Ruling party head says Gov’t aiming to “eradicate poverty”

Irakli Kobakhidze, the head of the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Friday said the task of the Government was to “eradicate poverty” across the country.

As long as at least one person lives below the poverty line in Georgia, we cannot be satisfied with the results we have - our task is to eradicate poverty”, he said.

Kobakhidze also highlighted over a million people had previously lived below the poverty line before the number was reduced to the current 600,000, before adding poverty remained a “national problem”.

[W]e need [to increase the] gross domestic product per capita - which today is $800 - to $12,000-15,000, which is the optimal rate. This is possible in the medium term”, he said.

Kobakhidze noted the forecast of the International Monetary Fund which said the country’s GDP per capita would reach $12,000 by 2028, and added hitting the indicator would lead to either eradication or “radical reduction” of poverty.