 80 million ($29.58m) and in total amount to GEL 870 million ($321,686m).

The information was released by the Finance Minister of Georgia, Ivane Machavariani, while presenting the draft budget 2019 to the parliamentarians.

Machavariani says that according to NATO standards, a country must spend 2% of the GDP on defense.

In addition, the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA), it will get GEL 644 million ($238,121m). Compared to the previous draft budget, the ministry will get GEL 500,000 ($184.877) more this time.

As for the funding of the State Security Service (SSS) GEL 136 million ($50,286,559) will be allocated from next year’s budget, out of which 6 million GEL ($2.218,524) is provided for the growth of salaries of low-level employees and also for partial financing of the establishment of a real-time defining system of the operational-technical agency.

The Emergency Situations Management Service will receive GEL 87.6 million ($32.39 m) from the budget, including 5.5 million ($2.03 m) GEL for the increase in salaries of firefighters and rescuers.

The minister told the MPs that the next year's budget was planned by the government on 4.5% economic growth.

By Thea Morrison