Saakashvili: Extra Defense Spending Not for Arming
President Saakashvili said on September 18 that additional defense spending in the 2008 state budget will be allocated purely for reconstruction of the military infrastructure, damaged in war with Russia, and not for purchasing arms.
“We are increasing the budget in order to help people left without housing and to minimally alleviate damage inflicted to our defense [system],” Saakashvili said while meeting with a group of businessmen. “It is not about procuring arms, because we have arms, which is more than enough. We need to develop infrastructure.”
The government has submitted to the Parliament for consideration a draft budgetary amendment, which among other things also envisages additional GEL 150 million for the Ministry of Defense, bringing total 2008 defense funding up to GEL 1.545 billion.
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