In a strong show of support for Georgia, international donors have pledged some 3.4 billion euros to help rebuild the war-shattered country.
The higher-than-expected sum puts the seal of success on a fund-raising conference held in Brussels. Dozens of organisations and countries attended – giving Georgia a chance to get back on its feet.
“Today is just the beginning,” Georgian Prime Minister Lado Gurgenidzes told reporters.
“Today is not the end. Today we have just got together here and established just how much support there is. There is three years of hard work ahead of us.”
The meeting, co-chaired by the World Bank and the European Commission, comes two months after Georgia’s armed conflict with Russia. While mainly military targets were hit, Georgia also reported damage to civilian infrastructure.
Donors’ decision to dig deep will be seen by some as sending a message to Moscow. It comes the day after Russia confirmed it would permanently maintain military bases in separatist South Ossetia and Abkhazia.
The higher-than-expected sum puts the seal of success on a fund-raising conference held in Brussels. Dozens of organisations and countries attended – giving Georgia a chance to get back on its feet.
“Today is just the beginning,” Georgian Prime Minister Lado Gurgenidzes told reporters.
“Today is not the end. Today we have just got together here and established just how much support there is. There is three years of hard work ahead of us.”
The meeting, co-chaired by the World Bank and the European Commission, comes two months after Georgia’s armed conflict with Russia. While mainly military targets were hit, Georgia also reported damage to civilian infrastructure.
Donors’ decision to dig deep will be seen by some as sending a message to Moscow. It comes the day after Russia confirmed it would permanently maintain military bases in separatist South Ossetia and Abkhazia.
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