Saakashvili Against Further Cut in Defense Spending

President Saakashvili told lawmakers on February 26 that further decrease of the country’s defense funding would be inappropriate in the face of existing security threats.

In his rebuttal speech to the President’s annual state of the nation address, parliamentary minority leader, MP Giorgi Targamadze, called on the authorities to reduce defense spending at a level of GDP’s 3% and redirect saved funds to business stimulus projects.

“We have already reduced defense funding twice; and it has been done by the country which is actually in the state of war,” Saakashvili responded in his closing remarks.

“I want to remind you that ceasefire accord remains unfulfilled [by Russia] and we have no peace treaty with Russia, because in exchange for peace treaty [Russia] asks us to recognize occupation of the Georgian territories,” he said.

Georgia’s defense funding is GEL 750 million in 2010, which is about 4% of this year’s forecasted GEL 19 billion GDP. 2010 defense funding is down from GEL 897 million in 2009 and GEL 1.547 billion in 2008.

According to a report on Abkhazia, which was released by International Crisis Group on February 26, over the past few months Georgia discharged from the armed forces 600 mid-level officers, including 100 colonels, partly in an effort to slash spending. ICG cites Georgian military officials and Tbilisi-based European diplomats as source of this information.

President Saakashvili also said in Parliament on February 26: “I repeat we will never surrender. When we speak about reduction of defense spending, Mr. Targamadze, neither are you a leader of a Buddhist-Democratic party, nor do I look like Dalai Lama, either by appearance or by actions, because I want to live in my country and I want to struggle in my country to the end.”

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