2025 US Budget: Aid to Georgia Reduced by $8 Million
By Liza Mchedlidze
Wednesday, March 13, 2024
On March 11th, the U.S Department of State published the draft budget for 2025, allocating $80 million for aid to Georgia.
The document reads that this allocation will assist the country in democratic and economic development, as well as in progressing towards Euro-Atlantic integration, thereby strengthening Georgia's resilience against harmful influences.
According to the proposed project, this monetary assistance will support institutional checks and balances, uphold the rule of law, and aid Georgian civil society in advancing democratic and economic development. Additionally, it will strengthen access to independent, reliable, balanced media and promote political pluralism.
It should be noted that in 2024, 88 million US dollars were allocated for Georgia. If the 2025 project is approved, the aid to Georgia will be reduced by 8 million US dollars.
The Prime Minister of Georgia, Irakli Kobakhidze, addressed the reduction of US funding, claiming that a large part of US aid goes to non-governmental organizations. He stated that these NGOs had "disappointed" the American government in the past years, which may have led to the reduction in funding.
"I cannot tell you, the United States of America is the one making decisions on these issues. You know that a significant portion of this funding goes to non-governmental organizations. NGOs disappointed the American state last year and the year before. Maybe this was the reason for the decrease in funding," Kobakhidze said.
Tamar Khidasheli, the Director of the Democratic Research Institute (DRI), said that Kobakhidze's statement is an attempt to shift blame and avoid taking responsibility for the reduction of US aid.
According to Khidasheli, Instead of acknowledging any mistakes made by the government, Kobakhidze is blaming NGOs for the decrease in funding. The DRI Director sees this as an effort by Kobakhidze to deflect accountability away from their government.
