Georgia “getting richer”, Tbilisi can’t follow Europe’s “strict policy” to Russia – PM

Georgian prime minister Irakli Garibashvili on Friday said his government was unable to follow Europe’s “strict approach” to Russia following the latter’s invasion of Ukraine, saying it would affect the country’s economy and its people, amid Georgia’s “large-scale economic progress”. 

 

In his press comments on the launch of construction of residential flats for 2,400 internally displaced families in Tbilisi from the country’s Russian-occupied regions, the PM claimed Georgia was “getting richer”, with its economy “increased by almost 10 billion dollars”. 

 

“Today, unemployment and poverty are at a historical minimum, the reserves of our country are at a historical maximum. The country has more than five billion dollars in reserves. Wages, pensions, social assistance have increased, business is developing”, he claimed. 

 

“I have to tell our partners that we can not follow this [strict] policy [to Russia]. We are neither a member of NATO nor the EU, 20 percent of our territories are occupied. Russian troops are stationed on our territory and we have a border with the country”, Garibashvili said. 

 

The comments came following the latest concerns by the west on Russia’s move on May 10 to lift travel and visa restrictions with Georgia, with the latter’s government accepting the flights, claiming the Kremlin’s decision was “welcomed” from the humanitarian point of view. 
In his remarks Garibashvili claimed his government had ensured the country’s “progress and peace”, which he said among other moves, had allowed his office to give flats to 30,000 IDP families since taking office in 2012. 

 

He noted the budget would allocate almost 245 million GEL for the construction of flats for 2,400 IDP families that would end in 2025.