Veterans Department to establish as independent entity

The Department of Veterans Affairs will become an independent entity in Georgia.

This issue was discussed and agreed upon at a Governmental meeting today, January 17.

The new initiative will mean Georgias war veterans will be given more support and protection.

Georgias Minister of Defence, Irakli Alasania, said the Government appreciated every veteran's life and this decision emphasized that fact.

"The establishment of the Veterans Department means that their rights will be protected by the Government," Alasania said.

"And this fact will utterly change the veterans social protection policy in Georgia. We have many war veterans. Last year government honoured monthly compensation for the fallen soldiers families."

A month ago, the Government announced 500 GEL compensation will be granted monthly to the families of the Defence Ministry's fallen servants of Georgia from 2014, according to amendments in the State Compensation and Academy Scholarship law.

The compensation will be donated to the families of ISAF mission military participants who served in Iraq and Afghanistan. The money will also go to the families of the soldiers who died while fighting for territorial integrity of Georgia in May 1998 and in August 2004.