Senior MP Lays Out Defense Spending Priorities

Risk of further flare-up of tensions in breakaway regions is increasing and there is no sign it will be reduced, a senior lawmaker from the ruling party, Nika Rurua, said while outlining additional defense spending priorities.

MP Rurua, the deputy chairman of the parliamentary committee for defense and security, was speaking at a parliamentary session on July 5, which was discussing budgetary amendments.

The government has proposed to increase the Ministry of Defense (MoD) funding by GEL 295 million, bringing total 2008 defense spending up to GEL 1.395 billion.

MP Rurua told lawmaker that the government’s decision to increase defense spending was justified with threats posed by the breakaway regions and Russian peacekeeping troops stationed there.

“Risks and threats have increased extremely, which is mainly related with developments in the separatist regions,” MP Rurua told lawmakers. “Probability of further escalation of tensions in the separatist regions is increasing and there is no sign yet that this probability will be reduced.”

“Level of threat coming from the Russia’s recent initiatives is also increasing with unprecedented scales,” he continued. “We can state that the Russian Federation has already moved from the tactic of so called creeping annexation to open and active annexation. Russia is increasing role of its military component in the region, I mean Russia’s decision to deploy Railway Forces in Abkhazia; increase of its military instructors in the region and deployment of non-peacekeeping troops in Abkhazia.”

He also said that despite “Georgia’s diplomatic success,” replacement of the Russian peacekeeping forces and internationalization of the operation was not yet achieved.

“As a result Russian peacekeepers in the region still remain source of destabilization,” MP Rurua said.

Enhancing Georgia’s air defense and naval capabilities is one of the major reasons behind the additional defense funding, he pointed out and added that purchase of air-defense systems and aircraft were planned. He, however, did not give further details.

“Active use of aerial capabilities against Georgia is reason behind this purpose and unfortunately we have examples of this trend: Georgia’s three unmanned aerial vehicles have been shot down [over Abkhazia]; aerial bombardment of upper Kodori Gorge; the Tsitelubani incident,” MP Rurua said.

He also pointed out that modernization of the Georgian armament was in progress and this process required re-training of military professionals.

GEL 25.75 million will be spent on the MoD’s efforts to recruit new professionals and to retrain staff in various professions, including pilots, air instructors, navigators and artillerists.

According to the Ministry of Defense (MoD) GEL 237 million – out of additional GEL 295 million – will be spent on purchase of ammunition, as well as on training of reserve troops, military exercises, modernization of the existing equipment and for mission to Iraq; this later mission will require GEL 24.5 million.

MP Rurua said that Georgia also planned to send up to 200 soldiers to Afghanistan.

He said that purchase of ammunition was needed to fill ammo storage, because of intensive military exercises carried out by the Georgian army.

Ordinarily, according to the MoD’s regulations, MP Rurua said, military exercises should be held once in a month. “But because of existing threats military exercises are held at least three times per month, so we need to fill ammo storage,” he added.

Procurement of NATO-interoperable communication systems is also planned, MP Rurua said.

GEL 2.5 million will be allocated for health insurance of servicemen and civilians, according to MoD.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) will also benefit from the planned budgetary amendment as an additional GEL 40 million is earmarked for it.
 
If approved, the amendment will bring the MIA’s total funding for 2008 to GEL 640 million, compared to GEL 467.4 million in 2007.