From: MSN Nicknamepsychoteddybear24 (Original Message) Sent: 7/20/2007 6:54 AM GEORGIA'S BIG MILITARY SPENDING BOOST
Government says sharp rise in defence spending will professionalise army but questions are asked about why the money is being spent.
By Koba Liklikadze in Tbilisi
Georgia, which has made breathtaking increases in its defence spending over the last two years, looks set to beat all records this year.
In late June, the Georgian government increased the defence ministry's budget of 513 million laris (315 million US dollars) by 442 million laris (260 million dollars).
According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, SIPRI, Georgia currently has the highest average growth rate of military spending in the world. Some independent experts are worried that the spending is not fully accounted for, while others say that it could undermine the peace processes with the breakaway territories of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.
The Georgian government insists that the increased spending is absolutely vital to allow the country to improve its defence capabilities, fulfill its NATO commitments and strengthen social support for its military personnel.
"Part of the sum will be used to purchase the equipment that a modern army needs," Defence Minister David Kezerashvili told IWPR. "Another part will be spent on sending an increased (2000-strong) military contingent to Iraq."
Kezerashvili rejected claims that Georgia is engaged in a potentially dangerous process of militarisation that could destabilise the situation with Abkhazia and South Ossetia.
"We are simply building our army," he said. "We started building it from scratch, when the budget was only 50 million laris. Naturally, against the background of what we had three years ago, it now looks as though we are making big steps toward militarisation. That is not the case. We are simply creating a small, but a very mobile army that will be capable of performing any tasks the country will set it."
Political expert Archil Gegeshidze said the rise in defence spending should be put in context, arguing, "Georgia has lagged behind the two other countries in the region in both the quantity and quality of its equipment", and it needed to professionalise its army in order to move towards NATO membership.
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