Roman Gotsiridze, a member of the United National Movement opposition party, told Front News on Friday that the “economic advancement” being praised by the country’s prime minister Irakli Garibashvili in his speeches, is “a lie”. 

He also said that gas in Georgia cost about 10 times less than in Europe “is not Garibashvili's merit”.  

“This is the merit of Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum pipelines, which are the country's wealth, and are controlled by the government. I am referring to the waste of hundreds of millions of money in the gas sector in the employment of people close to the government, and in the promotion of their businesses”, Gotsiridze said. 

He stressed that the results of the economic growth “is eaten by high prices, inflation”

“Prices are rising more than the government shows. The statistics office falsifies the numbers and tries to embellish the inflation rate. In the last two years, prices have increased by 25% and more, when incomes have not increased at this level. When prices increase more than incomes, it means that people become poorer," said Gotsiridze.Garibashvili on Friday once again praised the “unprecedented" double-digit economic growth of 10.5 percent in August and 10.3 percent over the first eight months of 2022, and said that the 2023 budget has been planned with a five percent economic growth forecast.