“Group of Trustees” Losing Confidence

Koba Liklikadze, Radio “Liberty”

A Group of Trustees is a body created with the Parliament of Georgia to control the law enforcement institutions. At the end of the year, the Group finally managed to hear the report of the Defense Ministry.

The only oppositionist member of the Group of Trustees, leader of the parliamentary minority Giorgi Targmadze informed the Radio “Liberty” about the content of the close meeting. The MP confessed that the Parliament’s Group of Trustee fails to participate in the formation of the security policy and its control.

Trust Him and Do Not Check

The Parliament’s Group of Trustees decided to meet the Minister of Defense of Georgia after the Ministry of Finances increased the budget of the Ministry with 45 million GEL in November, 2011. The Parliament’s Fraction “Christian-Democrats” petitioned to the chairman of the Parliament to invite the minister to the Parliament after the former could not receive answer from the Minister of Finances to their question what was reason of increased military budget.

On December 23, the members of the Group of Trustees and MP Giorgi Targamadze personally asked important-for-them questions to the Minister Bacho Akhalaia in the Parliamentary Committee of Defense and National Security. The guest answered their questions though it cannot be verified because of State Secret status. “Generally, the information which I can share with you is that the absolute majority of the accumulated funds will be spent on the procurement of new armament and equipment.”

As mentioned above, the information about the importing country and sort of armament and equipment purchased by the Georgian Defense Ministry is state secret. The legality of the military procurements can be discussed only after the current minister, like the former minister Irakli Okruashvili, decides to join opposition parties. However, we have a completely legitimate question – does the Georgian army have competent specialists who can operate the new military equipment?

If believe Georgian printed media and social networks, in 2011 experienced and professional officers were sacked from the defense ministry throughout 2011; MP Giorgi Targamadze also confirmed the information: “the administration of the Defense Ministry responded that qualifications of the sacked officers did not meet the requirements of the Ministry or they had some questions regarding their past activities. However, in some cases the process acquired very unserious character because I remember the previous administration declared only those officers to be “negative survivals” and “negative past” who had received military education in Russia or in any post-soviet republics. In parallel to it, majority of recently sacked officers had received high military education in the western countries.”

The agenda of the December 23 meeting between the Parliament’s Group of Trustees and administration of the Defense Ministry listed the important issues of the Georgia politics like NATO’s Chicago Summit and Georgia’s perspective of obtaining MAP (NATO’s Membership Action Plan) on the Summit and significance of the Georgian contribution into security operations in Afghanistan. By the way, last week, on December 23, the Parliament of Georgia adopted the Conception of Georgia’s National Security which mentions a risk of new military aggression from the Russian Federation as well as terrorist acts organized by Russia on the occupied territories among other threats and challenges of Georgia.

In 2011, the five-member Group of Trustees held two meetings with the Defense Minister. It is difficult to say what will happen in future and how intensively similar meetings will be held. Giorgi Targamadze does not deny the fact that the Group of Trustees, as well as the entire parliament, cannot control the executive authority due to single-party governance and loses the public confidence.